“We try now, but further down the line, I have to give my father what he wants as well,” I say.
“Done,” he says and kisses me.
That was easy. How is he suddenly okay with me having another man’s baby? Does he know something that I don’t?
“Because you have given me everything I ever wanted,” he says in that uncanny way of his. “I, however, also have some stipulations.”
“Of course,” I murmur now.
“We go to Rosalina immediately. She will help us conceive and secondly, you do not have sex with anyone, at all, until after it is done. I cannot risk it,” he says.
Erm. Not at all? How am I supposed to manage that? Granted, now that Lincoln and I are no longer together and Devon and I are on the outs, that only leaves Cole and Xane, and, well, Sebastian, but still. “How do I explain that to Cole?” I ask, because as far as CK is concerned he is the only other one now.
“You tell him the truth. If he doesn’t like it, he knows where to go,” CK says, completely unconcerned by my dilemma.
Great, I think. He will blow a gasket the likes of which I have never seen before. “What is Rosalina going to do?” I ask.
“She is skilled in fertility rituals,” he explains, and I wonder how he knows that. Are they in regular contact? “Even with our unique challenges, I am sure she will be able to help us.”
“We should do the Blood Magick ritual as well,” I say, and he nods his approval. “Unfortunately, I have that thing I need to go and deal with right now,” I add, and he sighs.
“Yes, go and sort that out, but be quick about it. I don’t want to leave you unattended for very long. There are too many creatures vying for your attentions,” he says.
No kidding. I kiss him and climb off his lap. He grabs my hand to stop me Astralling out.
“Aefre, apart from Cole, please keep this between us. If anyone should find out that you are soon to be highly fertile, I dread to think what will happen to you,” he says quietly.
Yep, I am way ahead of you on that one. I hadn’t even intended to tell Cole yet. I just nod and he lets me go. I Astral to just outside Cade’s room and knock. I push the door open without waiting for an answer and he turns over in the bed to glare at me with one steely gray eye from underneath the covers.
“Man, you still look like shit,” I say and plonk myself down next to him. “Time to drink up.” I hold out my wrist to him. His hand closes over it and he pushes the covers off him. He is naked to the waist and I realize that this is the first time I have seen him so. I can’t resist the quick once-over and it is to my liking. Of course, my lusty gaze is not to his liking and he growls at me.
“You don’t want me to look, cover up,” I say.
“I would have had you given me a chance to. You did just barge in here, remember?” he retorts.
I shrug and indicate he should take what he needs so I can get a move on.
He sighs and drops my wrist. “I am so sick of feeling like shit,” he says morosely. “Ever since you turned me, I have been worse off than when I was human.”
“I know. I’m sorry about that,” I say, feeling bad. “But there are ways in which you can make yourself feel better.”
His eyes meet mine and rove over me still sitting there in just my satin robe. In the next second, I am flat on my back, pinned underneath him as he drops his fangs straight into my neck.
Erm, I meant that he should drink human blood, not attack me like a starving beast.
Oh! I put my hands up to push him off me as I feel him grind his hips against me. He is massively turned on. He grabs my hands and pushes them up above my head to stop me. He takes them both in one hand and slides his other one into my robe. His hand brushes past my breasts and I breathe in deeply.
“Cade,” I say to him, but he ignores me, still feeding hungrily from me.
I should push him away, I really, really should, but when he releases his fangs and stares down into my eyes he says, “I am sick of feeling like shit. You said once before to take what I needed from you and I didn’t. I should have. But you can help me now.”
Oh, gods, why did he have to use the “h” word? I can’t refus
e when people ask for help.
When I don’t say anything, remembering I offered myself to him after Devon found him in that ratty apartment in Stevenage. He didn’t take me up on my offer, at least not the whole way. He fumbles with himself and gets himself free. He parts my legs and is inside me, thrusting quickly as he closes his eyes. He doesn’t want to look at me. He is barely touching me with his body, having reared up so only our parts are joined. There is nothing in this for him other than a transaction. He knows doing this will help him get stronger and that is why he is doing it.
The only reason.