“Whatever you want, my love, ask for it. I’m going to fuck you until you feel how much you mean to me; until you understand the gift you have given me, you beautiful, fragile, wonderful little thing,” he mumbled into my skin, his arm tightening around my stomach. I felt so small within his hold.
Sweat glistened on his skin as he made love to me, and even that smelled incredible.
Silver clouded my vision. All I could see was the core of him, and I was intrinsically drawn to it. I never thought I’d see the day when Ethan and I would fuck so freely under the light of the morning sun. It streamed through the window, and I reached out, touching a ray as though it was a tangible thing.
Ethan gripped my chin as he continued to thrust in and out of me. “The vampires in this city want me to be their ruler,” he breathed. “But all I care about is being yours.”
The intensity of his words was too much, and my eyes fluttered closed.
“Don’t look away,” he pleaded. “I need to see your bottomless blue eyes as I fill you.”
Meeting his gaze once more, I didn’t look away.
Finn
Holy Mary mother of God, she’s really gone and done it now. I always thought Tegan had a reckless streak, but that was putting it mildly. I didn’t think there was a single word in the English language to describe this madness. Nobody with half a brain would consider it a viable option to allow that bloodsucker to drink from her. And yet, there he stood, undeniably changed.
Was she even still alive? Did he drink her dry, or take just enough to transform?
Now, I understood this was a do or die situation. We were outnumbered as fuck, for a start. But seriously, there was no coming back from this. We all stared up at Cristescu from below, the entire vampire population of the city bowing down to him like he was some sort of effing High King of the Damned.
Relief washed over me when I spotted Tegan slumped weakly over the edge of the building, staring at him, too. She didn’t look too fresh, but at least she wasn’t dead.
Cristescu roared, and every fibre of me was repelled by the sound. I made eye contact with Gabriel first. Like me, my friend knew exactly what had gone down on that roof. In private he’d often spoken to me of his fears about Tegan. He worried that one day some power-hungry vampire would get his hands on her blood and everything would change. Well, now it had happened. Only I didn’t know if Tegan volunteered herself or if he forced her.
The idea of him forcing her made me really bloody angry. The disappointment I’d felt when she told me she’d slept with him rose to the surface, but I pushed it back down. She chose him. There was nothing I could do to make myself feel better other than try to salvage what was left of my wounded pride.
“We have to get out of here,” Gabriel said urgently, holding Alvie to him.
“You’re right. Let’s make a move while the vamps are distracted, eh?” I suggested, nodding to Delilah and Ira, who stood by her side in his animal form. That Lucas fella was bowing down just like the rest of the bloodsuckers.
Delilah looked shaken to her core, her pale face staring up at her brother in stunned silence.
“Delilah,” I called for her attention. “We have to go now.”
Ira whined and nipped at her hand. She finally pulled herself out of her shock and nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. She tried to get Lucas’s attention, but there was no breaking him out of his trance. Finally, she gave up and followed us down the ladder and back out onto the street.
Dead and unconscious human bodies filled the pathways. The five of us walked close together, dodging the bowing vamps. We sped up to a slow jog, needing to get as far away as possible before Cristescu called them to action. Delilah might be his sister, but he was no fan of the rest of us—me especially. Who knew what kind of plans he might be concocting with his newfound power.
The city was a wasteland. I suspected lots of people were hiding behind locked doors and windows, too frightened to venture outside.
Once we were clear of the vamps, I let out a long breath. We were close to the more residential areas now, which looked completely untouched by the chaos. The quiet, peaceful streets felt almost unreal after the madness we’d just been through.
Gabriel pulled Alvie close to him, his arm tight around his narrow shoulders. Ira rubbed his snout against Delilah’s hip, and she let her hand drift through his thick fur. All of a sudden, I felt decidedly alone. No one cared about comforting me.