With a succinct nod, we both pushed our chairs back and stood. Elijah’s and Kolvar’s attention snapped to us as I grabbed my glass. “Refill,” I whispered, hoping I wasn’t offending anyone by refusing to drink the blood they provided and instead leaving the dinner to procure my own.
The men nodded their understanding and returned their focus to the conversation at hand. Myrin seemed preoccupied talking to the elderly man on her left, so I took the moment to rush to the door with Dakath, grabbing his offered hand as we left.
“Here,” he said as he closed the doors behind us, guiding me into a room just off the main room. As he held the door open for me to pass through, dropping my hand as he did, I wondered what a space this small could be used for. The room was much darker than anything I’d seen in the castle. My brows furrowed as I ran my fingertips along the wall, marveling over the soft, dark texture.
“Velvet,” he supplied from behind me, his words skating over my exposed neck just moments before his lips pressed down.
“They’re lovely, but why is this room so small and dark? What is the intended use of it?” I questioned just as his fangs scraped lightly against me, reminding me of the pretense of why we’d come here to begin with.
Whirling around in his grip, I placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back a few steps. Spying a small table to drop my glass onto, I deposited it before placing my hands on my hips in what I hoped was with no-nonsense posture. “Why aren’t you drinking any blood? Are you okay?”
A sigh came from him as he reached up to rub the back of his head, his lips tilting up. “So you noticed, huh?”
My head reared back a bit, incredulous. “Of course I did. You’ve seemed a bit quieter than usual, and now you aren’t drinking your blood? Tell me what’s going on.”
Closing the distance between us, his hands swooped around my waist to settle on the small of my back, tracing soothing circles on it. “It’s simple, Ky. I don’t want to drink anyone’s blood other than yours. You’re mine, and I’m yours. It feels wrong for me to do anything else. I’ve tried.”
My lashes fluttered as I stared up at him, my brain struggling to find the proper words to respond.
Why did him abstaining from another’s blood feel like such a romantic gesture? I was seriously a little screwed up in the head.
Placing my hands on his chest, I asked, “Why didn’t you say something before? I would have let you drink from me.”
His fingers circling my back stilled, and his lighthearted expression fell. “Because it felt wrong to drink from you after everything you went through yesterday. I wantedyouto focus on drinking as much blood as possible, so you could heal properly.”
These men. I loved the way they put me first, but I found it frustrating that they were willing to put me on a pedestal above their own health and happiness. They made me feel so cherished and protected, but I wanted to provide the same to them.
Letting loose a heavy sigh, I let the words flow. “I am fine. Please do not treat me like I’m some fragile item that’s going to break with one wrong motion. Our relationship goes two ways, and I want to ensure that you get what you need as well. However, I can’t do that unless you’re honest with me.”
I hoped he wouldn’t argue with me on this, giving in easily unlike Elijah when I tried to convince him to touch me last night. Turns out these stubborn men were very similar.
One of his hands moved to grip my chin lightly as he muttered, “Ky, the thing is that you wear your heart on your sleeve. Even if you weren’t okay, I know you wouldn’t deny me if I said I needed to feed from you. Tell me I’m wrong.”
My lips thinned, hating that he wasn’t.
“I…I would, of course, if you absolutely needed it,” I defended. “It’s because I lo—.” I quickly cut myself off when I realized what was about to come out of my mouth. My heart hammered in my chest. Holy shit…I almost told him I loved him.
Did I love him?
Swallowing that near-admission back down, I glared at his cheeky expression as I tried again. “I care about the three of you, so of course I would allow you to feed from me anytime. But I promise, I’m completely fine now, and I want you to drink from me.”
Tipping my head to the side, I offered my neck to him. Part of me came alive at the thought of him drinking from me. The euphoria that accompanied them sipping from my veins was intimate, forging a bond between us that couldn’t be broken. My core tightened at the memory of Elijah drinking from my inner thigh last night.
“I won’t argue with you if you say you are okay, but I need you to promise me that you’ll tap my shoulder or tell me to stop if you feel the slightest drain, okay?”
Glancing up at him, I offered a smile. “I promise.”
As I hummed to myself in anticipation, I closed my eyes and waited for the bliss to wash over me. I squealed when suddenly he swept me off my feet, startling me as my hands fastened around his neck. A moment later, we laid on a large, velvet chaise.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable leaning sideways on him with my shoulder rammed into his hard chest, I quickly pushed up and situated myself to straddle him. The chaise offered a slight curve upward just below his knees, making it feel like I was perfectly nestled in his lap.
“Now where were we,” he murmured as his hands landed on my hips and squeezed.
The erection grinding against me made it apparent that he was in need of more than just blood. My own need roared to life within me. These men made me want to enjoy every minute that we had together, never taking for granted that tomorrow wasn’t promised. With these men at my side, I vowed to live for today.
Leaning forward, I reached down to the waistband of his pants as I rested my lips against the shell of his ear. “I’ll give you what you want if I get what I want.”
His voice dropped an octave, growing huskier as his hands moved from my hips to my ass. “What did you have in mind?”
