“And you haven’t because you’re worried it will hurt me.”
“Because itwillhurt you.The bond, the taking—it’s dangerous, Tessa.More dangerous than you understand.”
“Then make me understand.”Her eyes are fierce now, tears forgotten.“Tell me what happens if you feed from me before this battle.”
I close my eyes, not wanting to see her face when I explain.“The bond will deepen.You’ll gain some of my strength, my speed, my resilience.I’ll be able to track you anywhere, feel everything you feel with perfect clarity.If the devourer tries to take you, I’ll be able to pull you back with more force.”
“That sounds good.”
“But it also means I’ll take part of your life force.Every time I feed, it drains you a little.Too much, and it will kill you.And once the bond is that deep...”I open my eyes, meeting her gaze.“There’s no going back.You’ll be tied to me in ways that transcend death itself.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, processing.“Do it.”
“Tessa—”
“We might die tomorrow, Vex.Both of us.All of us.”Her hands fist in my shirt.“I don’t want to go into that fight with anything held back.No reservations.No what-ifs.If feeding from me gives us a better chance of surviving, then do it.Please.”
The please breaks me.
“Not here,” I say roughly.“Not in this room.”
“Your room?”
“Our room.”
The correction makes her smile, small and fragile, but real.
She takes my hand, and together we navigate through the clubhouse to the sanctuary of our shared space.The room still smells of us, her shampoo, my leather, the lingering ghost of past intimacy.
The moment the door closes, she’s on me.
Her mouth finds mine with desperate urgency, hands already pulling at my shirt.There’s no hesitation, no careful exploration.This is need stripped bare, ferocity wrapped in love, the knowledge we might not have another chance making every touch vital.
I walk her backward until her knees hit the bed, and we fall together in a tangle of limbs and shed clothing.Her skin is warm under my hands, alive, and I catalog every detail, the curve of her waist, the sharp inhale when my mouth finds her throat, the way her pulse jumps under my lips.
“I love you,” she gasps as I work my way down her body.“God, Vex, I love you so much—”
“I know.”My hands map her ribs, her stomach, the sensitive spot on her hip that makes her arch.“I know, because I can feel it.Every moment.Every heartbeat.”
When I finally settle between her thighs, she’s already trembling.I take my time, building her higher with tongue and fingers until she’s sobbing my name, hands fisted in my hair, body wound so tight she’s nearly vibrating.
“Now,” she begs.“Please, Vex, I need—”
I rise over her, and the look in her eyes steals whatever breath I have left.Trust and desire and love so fierce it manifests through the bond as physical sensation, wrapping around my ribs and squeezing.
When I push into her, we both go still.
The connection is overwhelming, not just physical, but emotional, spiritual, something beyond words.I can feel her pleasure as my own, feel the way every thrust sends sparks racing up her spine, feel the building pressure as she climbs higher and higher toward release.
“Bite me,” she whispers, tilting her head to expose her throat.“Take what you need.”
“Tessa—”
“I trust you.”Her hands frame my face, forcing me to meet her eyes.“I trust you not to take too much.I trust you to know when to stop.I trustus.”
The words shatter the last of my resistance.
My fangs extend, venom flooding my mouth, and I lower my head to the juncture of her neck and shoulder.Right over the mark.Right where the devourer has tried to claim her.
