Slinging her sword into her sheath, she crosses over to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I have things to do. See you both later.”
She winks at me and saunters off. I roll my eyes. I know exactly where she’s going, andwhoshe’s seeing.
When I turn, Tiernon is leaning against the wall in the shade surrounding the training arena. Our eyes meet, but his gaze immediately drops to my arm.
“You’re hurt.” His voice is sharp—as if my pain has caused him personal offense.
“I’m fine. My fault for notexpecting the unexpected.”I grin at him. Blood drips from my forearm, and I pull a bandage from the wad in my pocket. “You shouldn’t be out in the sun. I know it hurts you.”
Tiernon ignores that. Despite the pain, he refuses to allow his transition to take the sun from him until the moment he can no longer tolerate it. Until it becomes deadly. My heart twists at the thought.
His eyes are dark, and I bite my lower lip as his gaze drops to my mouth, but it’s notthatcraving I’m worried about.
“Do you need a moment?”
His lips curve. “Are you asking me if I can control myself around the scent of your blood?”
“Well … yes.”
He takes a single step closer, and I blow out a shaky breath. “I won’t lie,” he murmurs. “You smell delectable. But I just fed. I’m more concerned with the depth of that cut.”
I stare at him blankly and his lips peel back from his fangs—already so much longer and sharper than ever before. He rips into his own wrist with those teeth, and the movement is so sudden, so unapologetically vampiric, that I stumble backward.
Tiernon freezes, and his eyes darken. “I can hear your heart racing. Don’t fear me, Arvelle. I’m … I’m a predator now. And itexcitesme.”
If he thinks those words will help calm my fear, he’s crazy. I slice a glance over my shoulder, but he’s instantly standing in front of me.
“You know I’d never hurt you,” he says. “Deep down you know. Nowdrink.”
My breath hitches. It’s rare that Tiernon lets me see a glimpse of his true self. Ever since he began transitioning, he’s been careful to suppress his increased speed, his incredible strength. It’s felt as if he was just a sigilmarked or mundane … one who can no longer visit me during the day.
I study his face. I’ve traced every inch of it with my fingertips, know italmost as well as I know my own. And I catch a glimpse of something in his eyes.
He hasn’t been pretending nothing has changed forhimself.No, he was doing it for me. His wrist—still dripping blood and held so close to my lips … it’s an offering. A question. Will I accept him as he is? Will I accept who he isbecoming?
With a shaky breath, I drop my head, pulling his wrist to my mouth. Ti lets out a soft groan, burying his free hand in my hair.
The taste of him explodes through my mouth.
Tiernon must be remembering, too, because he strokes my hair back behind my ear. “All this time I thought leaving you had smashed my heart into pieces, and I’d be picking shards from my chest until the day I died. But my heart wasn’t smashed. I left it with you, and you’ve held it hostage ever since.”
There’s a faint ringing in my ears, a hollowness in my chest, a numbness overtaking the euphoria from his blood.
I’ve wanted to hear those words since the day he left. But I don’t understand him.
“Why? Why did you leave me?”
I hate how small my voice sounds. How … vulnerable.
Tiernon’s expression twists, but he raises his wrist to my mouth. “Drink more,” he urges.
“Yes, continue,” Rorrik purrs. “I do love to watch.”
I lift my head and meet his eyes. He lounges against the doorway, his body half hidden in shadow. I didn’t hear him open the door. And if Tiernon didn’t either, Rorrik must have used his power to conceal his movements.
Rorrik takes in the tears still fresh on my face, his gaze slowly traveling down to my fingernails, practically embedded in Tiernon’s arm, and my ankle, covered with blood.
“What are you doing in here?” Tiernon snaps.
