The witch chose the strongest, bravest, and best-looking fighters to feast on.And only those who were able to satisfy her lust were given the chance to replenish their blood by sucking on her.The monstrous woman with the red hair was on the hunt for companionship, whipping her primitive followers into a frenzy as they rampaged across our Nordic land.
Shadow’s brother gave his life so that the seven of us could escape.We then roamed for thousands of years, searching for answers and feeding on women who were mesmerized by our handsome features.
Supporting herself on her elbows again, Aila traces her finger over my mouth.
“Open.I want to see why it felt as if you were biting me.”
My inward struggle is immense.
She senses my hesitation.“What are you hiding from me, Theron?”
ChapterNine
Aila
The tendons in his neck stand out like cords as Theron debates whether to open his mouth or not.It’s a real struggle.
For a man who told me he loved me—okay, I know it doesn’t count if it’s said during sex, but still—Theron is still hiding something from me.I wonder if perhaps he’s embarrassed or self-conscious.Maybe he came off his motorbike during an accident and had to have dentures put in?Something like that.
Actually, knowing that there may actually be some imperfection to him is comforting.No scars mar his skin.No blemishes or freckles distract the eye from those gorgeous muscles.The only thing that draws my eye is the crude sleeve he has tattooed on his left arm.
There is a thin film of damp covering his statuesque body.His hands bunch into fists and seem to be holding his breath.He looks… tormented.
And then he relents.
“Fine.Go ahead.”He opens his mouth just enough for me to see his incisors.Of course, they are flawlessly aligned, like two rows of pearly white tombstones.
He says “ah” and opens his mouth slightly, as if he’s at the dentist.His breath blows warm in my face, and for some strange reason I am reminded of the smell inside an empty room.Sterile and unused, but with a hint of copper penny scent, too.
“See?No fucking tongue stud.”His mouth snaps shut with a loud click.“My teeth must have accidentally grazed you.I’m sorry.”
Like the rest of him, Theron’s teeth are immaculate.Theyhaveto be dentures.
But before he can clamp his lips shut again, I fishhook one side of his mouth open with my finger and pull it back to reveal the rest of his teeth.
I think it is my animal instincts that make me react the way I do, because the next thing I know I’m jumping away from him, scrabbling my heels against the grass as I backtrack.I only stop when my shoulder blades hit the rockface.
A raven cries, launching itself off a branch in an effort to find the sunlight.
Clever bird.Fly away while you can.
My rational mind calms me down.I must have offended him.Not only did I fishhook his mouth wide open without warning, but I think my unstoppable flight-or-fight reflex must have come across as off-the-charts rude.
And yet I cannot find my voice to say I am sorry.
“Did you get to see what you were looking for?”Theron smirks, daring me to share my fears.One of his eyebrows shoots up as he continues to act as if his teeth are nothing out of the ordinary.“Or are you horrified by my disinclination to floss?”
His lighthearted good humor puts me at ease.I feel my body relaxing as I listen to the soothing tone of his voice.But that is what he wants me to do.
Where is my will in all this?
Wrestling back autonomy over my body and mind, I fight the impulse to agree with him—to smile and laugh away what I most definitely saw.
“I don’t think you should bite me, Theron, especially when you must know that your canines are very…”
“Pointy?”
Again, I feel compelled to laugh it away.So, the man who just fucked your brains out has sharp teeth?So what?Relax, Aila.Don’t rock the boat.Let it ride.
