“First Vesper, now this random fucker.” Her eyes shot to mine. “I have to admit I’m a bit jealous.”
The air felt like it was knocked from my chest.
“Youwantto bond me?” I asked, unable to come to terms with what she was asking.
A witch, bonded to a vampire… Would it work? Would a witch even want to be connected to a vampire like that? We’d never been on good terms as a species.
More importantly… Would she?
I had been so angry when Vesper bonded me, taking the choice away from me, but I never thought any other being would actuallywantto be bonded to me.
I felt…needed.Desired in a way I never felt before.
The look in her eyes told me she knew what she was asking. The weight of it.
“I want to do so many things to you, Princess,” she whispered. “But a bond sounds like the perfect way to start.”
She lifted her wrist to my mouth. My fangs ached to sink into her skin. I could smell the blood just below the surface, calling to me. Vesper’s venom was mixed in with it, making it that much sweeter.
“I’m calling in my favor. It’s up to you if you want to be a woman of your word.”
I smiled and grasped her wrist.
“Vesper, come hold our witch.”
Cedar raised a brow at me, but Vesper obediently obeyed, like the little sub she still was. But there was something more than that. It was the way her eyebrows were pulled together. Her pupils dilated.
Andher scent.Maybe it wasn’t that she was being subby, but that she couldn’t hold herself back any longer.
“Precautions,” I murmured and brought her wrist closer, licking her pulse point. “I would have bonded you even without the favor. All you had to do was ask.”
And with that, I sank my teeth into her wrist.
She’d taken my venom well before, but how would her magic react when the bond was settling?
I guess we’re about to find out.
She leaned back into Vesper, a sigh falling from her lips, but I kept my gaze on her as my venom pushed through her veins. Only when that delicious redness rose on her cheeks did I start to take down gulps of her blood.
Her flavor exploded in my mouth. Earthy, a bit tangy, and a whole bunch of sweetness. Different from before, or maybe I had just forgotten how mouthwateringly she tasted after being gone for so long.
Heat started gathering low in my belly, the need to touch her becoming unbearable, especially as she let out the smallest moan. Vesper was there, her hands rubbing up her sides. I tried not to gasp when red eyes met mine.
I forced myself to pull away.
Bringing my wrist to my mouth, I sank my teeth into my flesh. Pain flashed through me, but then Cedar was there, grabbing my wrist and forcing it to her lips. She took gulp after gulp, her eyes closing as if she was…enjoying it.
The voracity of her drinking had my breath catching.
She moaned into me, acting like my blood was the most delicious thing, just before her eyes snapped open.
It was the only warning we got before her magic started expanding around us.
Cedar
Inside, it was as if my magic was a lazy cat, slowly stretching out after a long nap.
Outside, my magic exploded. It enveloped both Aurelia and Vesper, red tendrils circling around their bodies and forcing us together.
