“How long will it last in your system?”
“A week. But I suspect the Hellsgatewill open in a few days.”
“And the slayers?”
“Are close.”
He lowers my hand, but keeps hold of it as I glance back the way we came and say, “I should head back to my room. Do you think you can convince the Bleeders to allow it? I’d rather not sleep in a room that reminds me of…”
“I can, kamai.” His hand tightens on mine, and he pulls me towards him. My eyes widen as his free hand tucks a lock of white hair behind my ear, and then our lips collide, and we are consumed by darkness.
Lost in soft, supple lips, our mouths open, and his tongue traces a path across the fangs I’ve long hidden behind a closed lip smile. Desire burns through me, and an unfathomable lust surfaces as my hands move over his shoulders and slip into his silky hair.
Long, clawed fingers trace my ear, following the point usually hidden by my glamour, while his other hand rests on my hip, guiding me into shadows I should fear, but don’t.
A taste.
A longing.
A yearning.
Whatever it is, it burns to the roots as my tongue dances with his. A deep rumble rolls from him, and a soft moan escapes me at the way he touches parts of me I’ve wanted to erase. His grip. My grip. We don’t want to pull away. My fingers tangle in his hair, tightening in desperation, while his pull my body against him.
“Fuck, you’re maddening,” he groans before his mouth finds mine again. My back arches, and the only reason I haven’t fallen is because his broad arms cage me against him. He could bite me now, and I wouldn’t care.
I wouldn’t care…
Shit.
As I start to pull away, he releases his hold quickly.
“What was that for?” I say breathlessly.
Crimson eyes soften. “A memory. My way of saying goodbye.”
“Do you do that to everyone you meet?”
“No.”
Tension thickens the air as my eyes search for his mouth in the shadows.
“Fuck it.” I grab the shadows, and what I believe is a mouth turns out to be what feels like a nose. We both blink in bewilderment, and through my embarrassment, I step away and clear my throat. “Goodbye, nightwalker.”
He blinks some more.
Fuck me, why would I try to kiss a shadow when I can’t see where his fucking mouth is?
“If you wanted another, you could have asked,” he says as I edge back towards the access vent.
“I meant to kiss your nose. It’s how wehumanssay goodbye, you know!” I mutter.
“I wasn’t aware of the custom, thank you for teaching me,” he says with a chuckle. “Goodbye, Saya Claymore.”
The shadows bleed into the night and I am left alone on the roof of the Darkovish Feeding Ground.
When I return to the private room, it’s not long before the Bleeder arrives to escort me back to my room. They don’t speak, and when I enter my room, they close the door behind me without a word.
A foreign ache hits my heart, but I shake off the feeling and scramble up onto my bunk while Manni andEmily watch me. Once I am sitting cross-legged, I nod firmly and say, “Go on. Call me stupid.”
