I tilted my neck to the side, and the low groan that escaped him felt like a small victory. He came close enough that I felt the hot exhale of his sigh across my skin. He smelled good. Clean, like new parchment. And he radiated heat like a furnace, the heat of a male’s body that called to some baser instinct within me. One that I’d never known existed, one that made me open up to him, one that made me press closer, my hands sliding up the wide berth and strength of his shoulders. I feltsensual. I felt like an earthly creature whowanted.
And gods, did I want Kaldur.
It was an addicting feeling.
“Please,” I whispered.
“Vaan,” he cursed, a thread of disbelief in his tone. I felt his lips trail across my flesh, and I had the sudden longing to feel them on mine. He’d made me come, had held me tight in his arms, and sated himself on my blood last night…and yet I’d never felt his kiss. “I thought I could resist this. I thought it would be easier.”
I tried to muffle my small cry, mixed with a moan, when his fangs pierced my skin. The strength of him was unparalleled as he immediately pressed closer, trapping me against the stone wall where my bed was abutted against. The sensation of the cool wallagainst my back coupled with the heat of Kaldur at my front felt sublime.
And when he started to feed, my belly quivered, heat and pleasure beginning to bloom. My hands squeezed at his shoulders, holding him to me, my head lolled to the side to give him as much access as I could.
I had the impression he was trying to go slow, to be mindful of how much he was taking especially after last night…but there was a wildness to this that I hadn’t expected. A spiraling of brief insanity and need on my end that just wanted tosurrender. To submit.
I wondered if this was how blood givers felt. Now I understood the appeal.
Tighter and tighter the pleasure wound. My clit was fluttering between my legs, and I squirmed against him, pressing closer. He ground against me. I felt the unmistakable hardness of his thick cock, scorching even through his clothes. There was a sense of relief that I wasn’t the only one who felt this madness.
A choked gasp sounded.
Kaldur lifted his head, whipping it to the door.
My face burned when I saw Velle standing outside in the hallway. Kaldur hadn’t shut the door fully when he’d barged in, and she must’ve pushed it open when she’d heard the noise.
“I-I’m sorry,Kyzaire,” Velle stammered. It was the first time I’d ever seen herflusteredand certainly the first time she’d ever tripped over her words. “Forgive me—I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Leave us,” he growled, his chest heaving, his voice nearly unrecognizable.
With a small sound, my friend flew down the hallway, out of sight. Dread spread in my belly, replacing all the warmth I’d felt before. Everyone would know now. Of course, it was only a matter of time until they all did, but I had hoped to at least speak with Velle before. So she didn’t find out, well…like this.
“Fuck,” Kaldur cursed harshly, pushing away from me quickly.
A stray thought crossed my mind. I’d interrupted him with Lydrasa just a couple days prior. He’d told me to leave, dismissed me just as easily as he had Velle, and then he’d gone right back to fucking Lydrasa. Only with me, he shot up from the bed as if it were on fire.
Because a keeper had spotted us? Or becauseIwas a keeper and not some noble female with high connections in even higher Houses?
It was an ugly thought. One I wished I could erase from my mind.
He’s in a precarious position,I reasoned. Kaldur was well-known as being a male with…amorous attentions. But only outside of his own keep. He’dneverbeen involved with someone who worked for his House. Or else the gossip would’ve spread like fire throughout the kitchens and every single soul would’ve known about it.
That realization softened me toward him. He just didn’t want others to know about me because it blurred the line he’d always drawn between himself, asKyzaire, and his staff.
My nightdress had slipped off one shoulder, and I tugged it back into place as Kaldur glowered. His ire wasn’t directed at me—I knew that. But it was more than clear he hadn’t wanted to be caught in the keepers’ hallway at dawn.
“I’ll talk to her,” I offered. “She’s my friend.”
“With a careless mouth, from what I’ve heard,” he returned.
I…couldn’t argue with that as much as I wanted to. Velle had never been able to keep a secret, and her eyes glittered and gleamed at the very mention of gossip. And this? This was a prime secret.
There was still some of my blood on his fangs, and I couldn’t help but shiver when he licked it away. Then he bit down into his thumb, approaching the bed again. He swiped his blood across the mark on my neck before backing away.
“Maudoric will show you to your quarters in the South Wingthis evening. All your possessions,” he began, his eyes straying to the perfume vial, his lips downturning even more, “will be sent there today. As stated in our agreement, you’re free to do whatever you wish with your time.”
There was a clipped coldness to the words, but I told myself it was because of Velle. This wasn’t about me.
“Will I see you today?” I asked suddenly when he turned to the door. “Maybe…maybe we can take the evening meal together?”
