I let my head fall back, looking up at the ceiling that used to be white but was now bright red to me.
I could hear Finn working to keep his breathing under control, could hear his blood rushing through his veins, heart pumping. Could scent him. His blood, his sweat, his arousal. Could feel him, his hands cupping my balls, his tongue teasing me as he bobbed his head up and down. He was taking over all my senses. Hell, I could still taste his release on my tongue.
My pleasure skyrocketed, pressure building low in my gut, and when Finn hollowed his cheeks once more and pulled me in completely, I flew over the edge, letting out a sound that was definitely not human. A mix of a shout and a hiss, balling my fists so tight I was breaching my skin.
“Fuuck,” I said, taking a few calming breaths and staring at my mate, who was still kneeling at my feet, licking his lips as if I’d just given him the tastiest treat of all.
“We can do that later,” Finn said, voice a little scratchy. “Maybe tomorrow.”
I let out a weak laugh.
Yeah, given how tired he was suddenly looking, I’d take him to bed, but there wouldn’t be any fucking happening. Tucking, maybe. As in tucking him in. Fucking? Nope.
“Get up here,” I mumbled, holding out my hand for him to grab. I pulled him to his feet with enough force for him to stumble against me, and I hastily wrapped my arms around him, pulling him against my chest.
His heart rate was slowly returning to a normal rhythm, and the blue tint was gone from his lips. Instead, they looked wrecked. Shiny with spit, red, and swollen. I grinned at him in satisfaction and couldn’t help but press another soft kiss to his lips.
“Where do you keep your towels?” I asked.
Finn laughed. “Shouldn’t you have asked that before getting into the shower with me?”
I shrugged. “I had other things on my mind. Soo…”
“In the cabinet under the sink.” He nodded toward the sink I’d sat him on a while ago.
“Okay… you wash your hair real quick, and I’ll get a towel for you.”
Finn gave me a happy but tired smile and nodded. The fact that he was complying without arguing about anything was a definite hint that he was more tired than he was letting on, but that was okay. I’d take care of him.
Ten minutes later, I had him bundled up in his bed, his laptop playing another one of those ridiculous rom-coms he seemed to have a love-hate relationship with. However, his comments came less frequently today, and there was almost no gesturing.
“I’m afraid I’m not the best company,” he mumbled, a yawn escaping him as he snuggled tighter against my chest.
“I wouldn’t say that,” I said, pulling him tighter against me. “I’m happy to be your pillow.” Because, really, having him in my arms was the greatest gift of all.
And when he fell asleep on top of me ten minutes later? I saw it as a sign of trust. He was able to relax enough to fall asleep in my arms, as if he knew I’d keep him safe from the world outside, no matter the cost.
Chapter 16
Eric
It was three a.m., and even colder outside than it’d been last night, yet CRAVE was still filled to the brim with scantily clad people. The heavy bass vibrated through my whole body as I walked past the bouncer, who hadn’t even blinked an eye when I’d told him Aries wanted to see me.
To be honest, I was more than a little pissed that I’d had to leave Finn’s bed just to check in with him. Especially since I didn’t get why I needed to in the first place. He was neither my sire nor my clan head. He was just some random vampire who owned a popular club in town. Yes, granted, it’d been nice of him to tell me about the whole “mates” thing, otherwise I’d probably still be sitting on the rooftop opposite Finn’s apartment watching him from afar. Well, I continued to do so, but I was also getting to know him.
However, one little act of human…vampiricdecency shouldn’t put me in a position where I had to leave my mate’s bed just to go say hi.
I mean… he could simply call me. Or better yet, text me. No need for me to set foot in this fucking hellhole.
The blue and purple stroboscopic lights flickered through the room, dancing faster than the sea of people writhing on the dance floor. The stench of sweat and sex hung heavy in the air, mixed with the unmistakable notes of fresh blood.
Someone was feeding. Right here.
Letting my eyes wander, it didn’t take me long to find Bennie—why did it have to be Bennie who was being so utterly fucking careless?—tucked into a corner, chewing away on some giant dude’s neck. Okay, granted, to everyone not in the know, it probably looked like he was giving the guy a hickey, but Ididknow, and I could smell it.
He briefly caught me looking at him, and I rolled my eyes, trying to let him know that he should at least have the fucking decency to take the guy to the back alley or a damned restroom, but Bennie just winked, then turned his attention back to his snack.
Upon turning back around, I caught Aries grinning at me, once again manning the bar, lazily polishing a glass as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
