She sucked her breath in sharply.
“You’ve shown me Katateros, Thia. How can I ever be content with Kalosis now?”
Her smile was radiant as she gripped the sides of the tub and slid herself onto his cock. His head spinning, Urian let out a deep, satisfied breath as she slowly began to ride him again.
Leaning his head back against the lip of the bronze tub, he watched her through hooded eyes while he toyed with her perfect breasts. Water splashed over her body, and against the sides, more spilling over the edges. But she paid it no heed as she moved even faster against him.
“Warrior you may be,kyrios,but tonight I think I’m the one who has conquered you.”
Urian wrinkled his nose in denial of something he knew was impossible. “Nay,m’edera.” He used her favorite endearment that meantprecious baby. “Not conquered. Merely tamed me a bit.” He nipped at her neck to take a small snack.
Gasping, she clung to him while he fed a bit more.
Until he glanced down and saw something that turned his stomach.
Urian pulled back to frown at the fresh bite marks on her arms that he knew didn’t belong to him. Anger flared deep at the sight of them there.
“Thia? Who do these belong to?”
She glanced down, then cast him a taunting grin. “Are you jealous?”
He tightened his grip.
“Urian, you’re hurting me and you’ve no right to even question me on this subject.”
He released her immediately. She was right. He didn’t. But that didn’t stop the brutal sting of betrayal. Nor did it change the fact that he couldn’t stand the thought of another man feeding with her. The mere thought of it moved him to homicide.
Glaring at him, she rubbed her arm. “If you must know, it’s from my children.” She held her arm out. “Look closely and you’ll see the sizes are small.Child-sized.”
With a frown, he fingered them much more gently. Then he felt horrible over his actions and even worse for the malicious thoughts he blamed his brothers for. Because they were faithless, it didn’t mean everyone else was. “You’re right. I’m an ass.”
“Aye, you are.”
Kissing her arm, he allowed her to dunk his head beneath the bathwater.
He came up sputtering. “Can you forgive me?”
“Maybe.”
Urian wiped the water from his eyes. “Then will you marry me?”
She froze. “Pardon?”
He brushed his hair back from his face to grin at her. “Not the most romantic proposal, granted. But most sincere.” He moved closer to her until he had her pinned against the opposite edge. “I want to be your only source of nourishment,mi kyria.Let me protect you and your children.”
She bit her lip in indecision. “And what is your intent for the future?”
A most important and dire question for all Apollites given the brevity of their lives and what all of them would have to decide on their twenty-seventh birthday. If one partner went Daimon, then he or she could no longer feed the other. It would force the other spouse to either go Daimon with them or choose infidelity to eat, as to feed from a Daimon would instantly cause an Apollite to turn into one, too.
“I plan to go Daimon before my twenty-seventh birthday. But you are older than I am. So the choice on that falls to you first. For myself … better the predator than the prey. Always.”
Her features softened. “Then I will marry you, Urian Kleopas. And I shall accept your protection, for myself and my children.”
How strange that those words left him with a peculiar hollowness inside. He should be elated. He’d finally found someone who would feed him. A beautiful woman of good reputation who’d allowed him inside her body.
Yet for all the ecstasy and physical pleasure, he felt as if there should be something more.
You don’t love her.
