“I see.” Caelian rolled her lips, nodding toward the mortals around them, the ones who danced a safe distance away, whose worried gazes traveled with them as they moved through the field. “And do they fear you?”
Lothaire inhaled then, his eyes closing for the briefest of moments.
“They fear what I am, not who I am. To them, I am a monster of the night. A being who should not exist, the dead who walks amongst the living. A bloodsucking bastard without a soul.” He cleared his throat. “They do not know me.”
It was a sentiment she understood all too well. Yet whereas he was misconceived by strangers who cared nothing for him, she was misunderstood by those who loved her.
“It seems unfair to pass judgment when they don’t know your story.” She peered up at him, wondering if it was his choice to become a vampire, or if that choice had been made for him.
“My story matters not to them.” His fingers tapped delicately upon her spine.
“It matters to me. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be heard. To be seen.” She offered him a bright smile, but it faltered when she added, “I wish they didn’t view you as a monster.”
“As do I.” Lothaire stared down at her and Caelian shivered, meeting the intensity of his eyes. They seemed to glow, lit from within like moonlight and melted gold. “You are unlike anyone I have ever met.”
There was potency in his voice, a lulling kind of passion. It left her breathless. He held her captive with his presence, and she found herself unable to look away. The lines of his face were mesmerizing, the angles sharp and aristocratic. Despite his polished appearance, his hair was messy, silky loose strands of mahogany that curled wildly in the mist. His tongue darted out, laving the tip of his fangs, and her knees weakened. It was oddly sensual, and when Caelian sucked in a breath, her lungs were filled with the scent of jasmine, cedar, and black cherry.
His very existence was intoxicating, heady and spellbinding.
She almost toppled into him.
Lothaire grinned, his fangs on full display. He lazily adjusted his hold, so her arms draped like leaden weights around his shoulders, and firmly grasped her hips.
“I must admit…” He inclined his head, admiring her, his gaze fastened on her neck. “It has been some time since I’ve felt so…tempted.”
“Tempted?” she asked, the word barely forming. “Tempted to do…what?”
“To bite someone for the pure pleasure of it.”
She choked out a startled laugh. “I am sure there isnothingpleasurable about being bitten.”
“Ah…but that is where you are wrong, love.” Lothaire bent close, his lips lightly brushing against the lobe of her ear. “It is not as horrifying as you think. In fact, most would tell you it’s better than an orgasm.”
Caelian’s heart fluttered. “Pardon?”
“You see,” he continued, his whisper skating across her skin. “The only pain you’ll feel is upon initial contact, and then it is nothing but bliss. It’s most intimate in nature. Euphoric. Provocative. A delicious mix between the sting of pain and the thrill of pleasure.”
Hypnotic.
Lothaire was dangerouslyhypnotic.
“I…” Her tongue felt thick, and it was suddenly difficult to speak. “I don’t…don’t u-understand.”
“I could show you,” he purred, his lips brushing against the hollow of her throat. Her head tipped back of its own accord. “One bite. Right here.”
His teeth grazed the side of her neck where her pulse thundered, and she twisted her fingers into his mass of silky curls.
“I bet your blood is like starlight. I would grovel at your feet for a century for one single taste.” Lothaire slid his hot tongue up the length of her neck, pressing a kiss to her earlobe. “The moment my fangs pierce your flesh, you will feel hot, like you are on fire. But then it will spread. To your breasts. Through your abdomen. Until the sweetest spot between your thighs throbs with need.”
Caelian quivered, unable to move. Unable to breathe.
“And then...” Another graze of his fangs, rougher this time. “When your tantalizing blood coats my tongue, I’ll take you tothe highest planes of ecstasy. Over and over and over. Until your needs can only ever be sated by me.”
Her vision blurred. Her mind felt foggy. Her core ached.
“Say yes,” he pleaded, his accent thick with desperation. “Your consent is all I need. With one word, I can erase the ache in your heart.”
“I…” Caelian swallowed. Hard. “I can’t.”
