“Yeah. I guess I am.”
“I’m messed up, too. We fit pretty well together.”
Harper leaned in. Slowly, hesitant, before pressing her lips against Maya’s. A more tender kiss than she had ever received and which she found herself hoping would last forever.
“I love you, Maya.”
The words were less than a whisper. So frail that any response would shatter them, even if it was a repetition.
Harper averted her eyes. “Don’t say it back. I know this isn’t the time. That it’s too soon, but… I just needed to say it.”
Too soon? It was the opposite of too soon. Somehow, it felt like Maya had already said the words, several times.
When Harper had called and said she missed her. When she’d leaped into Maya’s arms only days before. When she’d looked ather with tears and trust in her eyes, as though Maya’s presence was the only thing keeping her centered.
Saying it back wasn’t an admission. It was just stating the obvious.
Maya pushed her chin up, bringing Harper’s eyes back to hers. Saw them glitter and then soften. But before she could speak, Harper’s gaze fell again. Her hand followed, finger tracing the curve of Maya’s upper lip.
“Can I see them?”
Maya stiffened. No one had ever asked her that. She had never even extended her fangs on purpose. It had always happened outside of her control. When she was angry or starving.
Or when this woman presented herself in the most tempting ways possible.
She opened her mouth, jaw aching as she let her fangs extend.
Harper stiffened, and a gust of smoke mingled with the sharp scent of her citrus perfume. A hint of fear.
Of course that would be there. Her teeth were murder weapons. They had tasted the blood of innocents, had torn through flesh like knives. When near them, of course you would be scared.
But then the fear vanished, another scent taking its place. A sweeter smell, growing in intensity as Harper stared at her.
As she brushed a fingertip down the length of a pointy canine.
“Being honest… I’ve always had a thing for people who were a little dangerous. Another bad habit.”
Her gaze returned to Maya’s. But it wasn’t the same careful one as before. It was darker than that. Hungrier than that.
“If you want to… I wouldn’t mind if you fed on me.”
Desire filled the air. Sweet, potent, and thick like melted sugar. A vein pulsed at her neck, its rhythm quick and strong.
It wouldn’t take much to make the blood flow. Just a prick and Maya could have her fill of it. Get a proper taste.
She tore her eyes away. She sat up, retracting her fangs with a wince.
“Don’t,” she said tightly. “Don’t ask me that. It’s too risky. I could hurt you.”
She focused on her memories. The ones she usually suppressed, but which sheneededright then.
Torn flesh and rivers of blood. The cracking sound of snapping necks. Screams. So many screams, which the monster inside her had delighted in, because it meant her victim was still alive. That their blood would still brim with the taste of fright and vitality.
Soft fingers touched her face, displacing the dark thoughts as she turned in Harper’s direction.
She had sat up, the covers bundling around her legs. Naked and gorgeous, but the only thing Maya could focus on were her eyes.
“I want you to.” Harper leaned closer, and Maya matched her approach without thinking. “I’ve wanted you to for a while. Fantasized about what it would feel like.”
