A knock sounded on the door a second before it opened, Briony’s beautiful face appearing.
Mirakel forced his gaze back to the floor.
“You summoned?” she said softly.
Was it his imagination or was there a hint of disappointment in her tone? It was enough to have him lifting his gaze, observing her as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
This morning she was wearing a velvet gown the same color as her eyes. It cinched in at her waist and flared at her hips, the heavy skirt brushing along the floor as she moved. He’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
“Where would you like me?” she asked, her words curt.
Mirakel swallowed hard, met her gaze. “Would you prefer I find someone else?”
He meant the words to come out as an accusation; instead they sounded tormented, even to his own ears.
Clearly Briony heard the vulnerability he’d meant to hide because her face instantly softened. “No. Of course not.”
He’d actually considered asking one of the other Fae, but in the end, Mirakel knew he couldn’t go through with it. The mere thought of taking from another female… It made his gut churn violently.
Mirakel nodded toward the hospital-type bed that filled the space. “Would you mind sitting up there?”
She didn’t speak, simply positioned herself on the edge of the mattress, her legs dangling down, her small feet peeking out from beneath the hem of the skirt. God, she had lovely feet. Her toenails were painted the same color as her gown, and he wondered if she always did that.
Scooting the chair closer to the bed, he ignored the violent screech of the metal on the tile as he got close enough she wouldn’t have to stretch.
Though he wanted nothing more than to take her neck, Mirakel knew he wouldn’t survive it. He’d managed to keep away from her for so long, he feared that he would go too far given the opportunity. And Heaven knew he wanted her with a ferocity that defied logic. She certainly wouldn’t understand it.
As he was reaching for her hand, he noticed she was trembling. The sight had him panicking, pushing the chair back against the wall, giving her space.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted as he shot to his feet. “I don’t mean to scare you.”
“What?”
He nodded toward her trembling limbs. “You’re scared of me. I can sense it.”
Briony stopped the shaking by placing her other hand firmly on her wrist. “No. I’m not. It’s…” Her eyes lowered. “I’ve put off feeding a little too long.”
“Since when?”
She whispered a response he couldn’t hear, which was saying something considering his keen senses. Then again, they could be failing since he’d waited longer than he should have to feed himself.
“When, Briony?” he demanded.
“Not since you,” she whispered.
Five days. The same amount of time he’d gone.
His inner beast wanted to shout his pleasure of knowing she hadn’t fed from another but seeing her in her current state worried him. The problem was, Mirakel knew he couldn’t handle feeding her until he’d refueled himself. If she took from what little energy he had left, chances were good she would kill him.
But what if the same was true for her? Could she really handle feeding him?
Mirakel couldn’t take that chance. He would rather die than harm her in anyway.
Turning to face her, he snagged the neck of his T-shirt and yanked it over his head. He forced his knees to lock as he came to stand before her. When he took her hands and lifted them to his chest, he watched her eyes widen.
“What—”
He pressed her palms to his chest and held them there, meeting her gaze.
