“I came to apologize,” she said softly. “It was not my intention for you to see that. Unfortunately, it is my responsibility to feed the males within this residence. It is my sole purpose for being here. And while I’ve been able to avoid it since your arrival, it’s not something I can escape indefinitely.”
Now he felt like an ass.
A very possessive, very pissed-off ass.
“I don’t expect you to understand,” she continued. “But this is the sad reality of my existence. I figured you understood that. Now that you’ve healed, now that you’re up and about, I have no reason to continue to hide out from them.”
“You’ve been hiding?”
Her beautiful purple eyes lowered to the floor. “Ever since you arrived. I’ve managed to get away with it because I was caring for you.”
Kaj cleared the distance between them, curled his finger beneath her chin, and forced her to look at him. “Tell me you hated it.”
Her gaze bounced over his face. “Every second.”
Another growl escaped him as he jerked her toward him, his mouth finding hers. He needed to mark her, to claim her, to ensure every male within fifty miles knew she belonged to him. That she was off-limits to anyone but him.
Before he knew what he was doing, Kaj had all but ripped her gown from her body as he did the same to his own clothes.
If it hadn’t been for the fact Acadia was holding on to him so tightly, he would’ve been appalled by his behavior. Instead, he had a single-minded focus.
Kaj didn’t even bother moving them to the bed. Instead, he took her to the ground right there and mounted her.
“Acadia…”
“Please, Kaj.”
Her fingernails dug into his back as he rocked his body into hers, filling her.
“Mine,” he growled, marking what was his as he rubbed himself against her, ensuring her skin held his scent.
He could smell that other male on her, and he hated it with every breath he took. So much, he found himself lifting her wrist to his mouth and piercing her vein alongside those wounds that were already healing. He needed to rid her body of that male’s scent.
“Kaj!” Acadia’s body clamped down on him, her climax triggering his.
But he didn’t stop there.
Couldn’t.
He pulled out long enough to flip her over and take her from behind. This time, he pierced her neck with his fangs, not so much drinking from her but ensuring his scent was everywhere.
She came again, her hips meeting his thrust for thrust.
More shifting as he flipped her back over so he could watch her. This time, he knelt between her legs, his fingers curled around her thighs as he impaled her, pulling her toward him with every brutal thrust. This time when he came, he pulled out of her, spraying her stomach, her breasts. It was dirty and messy but so fucking necessary. He was out of his mind. He knew it. She probably did, too.
But he couldn’t stop.
Once more, he plunged into her body, curling his arm beneath her and holding her to him as he chased one more release for them both. When she cried out his name, he slammed into her, dragging out those sweet moans until he thought his head would explode.
“Acadia …balisra…” He threw his head back and roared, the sound more feral than any that had ever come out of him.
As much as he wanted to apologize for taking her that way, he couldn’t.
This was who he was.Whathe was.
And it only made sense that she know it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
