Thinking of Eclipse was the only thing that could possibly pull her away from this moment. She wondered if Amber knew that.
“I do,” Amber said with a giggle.
Unable to help herself, she threw her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly. “I miss you, sis. I love you so much.”
“Ditto,” Amber replied. “Now, go back to your male and spend the rest of eternity happy.”
Orianna stepped back, smiled. She was about to say something when everything washed away, like someone had poured paint over the current picture, erasing it. She had the sense of falling, similar to taking that first hill down on a roller coaster. Her stomach fluttered and she briefly prayed there was something below to catch her. There was no hard landing, though, just a gentle thud, as though she’d been returned to her corporeal form. And there was a familiarity with her new location, but she felt trapped, held captive by her own body.
His voice was the first thing she was aware of, his soft sobs surprisingly loud.
Eclipse. Words wouldn’t form, but she knew he was there.
“Sezari? Oh, God.” Eclipse sobbed.
She was trapped in her own body, but something told her she was all right. There was no need to panic because Eclipse was with her. She was safe because he would make it so.
Orianna wasn’t sure how much time passed, but each of her senses slowly came back online, and she found they were no longer in that stone room, but instead…
“Where are we?”
“We haven’t gone far,” he said softly.
Taking his word for it, Orianna scanned the room once more.
“It’s exactly as I imagined it,” she whispered, curious as to whether her voice would work.
It did and so did her muscles as she lifted her head and glanced around the room. It was what she’d call modern farmhouse. The traditional white-washed bed’s large headboard was against one wall. The pile of cream and navy pillows were a bit rumpled, as was the navy-blue throw blanket across the bottom. It was exactly the bedroom she’d always envisioned she would one day have if and when she finally settled down.
“It suits you,” Eclipse said, his hands curling around her cheeks, his eyes holding hers as though she was a lifeline he refused to let go of. “Perhaps we’ll have to remodel.”
She smiled. “Perhaps.”
But that would have to wait, she knew. Right now— Her eyes shifted to his neck, followed by a strange tingling in her upper jaw. She tested the sensation with the tip of her tongue, felt the sharp canines that were growing longer. A smile pulled at her mouth as it became clear that she now sported fangs. And that meant…
“You need to feed,sezari.”
Yes. Yes, she most definitely did. “But I want to feel you over me when I do. Naked.”
Without preamble, Eclipse got to his feet, discarding the jeans he was wearing even as she worked the thin gown up and over her head, tossing it somewhere on the far side of the room. When he returned to her, his warmth covering her, Orianna ran her hands over his forearms, his biceps, up to his shoulders. Her sense of touch was heightened, but he still felt the same, only better. And though it had supposedly only been twenty-four hours, it felt like years since she’d last touched him. The only thing she wanted to do was hold him for the next … eternity. His warmth alone soothed her.
“Feed from me,” Eclipse demanded.
Those words triggered the tingling in her upper jaw, but it was the curiosity that spurred her forward. She remembered wondering what his blood would taste like, and now she was going to find out firsthand.
Orianna dragged his head toward her, but rather than go right for the jugular, she melded her mouth to his. She felt him relax more, his hips settling into the cradle of her thighs. It wasn’t long before that gnawing pain in her gut grew insistent, forcing her to release his mouth. She needed no instructions as Eclipse settled his weight on his forearms, turning his head so she had access to his vein.
Her fangs had elongated more, the perfect length to pierce his flesh, spearing into him with minimal effort. Instinct took over from there, her lips sealing around the wounds as she sucked. His blood flooded her mouth, the taste so rich, not at all like what she’d expected. There was no copper tang as was the case with human blood. This was more of a rich wine that she found herself addicted to within seconds.
Orianna was vaguely aware of Eclipse’s body tensing, his muscles locking up, the heat of his heavy flesh pressed against her belly.
“Sezari… oh, fuck … oh, fuck.” He pressed his neck toward her mouth as his hips jerked.
He was coming, she realized, his release spraying over her stomach. There was a tremendous power in knowing she had that sort of control over him. She’d succumbed to it from that very first night they were together, when she’d insisted he take from her. At the time, she hadn’t even known what he was or why she was compelled to offer her vein, but it had felt right. And now … it was her turn to return the favor.
When she felt his hips jerking once more, she sucked harder on his vein, wanting to feel his release once more before she let him go. It came a minute later on a strangled growl that triggered a mini explosion within her. As he settled, Orianna retracted her fangs and sealed the punctures before finding his mouth with hers once more.
She wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve him, but Orianna knew without a doubt she would never let him go. She would spend the rest of her immortal existence ensuring he never endured the sort of pain she could feel echoing inside him.
