Acadia was stronger than she looked, he knew. She proved it by pulling his head down to her neck. He fought her only for a moment before giving in. Without preamble, he bit her, tearing through her flesh as he sought the ambrosia that fueled him. Her sharp inhale told him he’d been too rough, but it didn’t slow him. He couldn’t hold back as he drew her blood into him at the same time he pushed himself deep inside her.
Time stood still as their bodies remained locked, his cock tunneling in her warmth, her blood sliding down his throat. Within minutes he was reenergized, the power from her blood making him feel invincible, as though he could conquer the world as long as she was at his side.
Problem was, she wasn’t at his side. Acadia wasn’t his to have. Not yet, perhaps not ever. That pain was what had him disconnecting emotionally, pushing back from the brink as he focused on her.
From beneath him, Acadia remained silent, the complete opposite of their times together back before he’d walked away. He wanted that female under him, the one who cried out his name with so much passion, just the sound could make his cock explode.
Didn’t mean she wasn’t taking what she needed. Though she remained silent, save for her soft moans, Acadia’s body rocked against his, her knees locking onto his hips as he flexed and shifted, impaling her as they both chased that elusive climax.
It took effort, but he managed to release her flesh from his mouth, his fangs retracting as he licked her smooth skin, healing the wounds on her lovely skin. Only then did he launch an all-out assault with his body, driving them both to the precipice. He held them suspended in the ether for long seconds, groaning as his body fought to unleash his seed, the need to mark her overwhelming.
“Kaj!”
It was his name on her lips that shot him over the edge. He pinned her to the leather cushion with his full strength as he pumped himself deep within her. She cried out once more, her body shuddering around him as she came.
Rather than curl up beside her, which was the only thing he wanted to do, he took his cues from her. The moment her hands fell from his shoulders, her body went lax beneath him. She was disconnecting, not only physically but emotionally. Pushing him away.
Because she’d come to him, Kaj gave her the space she sought. He got to his feet, adjusted his pants, tucking his still-hard cock away and pretending it didn’t matter that she had used him. As much as he wanted to believe he could wait an eternity for her to forgive him, he knew that wasn’t the case.
As he trudged up the stairs, his destination the cold, lonely bed he slept in every night, Kaj figured there was one positive thing in all this: at least she’d come to him rather than go to another male in the house.
For now, it was something.
Chapter Twenty-One
After having spent a total of threeweeks at the mansion, Orianna was used to using the shutters’ nightly ascent as an alarm clock. However, she’d been awake this time, staring up at the darkened ceiling as Eclipse slept soundly beside her. Her brain wouldn’t slow down, making it impossible to sleep. Today she was meeting with Barin, her guardian angel.
The thought made her smile.
Guardian angel.
She’d always thought that was something made up by people who needed someone to give credit to for their good fortune. According to Eclipse, and backed up by Penelope, guardian angels were real. Every human had one, though apparently those particular angels were a bit overworked, overseeing roughly fifty souls. Lucky for her, she and Amber shared the same one, and the angel had agreed to meet with her at Eclipse’s request.
Not that she knew what she was supposed to ask him. From what she gathered, he was the one who had determined Amber was in fact deceased because he’d lost his connection with her, something that only occurred when a human died.
Though the idea of Amber being gone from this world forever still caused an unbearable ache in her chest, Orianna needed to know for sure. And the only way that would happen would be if she saw Amber’s remains for herself. Until that time, this was merely a rumor, and she refused to pass along information to her mother based on secondhand knowledge.
Plus, if Amber was gone, her sister needed a proper burial, an eternal resting place. How she would afford that, Orianna wasn’t sure, but like everything else, she would figure it out. Perhaps this guardian angel could point her in the right direction.
Eclipse grumbled beside her, his arm shifting over her as he pulled her close. She smiled as she settled into his warmth. This was what he did nearly every evening. Rather than hop out of bed, eager to get the night underway, he would cuddle up with her beneath the thick blankets. Her gaze swung to the fireplace as she waited for him to become alert enough to reignite the flames with his mind. Orianna knew that had to take place before he would even consider getting vertical.
Right before her eyes, the flames roared to life once more in the fireplace, crackling as the warmth began trickling through the enormous room. Despite the fact the heater worked, Eclipse preferred to use natural warmth. He also claimed body heat was the most efficient way to keep warm, hence the reason they slept naked. As for whether she believed him or not, it didn’t really matter. It didn’t take much for him to talk her out of her clothes.
“How long have you been awake?” he mumbled against her neck.
“A few minutes.”
“You do that every night and you might give a male a complex.”
She chuckled. “Why’s that?”
“If I recall correctly, I wore us both out early this morning.”
That he had. For the past couple of weeks, he had once again treated her with kid gloves. Ever since he’d fed from her the day he was injured, Eclipse had been catering to her every whim despite the fact she’d been fine after the incident. And every single time since. A little weak, maybe, but a full meal always solved the problem. And yes, in a matter of thirteen days, Orianna was pretty sure she’d gained at least five pounds. If she kept this up, she wasn’t going to be able to borrow any clothes much longer.
Speaking of clothes…
“I was thinking maybe I should go back to my apartment.”
