Page 143 of Plug and Claim

“Kira, what’s the matter—?’

“I want you to feed from me,” she said, stepping into the room and placing a hand on his chest.

He froze. “No. Out of the question.”

“Yes, you need to regain your strength.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Why not?” she demanded. “You’ve fed from me before.”

A flicker of hurt crossed her features, rendering him speechless.

“I know you said you were old-fashioned,” Kira continued, “and that biting someone a second time meant that you loved—” she faltered. “That it means more to you than just feeding. But I want to help you. Please, let me.”

Nathaniel pressed a finger to his lips and glanced down the quiet corridor.

“Come inside,” he said, drawing her into the room and swinging the door shut, plunging them into darkness.

His vision allowed him to make out her features in the faint light emanating from the hearth’s burning coals and the red glow of the lamps. Her gaze was locked on his, her brown eyes glimmering with gold and shadowed by thick lashes, her strong jaw set with that fiery determination he’d fallen in love with.

If only he’d given her the chance to get to know him, then maybe, he could accept her offer.

“I don’t deserve your blood,” he explained.

She shook her head in disbelief. “How could you not? After everything you did for Barb and Susie today. You were selfless.”

“You don’t know everything about me.”

“I know enough. I know you hide behind a mask, pretending to be someone you’re not. I know you’re thoughtful and generous. And I know you need my blood.”

“I’m touched by your offer,” he said sincerely, taking her hand and lifting it to his mouth. At the last moment, he turned it, kissing the underside of her wrist instead, his body thrumming with the pulsing rhythm of the blood-filled arteries flowing there. His fangs extended in anticipation, grazing her skin. Kira made a soft husky sound that didn’t make it any easier to resist the hunger aches building in him. It was a testament to how much he needed to feed that he could sense the way her heartbeat sped up. The silence stretched as he held her hand, his body trembling on the precipice of temptation.

“Why are you fighting it?” she whispered. “I’m giving it to you freely.”

He laughed weakly. “It’s an attractive offer.”

“And yet you’re declining it. Look, I know I’m not the one you want, Nathaniel, but I thought that maybe…” her words trailed off, the tremble in her voice caused a protective instinct in him to roar to life.

He cupped her face, surprised to feel damp cheeks. She was crying. “Kira, listen to me. You are the one that I want. There is no one else for me but you.”

Except we can never be together.

He pushed that thought away, finally allowing himself to do what he’d been craving to do ever since he’d gone to the cottage a few weeks ago. When he’d been struck by what a strong and beautiful woman she’d become after all these years. When her defiance had caused hot lightning to crackle through him and made him yearn to be someone other than the son of the Vampire King. To instead be someone who could whisk her away to a different life, away from the clutches of fate that had sunk its talons into both of them before they were even born.

In the quiet peace of his bedroom, he could imagine that such a future was possible, and he leant down, closing the distance between them and taking what he needed, something he desired more than food and life itself. Something he craved more than her blood.

To kiss the woman he had fallen for.

He captured her mouth. A wonderful shiver rippled through him as his lips met hers, and time stood still, allowing them this secret moment in the safety of darkness. She was warm in his arms, her lips soft and sensual. He inhaled her scent, a fragrance reminding him of wildflowers and hidden forests.

He waited for the moment she would pull away.

And then she returned the kiss. His soul came to life, flooding with light as she melted into his embrace. Each brush of her lips was a gift that made him question everything he’d ever known, and when the kiss turned heated, it sent powerful ripples through his being that set his heart ablaze.

When they drew apart, Kira remained in his arms, and neither of them spoke for the longest time. Their breaths mingled, a perfect moment that consumed him with its sweetness. Her kiss had imprinted on him, and he pulled her close, touching her, wanting her.

“What does this mean?” Kira asked. “For us,” she added, making him hold her tighter.