Page 52 of Plug and Claim

“Is she awake?” he asked.

Susie exhaled disapprovingly as she shut the door and locked it. “Yes. Now, go away.”

He walked away, but halted mid-step when Susie spoke again.

“Don’t you dare, Nathaniel.”

He didn’t pretend not to know what Susie meant, and he forced himself to walk away. Of course he wouldn’t. Would he?

And yet, as he took the stairs down, he couldn’t help but think of how simple it would be to wait until Susie was gone and return to Kira’s room. She would be too weak to get out of bed, but he could let himself into her room and stay by her bedside.

But she would not welcome him. Not after what he’d done, and not ever.

She already despised him.

And yet, if she accepted him…he would take his time and claim her properly, pleasuring her until the hate in her eyes transformed into reverence. The mere thought made his breathing ragged.

How glorious it would feel to be the one to conquer her.

Crazed fantasies dogged him with every step he took downstairs, his hardened cock growing increasingly painful the further he was from her. It was nothing compared to the ache in his chest. He needed to be with her, and he didn’t know why it hurt so much to walk away.

I’m not thinking straight.

There was something different about Kira. The taste of her blood had magnified his desires, and he felt as wretched as if he’d been torn from his mate, desperate to return to her, to cling to her, to penetrate her. But it was no excuse.

He would not force himself upon her.

He was not his father.

Instead, he returned to the common room, a monumental task that left him on edge and stricken with grief. Victoria was at the table playing cards, laughing loudly with her friends. Spotting him, she opened her mouth to say something, but he threw her a cold look that snapped her mouth shut.

He stalked over to the fireside and sank into his usual armchair.

I have to leave Kira alone...for both our sakes.

While unsurprising, he was disappointed that no one besides Susie had come to Kira’s aid. It confirmed what he’d feared: that things at the academy had not truly changed. Which meant that the only thing standing between Kira and the long list of things he could do to her, was his own self-restraint. No one would stop him. He could bury his cock in any wolf, and bury them in the ground, and the only consequence would be a tedious investigation. He’d learnt that after he’d dealt with Haley and Ana.

It gave him all the more reason to check himself. He was not a tyrant who was ruled by lust and impulse, or at least, it was not who he wanted to be.

His mental connection to Kira had opened his eyes to something new. He had claimed her out of selfishness because he wanted her, and because the thought of anyone else having her was intolerable. But in that moment that his teeth had pierced her skin, her pureness had shattered the icy wall he’d built around his heart as if it had never been.

And she had no idea.

He had refrained from intruding on her thoughts, but her emotions had been laid bare, and they had betrayed her own longing for connection.

But it was not his love she desired. Besides, there could be no future for them. And yet, he feared he would break her heart anyway, for he was prepared to do many things to her.

I cannot. I will not.

Nathaniel drew a long breath, then let it out, closing his eyes against the fire’s warmth. His mind was set. He would stay away from Kira for her own good at least until he could fortify his will and become the unfeeling creature he needed to be.

He only hoped Kira would have the sense to stay away.

Sensing his tiredness, the enchanted armchair drew him closer, the cushion softening invitingly, and he dozed, his thoughts returning to that wonderful forbidden place that only existed for him and Kira. He relived the sweet taste of her blood, and her soft, involuntary moans that made his cock throb. She had been soft and warm in his arms, and if he focused on that memory, he could almost feel her now.

Strong, but fragile.

Dangerous, but vulnerable.