Page 60 of Knight’s Absolution

“I can feel…something, but it’s not strong enough to be him. He’s not here.”

When Sir…Azel was close, she knew it. A shiver sliced through her even as that unwanted craving inside her tried to fire back to life.

It scared her how quickly it grew. Feeding from Gunner every night had helped. In the morning Luna was fine, but by the end of the day, before she’d fed again, she felt it fighting to take hold of her once more. What would she do when she had to leave the compound? Where would she go? Who could she bear to feed from after Gunner?

“Time to head back,” he said, rousing her from her thoughts. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

She nodded and clung to him as they headed back to the compound, Rocco veering off when Gunner gave him a signal.

The idea of doing this again tomorrow sent fear through her all over again.

But she’d do it. She’d help the knights however she could.

She owed them everything.

CHAPTER 17

They landed on the balcony off the control room, and Gunner lowered her to her feet, his wings vanishing as if they’d never been there. She itched to touch them again, to make his big body tremble. To give him pleasure.

He cupped her face gently, tucking her hair behind her ear. “How’re you doing?”

She remembered Lazarus kissing Eve before they left. He’d looked down at his mate with eyes soft like Gunner’s were now. She licked her lips. What would it be like if he leaned in and kissed her now? What would it feel like?

“Luna?”

She blinked up at him. “Sorry?”

“You okay?”

She nodded. “Good, I’m…good.”

“Do you need to feed?”

His voice dipped low when he said it. It always dipped low when he asked if she needed to feed. She didn’t know why, but she liked the way he sounded, even while she hated that she needed that from him, that she had to take from him. But after what happened when she hadn’t fed, when she’d tried to resist, it wasn’t like she had any other choice.

She lowered her gaze to the floor, hiding her eyes again. They must be lighter now. Ugly. No, she hadn’t felt Azel tonight, but there’d been a shadow of him when they were near their old house and it had affected her.

It coated her skin even now, like toxic ooze. She shuddered. “Yes…please.”

He took her hand. “Come on.”

She followed like a lost lamb, through the control room and down the stairs to her room. He sat on the bed, still shirtless from flying. The muscles in his chest twitched as he positioned himself, and Luna was drawn to him as she always was.

His beautiful deep gold eyes lifted to her. “Where from tonight, love?”

She swallowed as her gaze went to his strong throat. His scent was exquisite there, and she loved the sound of his low growls when she struck, when she took the first few pulls—the way he swallowed convulsively and his breaths quickened.

Climbing onto the bed beside him, she sat on her knees. Her fangs tingled, had lengthened. “Are you okay with me drinking from your neck again?”

“You can drink from anywhere you want.”

His voice had a husky note to it. Yes, he liked it when she drank from him. But she wished he’d let her repay him in some way. Still, he asked for nothing in return, insisting that holding her was payment enough. Resting her hand on his shoulder, she leaned into the spot she liked best. “Ready?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

She struck, and his blood filled her mouth, rich, fragrant, and so impossibly good. A moan slipped out before she could stop herself. Azel's blood had tasted bitter and dark and…wrong. Gunner made her body sing, made her want to get closer, made her want to touch.

Her hands moved over his chest all on their own. She whimpered and moaned and wriggled closer. She’d been doing it more with each feed, getting used to her body’s reaction to feeding from Gunner and finding it harder and harder to resist what it wanted.