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“Good girl,” he says, voice dark, sweet, and absolutely depraved. “Don’t fight it. You’ll like it, I promise. Let go for me.”

I can’t even remember what it means to have dignity. My body wants this. I’m pulsing, desperate, soaked, and so, so close. He licks right up my neck, tongue warm and wet, and I make a barely human sound.

He twists his fingers, and my whole body tenses then shatters around it until darkness sparkles at the edges of my vision. I bite back another whimper, but it just leaks out, mortifying, as everything in me clenches tight and then explodes in heat.

I fall apart, shuddering in his arms, and he holds me up like I’m precious. “That’s it, sweetness. Don’t hold back. Give me everything.”

I can’t see. I can’t think. Everything in my body is focused on his fingers working me through it, unbearable and perfect at the same time.

Then comes his bite, gently. A sharp sting, followed by overwhelming warmth that radiates from his fangs through my entire body, prolonging the ecstasy. A slow rush of heat spreads down my spine, curling in my belly. My legs finally give out, but he pulls me closer until my body is flush with his.

He makes this unholy sound of pure pleasure against my neck. It doesn’t take long to understand why people let vampires bite them.

It feels good.

His mouth is warm, lapping and drinking in slow pulls. Pleasure rolls through me, thick and hot, just as hot as the orgasm he gave me. My head lolls slightly to the side, offering more. This is not what I imagined it would feel like.

His hand moves to my waist, steadying me. His breath hitches, the rhythm of his drinking shifting as he groans. His other hand grips my breast through the thin gown.

Then a low, savage growl vibrates from his chest, and his grip tightens, nails biting into my soft flesh. I cry out when his fingernails dig into my breast.

And everything changes.

His teeth sink deeper, and pain shoots through my neck like wildfire, scorching my flesh and the blood in my veins.

I choke on a gasp, jerking in his arms. His fangs pull free, and he snarls. My scream is deafening when he rips me closer and sinks his teeth deeper, feeding faster like he is desperate for more.

“Stop,” I gasp, forgetting I wasn’t supposed to speak.

He doesn’t, and I thrash against him, twisting to escape.

His fingers dig into my ribs, and for a moment, I worry he may crush them.

I manage to twist away, only when I do, his teeth slice through my flesh, and he yanks me back around to face him. I push feebly against his chest, but his arm snakes across my back, crushing my lungs in his firm grip as he bites me again.

He’s not stopping.

He’s lost control.

He’s going to kill me.

Panic surges through my entire body, and I feel it erupt. Energy floods my limbs like lightning.

Except I can’t aim it.

It just erupts in my panic.

A burst of white-blue light explodes between us, and we are tossed apart. His teeth rip painfully from my neck, and he flies backward, crashing into something. He hits the floor with a loud thunk just as I stop myself from flying into the wall. I rip off the blindfold, grip my knees, and draw in a shaky breath.

What have I done?

As I creep closer to the man on the floor, I notice his dangerous beauty. All hard muscle and impossible grace, like a predator stunned mid-hunt. His black silk shirt is partly open, revealing his sculpted chest where the silver and gold lines of my magic dance across his skin in ethereal patterns. His chest rises and falls in ragged pulls, his body twitching as if gripped by an invisible current.

I did this.

His face is aristocratic and sharply defined, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw, softened only by the fall of short raven hair spilling across the rug. His blood-stained lips are full and strangely inviting, parted just enough to reveal a flash of fangs.

Beneath the patterns of my magic are the faintest hint of old scars on his chest. A man who has seen a battle or two. But he’s dressed far too finely to be a guard. His shirt is tailored perfectly to his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Over it, a dark coat embroidered with silver thread stitched into every detail. A ring, heavy and ornate, catches the light on one hand splayed across the floor.