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The sight of his head buried against her neck, the feel of his hard cock deep inside her, the movements he’d never stopped making, circling and pumping simultaneously . . .

Alessandra let go, willing Kenton to do the same. His head lifted from her, a slight trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. He licked his lips and opened his mouth as if to retract his fangs. She shook her head at the same time as the clenching intensified.

Understanding, he lowered his mouth to hers. There was only a faint metallic taste. Her tongue darted over the sharp points as they kissed. Shaking, Alessandra didn’t even attempt to calm her racing heartbeat as she exploded, every muscle in her body making itself known. Kenton ripped his mouth from hers and threw his head back with a primeval roar that should have scared her.

Instead, she clawed at his back, silently begging him not to move. She could feel him release within her, and finally, as her body once again became her own, Alessandra went limp. Stretched her arms out on the bed and simply lay there.

Pulling out of her, Kenton did the same.

They stayed that way for God knows how long. It wasn’t as if words would be adequate at this moment anyway. She didn’t have enough of them in her vocabulary, including the many curses she’d picked up from her brother’s friends, to utter appropriate ones right now.

This kind of connection, of pleasure, it couldn’t be . . . normal.

“So . . . it’s true,” Kenton finally said next to her.

He rolled toward her and propped his head in his hand. How could he find the strength to move?

He didn’t actually expect her to speak right now . . .

“They say the pleasure of a bite is intensified with a Cheld.”

She had the energy to roll her head to the side to look at him, but nothing more.

“Do they now?”

His wickedly handsome smile made her want to reach out and touch him. Maybe once she could lift her arms again.

“As you can imagine, I’ve never tested the theory.”

“I have no words.”

His deep-throated laughter settled into her chest, a pleasant guest she’d never ask to leave.

“The bite—”

“Is much the same feeling for you and me, or so I’m told.” Still smiling, he said, “Although, as I said, the feeling is apparently intensified because of who you are.”

“So that . . .” she did lift her arm now, weakly gesturing toward their naked bodies, “. . . that is normal?”

He’d already begun shaking his head before she finished.

“Nothing about what just happened is normal, my love. Not for a vampire. Not for a Cheld. Not even for two people madly and passionately in love.”

That was enough to have her reach out to him.

Kenton pulled her close, tucking her next to his body like a warm winter coat on a freezing day. She could get used to this.

“For the record, you can bite me anytime you’d like,” she said, looking up.

“Duly noted,” Kenton said, leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose.

If he looked even slightly disconcerted, she told herself it was because their evening had been so intense. Both of them had been well-pleased. And yet . . . why did his smile have the slightest tinge of sadness?

You’re imagining it.

Everything he’d said to her that night . . . Alessandra’s ability was slightly different from her brother’s, and yet she didn’t doubt the sincerity of Kenton’s words. He loved her. Hell, he was even willing to stay here for her. There’s nothing to worry about anymore, her sleepy mind said.

Nothing at all . . .