Page 86

But what stuns me isn’t the taste of it from the source. It’s what’s underneath it.

The emotion. Thetrust.

Roan doesn’t fight it. She lets me in, completely, murmuring a quiet, “Aria,” and it wrecks me.

There’s only breath and blood, and something between us that feels like it could become more than either.

Roan

Isuckinasharp breath, every muscle tensing the instant Aria’s fangs pierce my skin.

For half a second, my instincts scream danger—something’s biting you, run—but then a deep, tingling warmth blossoms at the spot on my neck.

My heart pounds, beating an erratic rhythm that matches the fierce pull of her mouth.

It’s not just pain. Sure, there’s a sting, a quick jolt that makes me grit my teeth—but it fades almost at once, melting into a flood of heat that travels down my spine. Her body presses close, the hesitant grip of her fingers in my shirt as she draws my blood, and yet it’s not close enough.

The sensation is heady, intimate in a way I never imagined.

This is crazy,I think, yet somehow it feels…perfect.

I slide my hand up to cradle the back of her head, holding her there as she feeds, not wanting her to pull away too soon. A strange mix of euphoria and dizziness washes over me—like standing too fast, but with sparks of pleasure dancing at the edges.

Is it always like this? Or is it because of her?

The way her mouth moves against my skin—gentle, reverent—makes it feel less like being fed on and more like being wanted.Needed.

And gods help me, I don’t want it to stop.

Ever.

My breath comes in unsteady gasps, and I realize, with a jolt of surprise, that I’m barely aware of anything beyond Aria’s soft, urgent mouth at my neck.

She stops before I lose myself entirely. Her fangs withdraw, leaving a warm trickle on my skin. I swallow hard, forcibly steadying my heartbeat. Aria exhales against my throat, then nuzzles the spot she bit, sending another wave of heat through me.

Her tongue flicks out—slow, deliberate—as she licks the blood from my neck. A strangled sound escapes her chest, half-whimper, half-growl, and it punches straight through me, heat pooling low in my belly. She shudders against me like she can’t help it, her fingers tightening on my hips, and I can feel the restraint in every line of her body, the razor-thin line she’s walking between hunger and something far more dangerous.

She’s still pressed against me, trembling, lips just barely grazing the sensitive skin where her fangs had been. I should be catching my breath, re-centering. Instead, my pulse is a wildfire.

Aria starts to pull back, but I tighten my grip at her waist, voice low, husky. “You got your taste, Mouse,” I murmur, my mouth brushing the shell of her ear. “I think it’s only fair I get mine.”

She stiffens, a sharp inhale dragging between her teeth. Her head turns just enough for our eyes to lock—and gods, I can see it there. The want. The trust. The flicker of something deeper.

“I thought humans didn’t bite,” she says, but her voice is breathless, teasing.

I chuckle, dragging my knuckles slowly up the inside of her thigh. “I’m not most humans.”

Her skin erupts in goosebumps beneath my touch. “Where do you want to bite me, then?” she asks, tone playful—but her pupils are blown wide with heat.

I smile—sharp, hungry—and lift her easily, guiding her backward until she’s flat on the bed. I settle between her legs, hands skimming up her bare thighs, pushing fabric away.

“Here,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to the soft flesh of her thigh. “And here.” Another kiss, higher now, making her arch. “Might even leave a mark or two. Just so you remember who made you shiver.”

Aria lets out a strangled laugh, her hands tangling in my hair. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you love it,” I whisper, just before sinking my teeth in—not hard, just enough to tease. She gasps, her back arching, and the sound she makes goes straight down my spine.

“Roan…” she breathes—barely a whisper, more breath than sound.