Page 16

“You’re okay,” Zan soothed, standing in front of me, and gripping my hips. I buried my face in his wet shirt, trembling against him. The water was rinsing the hawthorn off my skin, but it was stinging the rest of me as it dripped down my body.

Even with the cold stream, every part of me was burning. I heaved out labored breaths, trying to think of anything other than the pain.

“Let me help, Kali,” Zan murmured, kissing the top of my head.

“How?” I mumbled as I squeezed my eyes shut. “Can you get the hawthorn out of my tattoo faster?”

“No. But I can put your focus somewhere else.”

I nodded against his chest, squirming in his hold as another wave of pain held me hostage. But then his hands were on my cheeks, and he tilted my face up.

“Your senses are heightened,” he said in a low voice. “Hearing. Sight…touch. Which is why this is so painful.”

I groaned. “That’s great.”

He ran his thumb across my lips. “Trust me, Kali.”

I frowned, meeting his eyes for a moment before he lowered his head, brushing his lips against mine. My heart thudded wildly from shock, but when I didn’t resist, he kissed me harder, pushing his tongue into my mouth. I jerked when pain rippled through me again. He pulled away, only to start kissing my jaw.

“Allyour senses are heightened,” he repeated between kisses. “Pain. Pleasure. Choose which one to focus on.”

By now, his lips were trailing down my neck softly, and I shivered for a different reason. His kisses had always been good,but this was a whole new level. Was sex better as a Shadow? I shook my head. I was becoming something I loathed. Nothing good would come of it.

“You’re fighting it,” Zan breathed out, nipping at my ear. “Stop. There are good things about being eternal, Kali. This is one of them.”

I nearly let out a moan. Goosebumps skated across my skin, and I leaned into Zan without realizing it. The hawthorn was still tearing through me, but the pain was dimmer. So much more bearable as he continued to kiss me. He traced my collarbone with his tongue, and I threw my head back, losing myself to his touch.

“That’s it,” he coaxed as his fingers found my nipple. “Focus on this. On me.”

He held me up with one arm while he continued to tease my breasts with his other hand. His lips didn’t leave my skin, his kisses soft and hot. I arched my back when he dropped to his knees and slowly dragged his mouth down to my stomach. Another stab of pain shot over my back, and I writhed in his hold, my breath locking in my chest.

“You need more,” he said, his voice thick with desire.

“Going to fuck me?” I couldn’t help but tease, trying to distract myself.

He went rigid, his hold on my hips going tight. “No.”

I glanced down at him, a frown on my lips. Until I remembered what Amaros did. How deep did entrancement go? Could Zan defy his father’s command? From the harsh way he just answered, I had a feeling he couldn’t. My heart thundered in my chest. What else could Amaros force him to do?

“But I can give you what you need,” he continued, letting his shoulders relax. “Turn around.”

He didn’t give me more than a second to heed his demand before he spun me around, and my palms hit the rough stonewall. My back was still under the cold water, washing away the hawthorn that was still seeping from my pores. It burned as it trailed down my body, but then Zan’s movements were keeping my attention.

He was sitting on the shower floor, and he slowly pulled me down on top of him. I realized what he was doing when he laid down on his back, keeping his head between my legs.

“Comfortable?” he asked before kissing the inside of my thigh.

“Are you?” I countered, knowing the hawthorn was going to hit his face with him underneath me.

“Kali, there is nothing fucking better than you sitting on my face.”

He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he situated me where he wanted and swiped his tongue across my pussy. I sucked in a sharp breath, pleasure ripping through me. At this moment, I didn’t care if other vampires could hear us. All that mattered was how fucking good Zan was making me feel.

The pain on my back ebbed away as Zan licked and sucked on my clit. I squirmed against him, my palms staying pressed against the wall. His fingers dug into my hips as he pulled me harder against his face, plunging his tongue inside me. I let out a cry, closing my eyes as water streamed down my face.

He focused on my clit again, sucking and nipping at it until I was writhing against him. My legs trembled as I rocked my hips, only focusing on the pleasure instead of the pain on my back. It was easier than I thought. Being able to block out the hawthorn and feeling everything Zan was doing to me. If this was a part of the transition, I could get used to it.

I let out a whimper when his teeth grazed me before he sucked hard, making me thrash against him. The waves of pleasure built, and my chest heaved as he brought me closer to the edge. He wasn’t going slow or dragging this out. He wasintent on getting me off as fast as he could. The strokes of his tongue were fast and rough, coaxing me closer and closer to an orgasm.