Page 17

“Fuck,” I whimpered, my muscles going tight.

He wrapped his arms around my thighs, preventing me from escaping when the pleasure became overwhelming. He didn’t slow down, his pace steady as he swirled his tongue around my clit.

My body locked up as I crashed over the edge with a small scream. He didn’t stop, dragging out the orgasm as long as he could. When my body relaxed slightly, he swiped his tongue over my pussy, letting out a groan as he tasted my release.

I sagged down, my body completely spent. The pain from the hawthorn was still present but not nearly as bad, and I hoped that meant it was almost gone. Zan lifted me up, twisting me until I was sitting down. He pulled me against him, pressing my back to his chest.

“Zan,” I protested, wiggling against him. “The hawthorn?—”

“I’m fine,” he murmured, brushing a kiss on the side of my head. “It barely hurts.”

Knowing that my arguments wouldn’t do anything, I rested against him as he ran his fingertips softly down my arms. Water was still flowing on top of us, and even though I wasn’t in anguish anymore, I didn’t want to leave the comfort of the shower. Being in his arms made me forget about reality, even if only for a moment. The second we left here, it would all come crashing down again.

“I feel bad for shooting you up with hawthorn,” I mumbled in a hushed voice. “Now that I know how bad it hurts.”

He chuckled. “Is this you admitting you don’t hate me for what I did to your best friend?”

I blew out a long breath, trying to work through the mess of tangled feelings. But one thing was clear. I didn’t hate Zan. Hesaved Warner. I detested that Warner was a vampire now, and he was trapped here with Amaros. But he was alive. And I hoped I could get him free.

“Is this how you survived the torture when the Clovers had you?” I asked, changing the subject. “By blocking out the pain.”

He paused. “Yes.”

He was still rubbing my arms, his gentle touch relaxing me.

“What did you think about to forget the pain?” I whispered quietly, knowing he could still hear me.

“You have to ask?”

My heart skipped. “Me?”

“I don’t know why you’re surprised.” Amusement laced his voice. “You’re the one who keeps saying I’m obsessed with you.”

“Because we might be bonded.” My words came out harsh, but it bothered me that it might be some invisible string forcing my feelings about Zan.

“That doesn’t matter anymore, Kali,” he murmured in my ear, his voice barely a whisper. “Whether we are or not, I choose you.”

A shiver ran through me, his words a dark promise. He would never let me go. The problem was, I didn’t want him to. His feelings weren’t one-sided. There was a sense of wholeness when he was with me, no matter how hard I fought it.

But it wasn’t just about us. His father was using me. The freedom I always craved was slashed the moment I came to this property. I wasn’t sure if Zan knew that I heard his conversation with Amaros in the rotunda. That I was some kind of natural leader of the Shadows. If that was true, then this could change everything.

Because then I would have my own army.

One so strong that there was a chance I could kill Amaros Kane and end the reign of vampires.

Chapter 9

Zan

Kali let out a small laugh, wrapping her arms around her knees as she listened to a Shadow’s story about his childhood before he’d come to the Pen.

I watched in both shock and disbelief as more Shadows fell to the floor to join in the little circle where Kali was sitting. She’d been doing this for the last three days. Coming in and just talking to them. Asking their names and history. I wasn’t sure if they trusted her, but they weren’t trying to kill her either. The fact that the Shadows were listening to Kali proved what my father had told me. In all the years that I’d been coming to the Pen, I could never get them to obey without using force.

I would never be able to turn my back on any of them without the worry of attack, which was why I was leaning against the wall. But she didn’t seem bothered that she was surrounded by Shadows on all sides.

The sweet scent of blood engulfed me as Shadows sucked from blood bags to their hearts’ content. Which made me uneasy. In the past, we’d given them blood sparingly to keep them compliant. Now they were at their full strength. I was powerful and could most likely hold my own against a few ofthem. But being in a room with hundreds of Shadows? I was no longer the strongest in here.

A low whistle had me whipping my head to the side, and I spotted Viggo and Pax striding toward me. My brows rose in surprise. They were supposed to be trying to get Kali’s twin out of Project Hope. Most of the Shadows were focused on Kali, but a few of them noticed my brothers, openly glaring at them with suspicion.