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“So, you’ve come to your senses, then?” Magnus said. “I admit, I didn’t think it would be this soon. But…” He crossed the tent, stopping before Elias. Reaching up, Magnus ran the back of his fingers down Elias’ cheek.

It took everything in Elias not to flinch away. “Flynn was… very convincing.”

Somewhere beyond Elias’ line of sight, Flynn snorted.

Magnus’ scarlet eyes flickered between Elias’ eyes, as though searching for the truth. Elias locked down the disgust he felt for this male behind a mental wall. Then he pictured Arabella in his mind’s eye and allowed his longing for her to bleed through. He let himself succumb to his desperation to be near her. All the while, the mating bond tugged in his chest.

It was like a second heartbeat.

Slowly, Magnus nodded and waved a hand, not turning from Elias. “Flynn, there’s a small unit of erox waiting at the edge of camp. Find Enchantress Arabella and bring her to me.”

Flynn brought a fist to his chest before there was a flash of movement at the tent’s entrance, and he’d departed.

Elias’ heart dropped.

He’d prevented Magnus from leaving, but he hadn’t been able to stop them from going after Arabella. As his mouth went dry, he tried to remind himself that Magnus was infinitely more powerful than the regular erox. He was both a sorcerer and anerox while the erox in his army were limited to their demon abilities and any special powers they had. It was better that the soldiers were the ones to go. This way, Arabella and whoever she was with had a chance of getting away.

Magnus leaned forward. His amber and woody scent washed over Elias, making his stomach twist. This only served to worsen the hunger gnawing at his gut.

Elias’ canines pressed deeper into his lip, and he tasted blood.

“You need me?” Magnus’ hand moved to the back of Elias’ head, his fingers gripping on to his hair andpulling.

Elias gritted his teeth at the pain and nodded.

Not only was Magnus the only erox who could feed on other erox, he could also give the essence within him to another erox. It wasn’t just that erox could feed on him, but that he could givethem essence.

It was something he’d tried to do with Elias all those years ago.

And Elias had refused.

Which was why he knew this was the one thing that would keep Magnus by his side—and away from Arabella.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Magnus asked, his lips a mere breath away.

Swallowing back bile, Elias leaned forward and kissed Magnus. His fangs brushed against the sorcerer’s lips, and he traced his tongue over Magnus’ lower lip, which earned him a smile.

Gripping Elias’ hair tighter, Magnus deepened the kiss. As Magnus’ tongue swept into Elias’ mouth, the metallic taste of blood filled his senses.

His fangs had split one of Magnus’ lips.

Instantly, heat swept over Elias’ gaze as his pupils swelled, his eyes going fully black. Thick, heady lust and a need tofeedswirled in his gut.

Fuck, he wasn’t going to be able to hold back.

“For you, my prodigy,” Magnus purred before a light crested in his throat. Elias’ eyes fixed on the path of Magnus’ scarlet essence as it flowed up the sorcerer’s chest and into his mouth.

Then Elias’ restraint slipped between his fingers like ground glass.

With a moan, he pressed back into Magnus’ touch, into his kiss, as he feasted on the sorcerer’s essence. Time lost all meaning as he drank deeply, pulling mouthful after mouthful into him.

Distantly, he became aware of the sorcerer reaching between them. But he was so swept up in the feeding that he didn’t fully comprehend what was happening until warmth splashed against his stomach.

With a gasp, Elias pulled away from Magnus.

The first thing his mind registered was Magnus’ swollen lips. Then he glanced down to the space between Elias’ naked body and Magnus’ mostly clothed one.

To where Magnus had freed his cock, fisting it.