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My lips curved, and I moved closer to him until my nipples just barely skimmed the soft cotton of his shirt. The fabric clung to my damp skin. “How was your meal?” I asked, watching his eyes darken with desire.

“Unsatisfying,” he muttered.

His pulse thrummed under my fingers, and I closed my eyes, feeling my heartbeat sync with his. I barely knew Gavin, and it thrilled me to be near him. He exuded might and dominance. Touching him was like holding a live wire and having nofear of being electrocuted. I felt exhilarated in his presence. Emboldened and alive in a way I had never felt before.

“You didn’t fuck her?” I asked, needing to know.

“I told you I wouldn’t,” Gavin grated out.

“Mmm . . . but did youwantto fuck her?”

Gavin’s hands settled on my hips and glided around behind my back, pulling me flush against him. “Not even a little,” he admitted, his voice a low purr. “Iwantedto fuck you.”

My belly fluttered at his words.

“Ishouldfuck you,” he murmured, backing me up against the doorframe and slipping his leg between mine. He grazed his nose along my jawline. “Punish you for endangering yourself.”

It was all I could do not to rub myself against his leg. If he thought fucking me would be a punishment, he was about the least intuitive person ever. Maybe the punishment was him taunting me with the idea of him fucking me.

“But that will have to wait,” he said, turning his face toward Bastian, who stood statue-still in the shower. “Now that she’s gifted you the blood bond, shifter, I suppose we can trust you. You might as well get dressed and come out.” Gavin looked at me. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

My eyebrows rose. “For the Moon Sanctuary?”

I had no idea where it was or evenwhatit was. The name was vaguely familiar, but I didn’t remember anything about the place from my childhood.

“Yes.” Gavin stepped away, releasing my hips, and retreated into the bedroom.

I followed him and glanced over my shoulder at the sound of quiet footsteps behind me. Bastian headed for his pile of discarded clothing on the floor at the foot of the bed, while I made my way toward my things lying on the floor along the right side. Gavin stood near the door to the hallway, his arms crossed over his chest and his glare aimed at Bastian. The exertion ofmywillover Gavin might have ensured he didn’t attempt to hurt Bastian, but Gavin certainly hadn’t forgiven him.

As I pulled on my underwear and then my leggings, I thought of Micah sitting out in the living room. What if I entered abloodfadewhile we were on the road? How would I feed my body’s needs while he was around? I bent over and picked up the silk tunic and just held it against my chest as I stared at the wall as though I could see through it and whatever lay beyond, all the way to Micah.

Was this my life now? Was I doomed to be a slave to my body’s needs? Was this what it meant to be a vampire queen?

“Soph?” Bastian said, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

I turned and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Are you dizzy?” Gavin asked, his arms uncrossing as he stepped away from the door. His worried expression told me he feared I was entering yet anotherbloodfade.

I shook my head. “It’s not that,” I said. “I just—” I paused, organizing my troubled thoughts and feelings into words. “Will it always be like this?” I looked at Gavin, my brows bunching together.

“Like what?” Gavin asked, slowly crossing the room while Bastian sat beside me on the bed, curling an arm around my lower back and pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder. His rough stubble sent a wash of tingles cascading over my skin from the point of gentle contact.

“This need to feed every few hours,” I said and shook my head again. “I mean, shouldn’t the crashes be getting further apart, not more frequent?” I held out my tunic. “At this rate, what’s the point in even getting dressed if I’m just going to have to strip again in an hour?” I let out a despondent laugh. “And don’t you guys want to have a life beyond this?” I asked, sweeping my arm out and behind me to indicate the bed.

Bastian chuckled. “Is that a trick question?” He brushed his lips over my shoulder again. “Because I have zero issues spending every waking moment fucking you, Soph.”

I flushed, my neck and cheeks flaming.

“No, it shouldn’t be like this,” Gavin said, stopping in front of me. He cupped my chin in one hand and tilted my head back, angling my face up toward his. “Your body is acting like you justlostone of your consorts, not like you just gained two new ones.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

Gavin inhaled and exhaled, his stare shifting to the window behind me. “When a queen loses a consort she has been with for a while, she goes through withdrawals. It comes on hard and fades over time. She goes into seclusion with her remaining consorts until the withdrawals pass and her body stabilizes. If she losesmorethan one consort or isn’t able to replace those she lost . . . the withdrawals can kill her.”

I shook my head. “But that can’t be happening to me. I haven’t lost a consort,” I said. “Until you two, I never evenhada consort to lose.”

“No?” Gavin asked, refocusing on me. “Are you so sure? Can you think of no other immortal whose blood has sustained you?”