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She recalled moments of her own fear and pain as Cerberus bit into her flesh and pulled so hard her veins collapsed. She remembered being too scared to make a sound as tears silently fell from her eyes. How she waited for it to be over, wondering why it was not as she’d expected.

She couldn’t chance such feelings between her and Juniper.

Adriel turned her head, exposing her throat. “Take as much as you need.”

“But—”

Her claw sliced open her vein. “I like the way your mouth feels, Juniper. There’s no risk of you hurting me this way.”

She sensed she wanted to argue but, instead, her breath turned labored and she cursed, “Fuck, why is the sight of you like this so hot?” Her mouth rushed to her throat, impatiently licking and sucking.

Adriel gasped, startled by her eagerness. The blunt, straight edge of her teeth scraped over her skin as her fingers forked through her hair. It was clear the licks were intentional, fueled by desire more than hunger.

Adriel moaned at the delicious pull of her kisses and thrilled at the teasing trace of her tongue. Her stomach clenched, and she slowly rocked into her.

Juniper sighed, whispered murmurs passing between them, each one sending a thrill ofecstasy to Adriel’s core. Their spines undulating in a slow wave as their bodies rode the potent current of lust and desire. Need built into a searing wave of heat inside of her. She had no idea how to satisfy the burn or let it out, but the longer Juniper drew her blood, the hotter her body became.

She wanted it to go on forever, yet desperately sought the end. “Juniper, something’s happening to me.”

“It’s okay,” she rasped, licking and sucking at her neck. Her hand wedged between Adriel’s thighs, pressing and rubbing, and the wave of heat burned hotter and bigger until it was more than she could contain.

A gasp of surprise tripped past her lips as Juniper’s touch grazed her flesh. The barrier of her clothing was an inconsequential barricade, the fabric now damp with arousal and only adding decadent friction.

Short, shallow breaths panted past her lips. Wet and winded, something came over her. Juniper’s mouth sucked harder as she rubbed her fingers against Adriel’s core. Color exploded behind Adriel’s eyes as she moaned and thrust her hips, grinding her body against hers. Nerves danced and sparked and then…peace.

It rumbled through her like thunder on a soft breeze, turning over parts of her that had never moved before. She gasped with startled joy. Who knew her body could feel that? Nothing had ever felt so good, as if she were falling into heaven.

“I’ve got you,” Juniper whispered, pulling her closer. “Let it go.” Her arms wrapped protectively around her, drawing her into a hug.

The pressure eased from her bones and her muscles clenched as kisses pressed to her hair. Only then did she understand. This was how it was supposed to be between lovers. Intimate. Safe. Mutual. Intoxicating. This was unlike anything she’d ever shared, and she was certain this was not what existed between mere friends.

CHAPTER 20

Juniper paced back and forth in the crowded attic. It was late, but she found the evening hours the best time to practice her craft uninterrupted, and away from distractions—namely Adriel.

It had not been planned. At no time did she think,oh, I should hook up with that fiery red-headed vampire. Yet…it had been the easiest, most natural hookup of her life. Not to mention the hottest. And they only got as far as kissing and heavy petting.

It had to be the blood. That was the only explanation.

Now, things were awkward. Stolen glances and childish blushes. She couldn’t think, and she needed to think because a psychopath was chasing them, and now, more than ever, Juniper felt compelled to protect Adriel.

Realizing she was once again lost in a tangentof thoughts about her, Juniper growled. “Focus! You need to get this down. What kind of witch can’t do simple fucking magick? No more thinking about her—at least not in that way.”

A new shipment of auctioned books arrived that morning, and these were, by far, the most valuable collection yet, hand written and brimming with priceless knowledge, but often depicted in strange languages and symbols. She knew she hit the jackpot when several of the old texts were spelled shut. It only took a few tries to get the decaying pages to open and once they did, she found all the answers she needed.

What looked like gibberish to the untrained eye actually hid generational wisdom passed down through time. Witches started encoding spells the moment the patriarchy turned their hunt toward wise women with a deep understanding of herbs and cures.

Terminology was meant to confuse outsiders. It was the only way to protect magick from falling into the wrong hands. Ivy became lizard legs, and the eye of newt was nothing more than mustard seed. Gratitude for her aunts’ teachings swelled inside of her as she recalled all these strange terms and remembered the exact translations.

For years, she hated being different. Her lessons never seemed more than a waste of time when she craved being like everyone else.

How wrong she’d been.

Juniper finally had reason to appreciate allher grueling childhood lessons in reading runes. While other kids practiced cursive and print, she had been forced to trace ancient glyphs until she knew each one by heart.

The encoded pages filled her with nostalgia and made her feel somehow closer to her aunts. They would have loved to see her embrace her roots, and it made Juniper sad that they never got the chance.

She definitely had some regrets to work through, but again, those distractions could come later. Right now, she needed to learn as many spells as possible.