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“Fuck,” he groaned. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

Adrian let me drink from him, moving his other hand to the top of my head, bracing himself as he moved, his chest to mine. His first few thrusts were slow and deep, and I felt every ridge of his cock, but then his movements became shallow, more concentrated, and a delicious friction began to take hold of me. In its grip, I could not control my body.

I released Adrian’s wrist as a moan tore from the back of my throat, and just when I felt the tension in my body peak, he bit into the flesh of my neck.

I came, cursing, my fingers tightening in Adrian’s hair, and he followed, filling me with warmth. I went limp beneath him as he finished feeding, and he pulled away, brushing strands of sweat-soaked hair from my face.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

I was still attempting to control my breathing, but I considered his question. The biggest difference had been when I had woken up with a burning in my throat, but since I had taken Adrian’s blood, I felt the same.

“Are you asking if I feel different?”

He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth lifting, as if he found the question curious.

“I just want to know how you feel.”

I answered on an exhale. “Exhausted, but not just physically…mentally too.” I held Adrian’s gaze and then asked, “How many people will betray us in the end?”

“I suppose we should expect that everyone will,” he said.

“That is a sad existence.”

“And yet it is ours.”

He kissed me and then settled on his side, drawing me tight against him.

“Sleep,” he said. “You will need it.”

I considered asking him what he meant, but my body was warm and my eyes were heavy. I did not feel like talking, though there were so many things that needed our attention, and I let myself slip into darkness.

***

I was writhing—arching my back, my feet sliding against the bed, unable to find purchase. Hunger gnawed at the bottom of my stomach. Adrian was against me and he brought his wrist to my mouth again.

“Bite, Sparrow.”

This time, I could smell his blood. I had expected it would have a different scent once I was changed, but it smelled like metal—sharp and bitter—and there was something inside me that craved it.

I took Adrian’s wrist, but after a few pulls, I pushed it away and crawled on top of him. He was aroused, his length settling between my thighs, and the hunger I’d had for his blood dissolved into a desire for his come.

“What do you want, my sweet?” he asked.

“I don’t know what is happening to me,” I whispered.

“You are turning,” he said. “You are hungry. You will be hungry for a while, until your change takes root.”

“How long will that be?”

“To develop all your powers? Months.”

Disappointment blossomed in my chest, and it unsettled me that I would not know my full potential for some time.

“Is this what it will be? Blood and sex?”

“Are you asking how frequently you will need to feed and fuck me?”

I glared at him, planting my hands on his chest. “It is a practical question, Adrian.”