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Other than kiss him, of course.

But Chen needed reassurances more than he needed kisses.

The kisses would come later.

“I’m not a masochist by any means.” Moon cocked his head, moving so that he was in Chen’s line of sight. “There’s no pleasure in cutting myself to cast a spell. And I’ll admit that after my parents died, I didn’t cast a single spell for a year. I wasn’t in a healthy mindset. My mother believed that regardless of whether you’re an earth witch or a blood witch or even a necromancer, spell casting comes from both the mind and the heart. If one of those is not in a good place, your spell won’t be either.”

He squeezed Chen’s fingers, trying to infuse some of his warmth into the vampire’s chilled digits. With a smile, he pressed Chen’s fingers to his chest, right over his heart, and covered his hand with his own.

“My blood is an ingredient in a spell, just like plant roots and stardust. But it is also in limited supply. I don’t take its usage lightly.”

Chen nodded once. “Good.”

“But I appreciate you calling my spells art. I always thought so, but that’s a point of view held by witches alone. I will have to show you my private workshop later. That’s where I make normal people art.”

His companion’s head popped up, and the fingers over his heart pressed into his chest. “You’re an artist?”

“Nothing as impressive as what you make, but I dabble. I enjoy doing wood carvings and other sculptures using clay or stone. Never been able to paint or draw.”

Grinning, Moon started backing toward the door, pulling Chen along with him. “There is one other room that I’ve been wanting to show you.”

The sexy vampire arched a brow at him. “I can’t imagine what we’ve missed. The laundry room? I don’t believe I’ve seen a bathroom yet. Though I wasn’t expecting to see an armory. Do you also possess a torture chamber?”

“The cheek!” Moon fake gasped. He pulled Chen into the hall and to the next door that he kicked open. “I’ve never met such a cheeky vampire. I don’t think I would have agreed to go with you that night if I’d known you had such a mouth on you.”

A full-blown wicked grin spread across that perfect mouth, doing dangerous things to Moon’s heart. “You love my mouth,” Chen countered, oozing confidence.

The vampire was right. Moon loved his mouth.

Moon flipped on the overhead light and Chen’s gaze darted from him for a second to take in the messy bed and clothes strewn about the room.

“Your bedroom?” Chen murmured. “It’s as messy as I expected.”

“Mmmm…” Moon hummed, pulling Chen in close. “I was thinking of messing you up so you’d match it.”

Chen’s mouth descended on his in a flash while arms wrapped around him like steel bands. No one had ever held him like Chen. It was as if the vampire refused to allow even air to come between the press of their bodies. He could feel Chen’s heart pounding against his own chest and Moon’s heart answered that siren song.

His eyes fell shut, and he lost himself to the intoxicating feel of Chen’s tongue as it plunged into his mouth and caressed his. Fingers bit into his muscles and moved lower to dig into his ass. Everything about Chen’s touch screamed hunger and need. Moon ate it up. He wanted someone desperate for him. Someone to cling to him. Someone to fight to keep him.

That was all madness.

His brain argued that this insanity had a set-in-stone expiration date. Chen was leaving Connecticut one day, and he would never look back at the wild fling he enjoyed with Moon.

But even as logic demanded he put some distance between them, Moon tightened his hold on the vampire even more.

The kiss stretched on and on while Chen used his incredible strength to reposition Moon so that one of his thighs was pressed between his legs. Moon shamelessly moaned, tossing his head as he writhed against those bunched muscles, trying to find some relief for his aching cock.

Why in God’s name were they still dressed? And standing?

There was no reason for them to be fighting gravity; there was a comfortable bed three feet away. It would be so much easier to reach all the fun places on Chen’s body if they were lying down.

The images of a naked Chen were still forming in his mind when he took advantage of his exposed neck to kiss his way across that pale column. Moon’s eyes rolled into his head and some of the last drops of blood poured from his brain into his cock. Neck kisses were one of his true weaknesses.

A gentle scrape of something sharp and pointed dragged along his throat, sending delicious shivers through his body.

Followed by panic.

Those were Chen’s fangs on his neck.