Page 55 of Bloodbane
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
A Gray Zone
{ R U B Y }
“I’m just saying I can think of better experiments, like figuring out how Thayne went from full fur to fine-ass human under a full moon.” I try to keep the edge of desperation from my voice. “That seems more pressing.”
“I’m not about to have Cooper kill you again to try and recreate the trigger,” Thayne retorts.
“You may not have to,” I mutter, casting my gaze skyward.
“You’re not going to burst into flames, I promise,” Grayson assures me. “It’s about intensity and exposure. Even if you have a reaction, you have your lycan first-aid kit right here,” he says, motioning to Thayne. “You’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I know.” Because I do know. But I still don’t move from my spot hovering in the doorway, with Grayson behind me and Thayne by my side. “But maybe we should wait until it’s not so… noon-ish. Just until we’re sure.”
It had taken longer than expected for me to convince Milo that the existence of vampires and lycans isn’t limited to books and movies, even with visual aids. By the time he’d left, the sun was high in the sky. And now faced with the very real possibility of sunlight being lethal, I can’t fight the not-so-small surge of fear at the thought of stepping out into it.
“Would you look at that, Eirik, our girlfriend is chicken.”
“I am not— your girlfriend ?” My mouth drops open without prompting, and I can’t seem to find the brain command to close it.
“You’re not?” Grayson cocks his head to the side.
“Not what?”
“Our girlfriend.” Thayne looks at me expectantly.
“Oh. No, I... I just didn’t know we were using labels already.”
“A half-vampire, half-lycan, unofficial deputy slash mechanic that doesn’t want a label?” Grayson laughs. “Adorable.”
“Isn’t that—I mean, is that not what you want?” Thayne’s face clouds over. “I thought after everything that’s happened, I guess I just assumed…”
“No, yes, I mean it is what I want. Sorry, it’s just—I’ve had plenty of casual sex, friends with benefits, one night stands…”
“We get it,” Grayson says dryly. “You’ve gotten around. I’m amazed that little hole of yours is still so tight.”
Heat floods my face, and I lift my hands to cover it, groaning.
“Oh my god, Grayson !”
Chuckling, Grayson presses up behind me, slotting his hips just so, and I can’t stop myself from jutting back, already feeling the now-familiar stirrings of arousal throbbing through my fangs and much lower down. But Grayson just reaches up and catches my hands, pulling them away from my face, and tucks them across my chest. He covers them with his own.
“What are you trying to say, My Love?”
“Whatever it is, it’s okay,” Thayne encourages.
“I just mean that with everything that’s happened in my past, I’ve always been wary about getting too close to anyone. It was always just scratching an itch. I never wanted anything serious, never spent a second thinking about settling down, y’know? So a boyfriend is kind of a gray zone, so boyfriends , plural, might as well be the moon. I’m not sure I know how to be in a relationship.”
“All you have to be is yourself, that’s all we want, Ru. Girlfriend is just a word. We can use another if you’d like. Do you prefer partner? Significant other?”
“Lover,” Grayson adds.
“It’s just something to let everyone know that you’re ours.”
“And that we’re yours.” Grayson presses his lips to the back of my neck. The words dance over my skin. “If you’ll have us.”
I melt into the embrace, the tension borne from over-analyzing slipping from my shoulders.
“Yeah, I’ll have you. In fact,” I grind back against Grayson, smiling at the resulting sharp hiss. “I wouldn’t say no to having you both right now.”
Grayson nips at my ear. “We all know this is your transparent attempt to avoid the sunlight experiment.”
The spike of pain shoots from my ear and separates into a dozen sparks of pleasure, like shooting stars, all heading for my clit, and I can’t stop the pitiful whine rushing from my throat.
“No, this is me telling you I want you in my tight little hole .”
When Grayson growls, low and sinful, I throw in a demure ‘ please ’ for good measure.
Sharp teeth drag over the sensitive skin of my throat—not hard enough to slice into it, just enough to make me want more.
“I don’t know. Your alpha is awfully possessive of your sweet little cunt. What do you say, Thay? Think you can wait for sloppy seconds this time?”
“You can have all the time you need to make our girl feel good, Eirik,” Thayne husks out as he rounds on me, crowding into my space, eyes dark. He slides a large, warm hand down over my belly, coming to rest cupped between my thighs.
I rock my hips back, grinding against the telltale swell of Grayson’s arousal. “You can do whatever you want with me.”
“Oh, so now you’re up for experimenting?” Thayne chuckles.
“You have no idea,” I gasp before tugging him close, licking my way into his mouth. It’s hot and wet and greedy. Thayne swallows down my needy moans, taking my soft sounds of surrender and demanding more as Grayson’s filthy promises kiss my ear. Promises not just for now, but for the future that make my pulse race, and I intend to hold him to all of them.