Page 19 of Dark Hope (Dark Carpathians #38)
Chapter 19
Red, pink and orange streaked across the evening sky. Beautiful clear colors that resonated right through Benedek as he rose. He thought of his woman as sunshine. Joy. A miracle. He thought of her as those very colors of beauty that he finally could observe thanks to Silke.
Benedek studied the ancient dragon. True to his word, Szelem had lain above his resting place, protecting him. If anyone came upon the downed tree, it would never occur to them they were looking at a live dragon. The long body resembled a tree trunk with moss-covered bark. Varieties of mushrooms grew in abundance, some poisonous, some edible. Several saplings and ferns sprouted from the crevices.
“Thank you again for coming to my aid,” Benedek said. “I would not have survived without your help, and Emil would have escaped into the world.”
Szelem didn’t turn his head toward Benedek. He merely lifted his eyelid to stare at Benedek with one soulful, intelligent eye. “You would have slain the vampire. Both might have died, but you would never have succumbed until he was gone from this world.”
Szelem spoke with utter confidence, as if there were no question he was right.
Benedek was polite enough to give the dragon’s words weight. Szelem rarely spoke, and when he did, he only spoke truth as he knew it.
“I would like to believe you are right, ainaakfél ,” he said. “I would like to believe I could have held on long enough to take him with me. He was powerful.”
“You have grown powerful. Power isn’t good or evil, Benedek. The one wielding it chooses good or evil. They can choose to be honorable and do what they can for others, or they can choose to be selfish and get whatever they can in any manner possible. The question you must ask yourself is why you suppress your power when you have always followed an honorable code. Why do you think you would suddenly choose to stray from your code, especially now, when you have found your lifemate?”
The ancient dragon always asked the hard questions—and yet…perhaps the issues weren’t as difficult as Benedek made them out to be. Szelem often told him he overthought things and made them far more complicated than they had to be.
“It is something for me to give thought to, Szelem. I see you have settled on top of the soil rather than in it,” Benedek observed.
The dragon inclined his head. “I had forgotten the joy of flying. The feeling of battle. The camaraderie. Working with you was just as good for me as it was for you. You woke me up and made me realize I had given up on life. I have lived so long and thought to become part of the earth once more.”
Benedek understood that feeling—until he met Silke. She changed his world.
“There are young dragons who are attempting to learn on their own how to conduct themselves in battle. They need wisdom and guidance from their elders beyond what was imprinted on them. That was how our society worked. Too many are gone, but that doesn’t mean the young should be forgotten. Or left on their own to learn what should have been taught to them.”
Benedek nodded. “I see. The young ones give you purpose.”
Szelem gave Benedek another side-eyed stare. “I have made mistakes, Benedek, thinking my age gave me wisdom and that was all I needed. I stopped being wise when I stopped learning.”
“I understand what you’re saying to me.” He did. He had learned quite a bit about himself on this journey, and part of that education was from this very dragon.
“When I awakened this evening and rose from the rich, rejuvenating soil beneath this forest, the first thing I saw were the magnificent colors overhead. It has been long since I saw in color and to see shades of red, pink and orange felt like a good omen.”
The ancient dragon looked skyward. “I believe it is a good portent.”
“After the battle with Emil and knowing what transpired with Silke and Castello, I want a day together. I don’t feel like that’s asking for a lot, just a day for the two of us to be alone and enjoy ourselves without worrying about war. That’s what I’m asking for, Szelem, a day before Lilith sends her demons to overtake the villagers.” He gave the dragon a lift of his eyebrow.
Szelem yawned. “I hope this for you,” he said. “But life doesn’t always give us what we wish for.”
Benedek scowled at him. “A little encouragement is in order.”
“I did encourage you. Do not waste your time talking to an old friend. Go find your woman and enjoy your time with her.”
Benedek thought it good advice. He dared to place his hand on the ancient dragon, right between mushrooms and moss. “Thank you again for my life, ainaakfél. ”
“Before you go, take dragon blood to make you stronger.”
That was an offer given to very few people. Most Carpathian hunters were never given the opportunity, yet when he was a young man and his family had attempted to murder him, the dragon had provided blood on many occasions. Normally animal blood wasn’t sufficient to heal wounds such as the ones Benedek had sustained, but dragon blood was different. It was ancient, extremely powerful and healing.
“You humble me,” he murmured and, as respectfully as possible, took the blood the dragon offered. Szelem lifted his scales to give Benedek access to the vulnerable underside of his neck, allowing the Carpathian to take the life-giving vitality from the ancient dragon. The nutrients, plasma and platelets were superior to anything else Benedek had experienced when it came to healing. The blood also boosted his natural vitality, strength and abilities.
Are you able to meet me in the small clearing in the middle of the forest, Silke? I need you this evening.
He didn’t care if he sounded vulnerable. It was the truth. He wanted her to know she was his first thought. His first priority.
It is good to hear your voice. When you are belowground, I grieve for you. It will take a few minutes for me to get there, but I am on my way.
Her voice moving so intimately in his mind filled him with all kinds of emotion. Everything from relief to joy. He instantly felt alive. How often had he awakened and moved through the world in a gray haze? Centuries of nothing and now this wonder. This miracle. A human woman. Who would have ever known such a thing could be?
Once again murmuring his thanks, he took to the sky, seeking Silke, eager to see her. To be with her. Taste her. Claim her. He had gone in the space of a few risings from believing himself incapable of love to knowing that love truly existed. Those risings had given him more lessons than he’d experienced in the last couple of centuries. He had firmly believed that loyalty was all he would want from his lifemate. Now he knew he not only wanted her allegiance but her love.
Could she love a man like him, with all of his failings? Was that even possible? He not only wanted her to love him, he needed her to have that intense emotion for him the way he did for her. Things had changed drastically in just a short time.
I feel as if I’ve known you forever. It had to be said. She needed to know. He did feel that way, as if somewhere in time he had been with her before.
I feel the same, Silke admitted. I have no idea why I was so afraid to commit to you. Now I can’t imagine my life without you. When you’re resting in the earth, I can barely function. Intellectually, I know you’re alive and well, but my mind wants to touch yours for reassurance.
He knew that tremendous instinct was the lifemate bond. The reaction would be even more severe after the second exchange of blood—which was absolutely necessary. He didn’t like the idea of her suffering needlessly, but going into battle, he felt it imperative that he be able to bring her into his world quickly if she were to suffer a mortal wound.
I don’t like that for you. I want you with me where I know you’re safe.
As soon as the battle with Lilith is over, I will gladly go into your world.
Silke sounded and felt absolutely sincere. The truth was not only in her voice but in her mind and heart. She had made up her mind to commit to his world fully, even with the knowledge that she would leave behind the human world.
Two lessons in humility in one rising, one right after the other. First Szelem had gifted him and now Silke.
Benedek made his way to the clearing in the middle of the forest. He stood outside the small clearing, looking up at the trees. To get inside, he walked through arches formed by tall trees. The moonlight spilled through the branches to create a medley of colors. The moonlight seemed to find and illuminate several blues, vivid greens and even gold and silver rays, casting them onto the forest floor and the clearing itself. The mosaic moved with the slight breeze, creating ever-changing patterns of mesmerizing color.
The floor of the meadow was a carpet of velvet grass, cropped close to the ground. Rich beds of flowers lined the clearing, mostly white starflowers that lifted their petals toward the moon. Overhead, stars began to appear, at first faint but growing diamond-bright in the sky over the small opening in the forest.
Benedek placed a thick blanket directly in the center of the clearing. They were safe as long as they were in the ancient forest, but he wove safeguards, meticulous with each strand. He intended to spend time with Silke, concentrating on her, not their surroundings. He wanted her to not only feel safe but be safe.
He didn’t close off the entrance to what amounted to a small outdoor room. He sat on the blanket and looked up at the sky.
I examined your memories to see the battle between you and the demons. Had I known how difficult it was for you, I would have come to your aid.
I examined your memories and knew if I tried to help you, I’d be in your way.
Her response made him smile. It was a reprimand if he ever heard one. I am aware you are the slayer, and you’re more than capable of destroying demons, he conceded. That knowledge doesn’t stop me from the need to protect you.
How very strange. I am well aware you are an ancient Carpathian and extremely experienced in the matter of battles with vampires and other such evils in this world. Still, as your lifemate, I find I wish to protect you. Even aid you in battle as I have Tora.
His gut clenched. Knotted. That hot volcanic bubbling beneath the glacier of ice in the pit of his stomach began to rise. Do not remind me of how you and Tora fought vampires. Both of you could have been killed so easily.
There was a long silence, and then he felt her amusement slipping into his mind, soothing, unkinking the knots in his guts. That easily. Her amusement was at his expense, but his entire body relaxed. There was just something about the way she viewed life. He hadn’t known fun or how to experience joy, but she was teaching him very quickly.
She was not going to be intimidated by him. She wouldn’t apologize for the things she’d had to do before his arrival. He loved that about her. Loved that she was very confident in her abilities to do her job. She saw herself as the demon slayer, but that didn’t end her duties.
He had wanted someone intensely loyal. She was loyal to Tora and backed it up with action. She was human, not Carpathian, yet she didn’t hide behind Tora. She fought at her side. That was loyalty. She had to be terrified. She didn’t have the ability to shift or do most of the things a Carpathian could do, but she still fought at her friend’s side.
Where are you? He was already reaching out to find her.
Of course, she was ensuring Raik Bootsma was free of all parasites and demons and that he was healing.
Leaving now, she assured him. Raik is a good man. Under the influence of the demon, he was very ugly to his wife and daughter. Tora didn’t want to chance completely removing the memory because it could become a buried thorn that crops up unexpectedly.
A thorn? He liked the way her mind worked.
Something nagging at Imka or Julia, and they end up being angry with Raik but not really knowing why. I’ve seen it happen. We left the memories, just faded the hurt. They know he was attacked by a demon from the sea. Imka defended him. She’s a good wife to him.
Is he a good husband?
Yes, and a good father. His behavior will haunt him. We don’t want that for him.
Benedek knew by “we” she meant Tora, Fenja and herself. She cared about the villagers. Another sign of loyalty. The fact that she’d sought Bootsma out to make sure he was healing and the family was intact and doing well together showed what kind of a person she was. He felt even more respect for her that she worried for the family and wanted them to be happy.
Tora gave a push toward happiness together. He made it a statement. He would have done so. It wasn’t taking away free will, it was a small compulsion to become closer together as a family.
Yes. She is always careful of interference. Fenja always cautioned us that interfering in personal relationships could easily backfire.
Benedek found it fascinating that they had even discussed such a matter. He avoided being with humans if possible. He’d gone with his brethren to the United States to search for their lifemates and aid friends, but it hadn’t been easy or comfortable. He preferred the wilds. He avoided contact as much as possible.
Living close to humans will take getting used to, he ventured. She was making the sacrifice to come into his world for him. He knew he would gladly make the sacrifice to go into her world for her.
There was a small silence. He sensed she was close. She didn’t fly, and she wasn’t using the dragon. She walked. She often walked from her home to the meadow and then into the forest, where she ensured that the plants and inhabitants were healthy. In some ways, she was the keeper of the forest.
Tora is the real keeper of the forest, Silke said, letting him know she hadn’t let go of their mind merge and was reading his thoughts.
Benedek had studied the way the lifemates he knew moved in and out of one another’s minds. He thought that practice would bother him, so much so that he had made sure that the barriers in his mind were strong and in place. Now, having Silke, he found he needed the intimacy of sharing minds. There was something comforting in knowing she was with him, that close, just the two of them, even when there were others around them.
I am coming for you, he informed her, already on the move. He took to the sky, moving fast, a streak of light much like a comet but staying low.
You are such a show-off. Silke’s laughter filled every lonely place in his mind. That display is beautiful, by the way, and guarantees that anyone looking up at the sky will wonder what it is.
Only you can see me. Benedek circled her, a ring of color with a comet tail of sparkling diamonds. Showing off. The peacock on display for his lady.
He was rewarded with her laughter. He knew she would laugh, and he would reap the benefits. You make me feel alive. How many times had he thought that when she was around? How often had he realized what a difference she made in his world?
Silly, you are alive.
I may have been all these centuries, but I couldn’t see the beauty of the forest or the sky with all of the colors. I didn’t know laughter or finding joy in just listening to someone else laugh. You gave those things to me.
Because I’m your lifemate.
Did she think he wanted to be with her only for that reason? That she was his lifemate? He had been prepared to be loyal to his lifemate—not love her. Not want to be loved by her.
You would be my choice, Silke. Always my choice.
He materialized beside her, moving into her, wrapping her up in his arms. “Always my choice,” he reiterated aloud. “I had no idea a woman like you existed.”
“Benedek.” There was caution in her voice. “Don’t make me out to be someone I’m not. I have a bad temper. I often make mistakes. I don’t have the first idea how to please a man.”
He suspected the last was her main worry. He feathered kisses down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. “I am very pleased with you. I’m fairly certain, although Carpathian, I qualify as a man.”
She laughed, just as he hoped she would. “You know what I mean.”
“Having lived for centuries, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to study the various ways to please my woman. I think we’ve got that covered.” He gathered her into his arms and took to the sky.
Silke was clearly comfortable with flying. She leaned against his chest, totally relaxed. That was trust whether she knew it or not, and it made him happy. The more she felt she could count on him, the easier the transition into his world would be.
You’ve got it covered that you can give me pleasure, but what if I’m not so good at it?
We learn together. Isn’t that half the fun? We’re embarking on the adventure of a lifetime together. I think we’ll do just fine.
She rubbed the back of her head against his chest like a little cat. I didn’t think of it that way. Life is a great adventure. I’m glad I’m going to live it with you.
He set down in the trees leading to the clearing. He wanted her to experience the natural beauty as they moved through the archway the branches created. Threading his fingers through hers, Benedek led Silke to the archway where the moon sent rays of light bursting through the canopy. The colors were more muted than they had been earlier but no less beautiful.
“Seeing this took my breath away, Silke. You gave this beauty to me. It may have been here all along, but I was unable to see it.” He brought her hand to his mouth to kiss the tips of her fingers. “Does it affect you the same way, or are you so used to color that it’s not anything to you?” He was truly curious if experiencing nature’s beauty would dull over time.
She tilted her head so she could easily meet his gaze, wearing that look she reserved for him. He could identify it now. She thought him extraordinary. He knew because he was in her mind and easily read her opinion of him.
“I feel privileged to be in the ancient forest and share it with so many creatures few others even know of. Hopefully, I’ll never lose the wonder I feel when walking around the trees that have been here for centuries. I don’t think I will ever lose my awe of nature and the colors she produces throughout each season. I certainly hope not. In fact, I expect, when I have children, that as each one experiences these places and the beauty, I will see it fresh through their eyes.”
He led her across the little meadow to the blanket he’d laid down earlier for them. “I hadn’t thought what that would be like. Children see things from different perspectives.”
“I love being with the children in the village. Evi is a personal favorite. She’s so bright and full of questions and observations. She’s one of the few who has been given the privilege of seeing some of the forest creatures.”
“I will have to meet this extraordinary child.” He was a little shocked that he was looking forward to the introduction. Merged as he was with Silke, he felt her love for the little girl. She experienced joy when she was with Evi. He wanted to share in that with Silke. He wanted to know all the things that made her especially happy.
“She is extraordinary,” Silke assured.
Benedek could see she liked that he wanted to meet Evi. The little girl obviously meant quite a bit to his woman. “You’ll make a good mother. I know you worry about it; I can see that in your mind, but I looked at your memories, and your love of children shines through.”
She shook her head, the laughter fading from her eyes. “Loving children and enjoying their company doesn’t mean I know the first thing about parenting. I looked into your mind, and you know less than I do.”
“Many people have a first child without having the least idea of what they’re doing.”
“And they mess up their firstborn,” she said.
“We can choose parents we see have amazing children and look into their memories to see how they acquired their skills,” he pointed out. “Being Carpathian gives us a few advantages.”
Unexpectedly, she laughed. “We steal tips on parenting?”
He gave her a small grin. It felt a little like his face was rusty when it came to smiling. He was learning fast, though. “That’s our way, pulling information out of people’s heads.”
“I hope you’re discerning when it comes to who you choose to believe.” She sounded a little snippy.
“You pulled information on fighting techniques from my head,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his front. She felt perfect in his arms. The right height. The way her body fit against his. And her scent rivaled any of the best-smelling flowers. He loved the little shiver that went through her body in response to him lowering his head to press his lips against her neck.
“I suppose I-I did,” she admitted. “I learned from Tora that way as well. I guess I can’t be too self-righteous.”
That little stutter told him she was just as affected as he was. He ached for her. He buried his hands in her thick hair and slowly pulled out the tight weave she’d braided. The mass of light blond hair spilled down her back in waves of gold, silver and platinum silk. She tipped her face back so she could look up at him. He knew she would see the raw hunger glittering in his eyes. Very gently, he caught her chin and turned her face toward him so he could claim her mouth. He was gentle. Coaxing. One hand framed the side of her face and slid to her throat to feel her heart beating in his palm.
Silke trembled, the shiver of need starting in her very core and flowing outward to encompass every square inch of her body. Beneath her feet the earth moved, reality spinning away, to leave her clinging to the man who called himself her spouse.
“I am your spouse. Your lifemate,” he whispered as his lips settled over hers, his mouth hot with desire. With need. His kisses became more demanding. Much more urgent. He turned her into his arms, fitting her front to his.
It felt as if every bone in her body melted, so that her body, heated and aroused, pressed tight against him. His body was hard and aggressive as his hands moved over the skin beneath her shirt, a gentle exploration that sent ripples of erotic pleasure coursing through her.
He drew her shirt over her head, his mouth teasing hers until she followed his lead, coaxing her into dueling. Her body was damp and hot, and she wanted more, wanted to meet every one of his demands. His mouth left hers as he waved his hand, divesting her of all clothing. She allowed her head to fall back, exposing her throat to him.
Her pulse went crazy. She wanted this more, needed him more than she needed her next breath. He left a fiery trail of blazing kisses over the creamy swell of her breasts until she was aching for more. So much more. There were only the two of them locked in their world of passion and heat together. Of need and desire. Benedek filled her mind with him. She could think of little but the perfection of his mouth, the blaze he built to a firestorm inside her.
Benedek murmured low in his own language, in that rasp of his, and it came out like an ache of hunger. She cradled his head in her arms as he lowered his mouth to her breast. His mouth was wet and hot, pulling strongly while his tongue danced wickedly over the hard peak of her nipple. His teeth scraped gently back and forth, sending ripples of desire rushing through her veins.
The cool night breeze acted like fingers, teasing the fullness of her breasts after the heat of Benedek’s mouth. The sensation was purely erotic as he cupped one breast possessively, his thumb stroking her hard nipple until she was writhing, every nerve ending alive and screaming for more. The raging hunger in his eyes was overwhelming.
Benedek knew it was impossible to wait any longer. Moonlight danced over her skin, bathing her in dazzling, glimmering rays. Her long hair fell down her back in silvery waves, the feel of it against his skin unbelievably sensual. Sweeping her hair off her neck, he kissed that perfect pulse that drew him like a beacon. That sweet spot that beckoned him, a temptation impossible to resist. His need for her grew. He needed the taste of her filling him.
He felt his teeth lengthen. His blood turned hot, rushing to his groin. Come closer to my world, o jel? sielamak. I need you with me.
He continued to inflame her with one hand stroking her breast and tugging on her nipple while his teeth gently scraped back and forth over her frantic pulse. His tongue tasted her skin, tasted her heartbeat. His own heartbeat matched the rhythm of hers, pounding through his veins straight to his cock.
Say yes.
He needed to be skin to skin, to feel her feminine softness against his hardness. He wanted to savor every moment with her, drawing out their time alone together.
It will always be yes to you.
Her voice stroked caresses into his mind just as his fingers stroked them over her curves. His lips found the proof of her life in her neck, and he pressed several kisses over that pulse, needing the affirmation that she was alive. She was his. They belonged.
He sank his teeth deep, connecting them. She cried out, not in fear but in passion, throwing her head back and arching her back to push her breasts into his palm. The taste of her burst through him like a rare aphrodisiac. It wasn’t a simple passion rushing through his veins. His blood turned to molten fire. The fiery blaze spread through his body, settling low, filling his cock with searing heat.
Benedek didn’t distance her from the act of her lifemate exchanging blood. She trusted him. Found the ritual erotic. Sliding one hand down her hip, he caught her thigh, lifting her leg to wrap it around his hip. Skin to skin, her body aligned with his, he moved deeper into her until he felt every curve, every muscle running beneath satin skin.
She moaned, burying her fingers in his hair, unable to keep herself still, her hips rocking into him, her breasts moving subtly against his chest.
I love that you have all this hair, Benedek. It feels so sensual against my body.
Merged as they were, he knew she could feel everything she was doing to his body. Reluctantly he swept his tongue across the twin holes to close them, trailed kisses down her throat to the curves of her breasts. He took his time worshiping her. Spent time bringing her to a fever pitch using his mouth, his tongue, his teeth. He slipped one hand along her inner thigh where her leg wrapped around him. He had never expected to feel so intensely. He hadn’t known it was possible.
I need you, Silke. I will always need you.
Benedek’s teeth scraped along the curve of her breast. His tongue lapped gently in the deep valley before flicking her nipples. Very gently, he lowered her onto the soft blanket he’d brought, immediately kneeling over her so that her body was trapped beneath his.
Silke’s breath escaped in a long gasp as his frame blanketed hers, skin to skin. He knew she could feel the thick hot length of him pressing aggressively against her thigh. When he touched her mind, he felt the chaos of her emotions. Anticipation, excitement, desperate need. Fear, even panic. She felt all of those emotions at once.
I’ve got you, o jel? sielamak, he reassured.
Benedek nudged her thighs apart, spreading her legs wider, allowing him to press the hot crown of his cock against her slick entrance. Her body responded, spilling more honeyed spice in welcome.
Maybe you should hurry, she whispered into his mind. I suddenly have to have you.
We are going to go as slow as possible until I know you are feeling nothing but pleasure.
He hoped he could stay in control long enough to make her first time with him good. His breath left his lungs at the feel of her tight silken sheath gripping him as he eased inside her. Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to go slow, to use his control to allow her body to adjust to the invasion of his. It was nearly an impossible task with Silke moving her hips mindlessly, gripping his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin.
Suddenly she gasped, freezing beneath him. Benedek went still, his mind merge allowing him to feel the pain she was experiencing.
Framing her face with his palms, staring down into her eyes, he held her to him. See me, Silke. Keep your mind merged with mine.
I can’t do this with you.
She tried to pull her gaze from his, but he wouldn’t allow it. He shared the raw hunger he felt for her. We are meant to be together for eternity. Trust me now. Trust me with your body.
He kissed her chin and trailed his lips down her throat to her breasts and then pressed a kiss over her wildly beating heart. Relax for me. You see me. You know me. You’re the only one who does. Who ever will. It is you and me. Trust me to give you pleasure.
He refused to look away from her, watching her carefully, letting her see his desire, his need, sharing it with her. Silke nodded, taking a breath and letting it out. He felt the tension leave her body as she obeyed him. Not just obeyed him—she gave him her trust.
Benedek didn’t wait; his body surged forward, one powerful stroke, filling her completely, joining them together as they were meant to be. He withdrew and thrust a second time, sharing the burning pleasure, the intensity of his feelings for her.
You have taught me what love is. He made the admission as he moved in her with hard, sure strokes, creating a fiery friction that threatened to consume them.
Silke clung to him, digging her nails into his wide shoulders for an anchor as he took her higher and higher to a place of pleasure beyond her imagining. His hips drove into her, his eyes staring down into hers. His body might be taking hers in a frenzy of hard strokes, but in his eyes, she saw everything she needed for reassurance. She read lust and craving. She read intense love. Even reverence.
He didn’t stop, not even when she keened loudly, in shock as her body fragmented, as waves of fire rocked her. Her sheath convulsed around his cock, gripping, demanding. He continued to move in her, and using a fingernail, he drew a line just above his heart so that tiny ruby beads appeared.
I need you. Come to me, Silke. Come closer to my world. No one will ever need you the way I do.
The voice in her mind was that raspy, sexy, all-too-erotic temptation. She knew what he craved. What he asked of her. Every fierce thrust of his cock took him deep into her body but seemed to brand her as his. She was unable to deny him anything—especially something that meant so much to him.
Her tongue tasted his damp skin and then swirled over the heavy muscles of his chest. At that tentative touch, his body reacted; his cock buried in her tight sheath hardened and thickened more. His heart leapt beneath her seeking mouth.
Benedek gripped her hips tighter, nearly crushing her to him. His body felt hot and hard, his cock slick with her fiery spice. Merged as she was, she felt his pleasure, felt him drowning in her scorching heat. She surrounded him with silken fire, the friction building and building.
I want to feel everything you’re feeling. She didn’t want him to distance her too much from taking his blood. She wanted to be fully aware so she knew what it was like for him.
Benedek helped her, but it was easier this time, mainly because they had exchanged blood once already.
Her teeth pierced his skin, sank into his vein. White-hot fire, jagged and bright, streaked through his body. The air left his body in a convulsive rush. His cock was merciless, pounding into her until she didn’t know who she would be without him. His black eyes blazed at her, a fierce commitment, a dark possession.
All the while they shared minds as she took his life’s blood. Her sheath gripped him tightly, a tunnel of absolute fire, milking relentlessly, insistently. She felt the waves of pleasure rocking her so strongly that she took him with her. He filled her with his seed, rocking her world, until they were merged so deeply they seemed to be one.
She swept her tongue over the line he had created and looked up at him when he gripped her hard. His features were harsher than usual.
“We’re right together. You must know that.”
Silke couldn’t reply at once. She couldn’t find her voice, stunned by the fire they had created together. Shocked that she needed his addicting taste. Mostly bemused by the erotic aftershocks that kept his body buried tight in hers. She reached up to trace his mouth with the pad of her finger. “We are right together. When this war is over, I will come fully into your world with no regrets.”
He was already moving gently in her, sending sparks over her skin. “We have all night,” he pointed out. “I say we make good use of it.”
She agreed wholeheartedly.