Page 97 of Kingly Bitten

“Mmm,” I hummed, my thumb stroking her thundering pulse. “Gorgeous.” It was both in response to her escalating heartbeat and the pose she’d perfected in mere seconds.

I shifted my grip to her chin, tilting her head back and pressing the rim of my glass to her lips. “Open your mouth and swallow what I give you.” The gesture served as a reward of sorts because the alcohol would help warm her up a bit. It would also help her relax.

She acquiesced beautifully, her throat working as she drank from two sips’ worth of bourbon. Her flinch told me it wasn’t her favorite flavor, but she didn’t sputter or protest.

“Very good,” I praised her, taking away the drink and pressing my lips to hers for half a beat. “Now don’t move or make a sound.”

Her eyes flashed to mine, that hint of defiance lurking in her blue-green depths.

I wanted to drown in that look, take her with me beneath a wave of depravity, and forever exist in the darkness with her by my side.

It was such an intense yearning. A craving I couldn’t remember ever experiencing before. And in that single moment, I knew this female was every bit my equal.

A stark and sudden understanding. Unexpected and unbidden.

This woman was meant to be tamed by me. Broken for my pleasure. And secretly become my much-needed light in the cold, bitter night.

I didn’t fight the inclination or the bizarre urge. I merely released her throat, took a sip from my glass, and bent to bite her perfect breast.

Her blood tinted the alcohol in my mouth, perfecting the liquid as I swallowed.

She released a silent gasp, her chest subtly moving beneath my mouth. I glanced up to find her watching me, that vivid gaze of hers smoldering even in the darkened room.

I’m going to destroy you, I promised her with my eyes.And you’re going to love every fucking minute of it.

It was time she felt the snapping of my restraint, realized the danger in pushing me this far, and understood my predatory side—the side she’d just unerringly called out to play with her inner deviant.

I repeated the action on her opposite breast, finishing off the contents of my glass and setting it on the nightstand.

Twin bite marks greeted my vision as I straightened, her tits brilliantly marked for my pleasure.

And fuck, those stockings. That thong. Her legs.

Knowing she couldn’t easily die, that I could fully lose control without risking her life, only heightened my expectations.

I’d spent so many years dallying with humans who’d broken far too easily.

But this one wouldn’t.

Because she wasn’t entirely mortal.

I suddenly understood Lilith’s goal here of creating a toy that could withstand the monsters inside our souls. Feed our hunger, satiate our sadistic thirst, and continue to come crawling back for more.

Calina craved the danger that I offered. I could see it in the rebellious flicker within her almost flirtatious stare.

She was the queen to my king, playing the board with an expert maneuvering that seemed almost natural to her more than planned. And yet I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d strategically coaxed this sensation inside me.

The woman had bewitched me from the first moment, disrespecting my authority and displaying an assertiveness I found intensely satisfying.

Maybe Darius was right.

Maybe all I had to do was fuck this sensation out of my system.

But I worried he was very wrong, that I would quickly become even more addicted to this alluring enigma and lose myself entirely.

It was a risk.

And I fucking adored danger.