Page 45 of The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6)

Her brows pinched, and after a moment, she shook her head.

“That’s good. Real good,” I said, my voice hoarse as relief swept through me.

If I hadn’t been sitting, I probably would’ve ended up on my ass.

I knew her answer didn’t guarantee he wasn’t in there, but it was another good sign.

Still, I tried to keep the hope from clouding my judgment.

“I know what you need. At least, I’m about ninety-eight percent confident I do. You need to feed.”

The breath she took was stilted as her hunger hit me in the chest.

“Yeah. That’s what you need.” I lifted my hand once more, saying, “It’s all right. You’re safe.”

My words elicited a strange mix of comfort and fury from Poppy. It was as if there were two parts of her. One that knew my words were a pledge—an unbreakable oath—and an angry part.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I added, only then realizing that I had misread her emotion. It wasn’t anger. It was more like I’d… offended her.

Poppy’s chin dipped as she let the eather rise to the surface. Silver-and-gold-laced essence lit up the veins beneath her eyes at the same instant the swirling streaks appeared in the flesh above her chest.

“You won’t,” she breathed, intense, blistering power surging in her voice, coating each word with the scorching heat of the sun.

The essence rippled wildly within my chest, but I could’ve shouted with joy like an ass because I didn’t hear his voice in her words. My mind was made up on how to proceed.

“I know,” I said. “You need to feed, Poppy.”

She cocked her head.

“I have what you need,” I continued, stretching my hand toward her—my left hand. “All you have to do is take my hand.”

She looked down, and I knew she was staring at the golden swirl on my palm. Her confusion rose, and then I felt it brush against my thoughts. I tasted it. Sensed it. Jasmine. Her mark. Why?

“Because I would do anything for you,” I said. Based on the way her gaze jerked to mine, I knew she hadn’t meant to project her thought through the notam .

That was something else that hadn’t happened when it wasn’t just her.

This time, I didn’t have to force the smile. My lips curved. “Take my hand,” I whispered. “Take my hand, Poppy.”

Last time, she hadn’t. But this time…

This time, she did.

The moment our fingers brushed, the air charged with power—essence—stirring the embers inside me and inflaming her hunger.

Her skin was warm.

Holding Poppy’s stare, I tugged her toward me, and she allowed it. She was stiff as I pulled her to me until she was kneeling between my legs, but she didn’t fight me. My other hand trembled as I curved it around the back of her head.

She didn’t flinch. Her wide eyes remained fixed on mine, and she didn’t snarl or hiss, but I could hear her quick breaths.

“Feed,” I urged, guiding her to my throat as I turned my head. “Feed, my Queen.”

She was still rigid against me as I stared at the wall. The puffs of her breath were warm against my throat. I waited. Her lips grazed my skin as she trembled against me. A heartbeat passed. Another.

Then she struck.

My jaw clenched as her fangs pierced my flesh, causing a dual reaction. Red-hot agony shot through my body, momentarily causing me to stiffen and my cock to harden.

Poppy tensed and started to pull back.

“It’s okay,” I told her, slipping my hand to the nape of her neck as the burning pain started to fade. “I’m fine. Drink.”

She was still for a moment, and then I felt her take her first swallow and shudder. Then I shuddered.

“That’s it,” I murmured, rubbing my thumb down the side of her throat, feeling each swallow. “Drink.”

Poppy drank, and she did so deeply. One. Two. Three swallows. She released her fangs and closed her mouth over the wound, drinking greedily. And fuck if I didn’t feel dampness building in my eyes as I let go of her hand.

She let it fall to her side, balling the material of her sleeping gown in her fingers. Clearly, she was still wary and acting on pure primal instinct as I wrapped my arm around her waist. Her shiver made me smile and eased some of the pressure in my chest.

“I’ve missed you,” I said, my voice thick and low. “I’ve missed you so much, Poppy.”

Her gentle touch sent a jolt through my body. I felt her small hand on my upper arm, then curled around the back of my neck. I had to blink a few times to clear my vision. Another shiver coursed through her, and I bit back a groan as I felt it everywhere.

“Keep drinking,” I murmured, tightening my hold on her.

Carefully, I shifted us, moving her to sit on my lap.

Holding her, I moved so I could lean against the headboard.

We were farther away from the edge of the bed, and not only could I keep my eyes on the door, but I was also able to widen the gap between my legs, giving her more room to settle there without sitting on my dick. Which was hard. Painfully so.

I talked to her as I filled my head with memories of us under the willow and how I’d felt when she asked me to kiss her.

I had no idea what the fuck I was saying as I filled my thoughts with an image of her dancing on the beach, her body highlighted by flames.

I wanted her to remember, and I needed to distract myself.

Because I could taste the pleasure beginning to build within her—a need that had already begun heating my blood. It was a normal byproduct of feeding, one damn near impossible to ignore, but I needed to keep a clear head—unlike last time—and make sure she took enough.

Not that the change in positioning really helped, with her mouth moving hungrily against my throat, and especially not with her relaxed into me.

I thought the softness of her breasts against my chest was torture, but I was wrong.

When she pressed more fully against me, her hardened nipples just begging for my lips, fingers, and fangs, it nearly drove me mad.

Then, her scent thickened to a heady mix of sweetness, warm spice, and something new—something more floral as her hips began to move.

Lilacs.

Fresh lilacs.

Life. She smelled of jasmine and life. Her scent was all her. And, gods, I’d never been on the verge of crying while my dick was as hard as bloodstone before.

I almost laughed.

Her fingers slipped into my hair, and the hand on my arm tightened. Then Poppy…fuck.

I was wrong again.

Poppy purred .

My body reacted to the sound and the way it felt. My hips jerked, and my dick throbbed.

This was torture.

Keeping a hold of her, I didn’t let myself feel how she shook against me, even as each tremor echoed in my blood. I ignored her moans even as they carved themselves into my bones. And I sure as fuck didn’t let myself think about how wet and warm she was for me—

I bit back a groan, losing track of whatever the fuck I was thinking as she managed to get closer somehow. “Behave yourself,” I gritted out.

Poppy let out a disgruntled little growl.

“You sound like a pissed-off kitten.” I chuckled roughly. “You know that, sweetheart?”

Poppy stiffened against me as a riot of sensations, too fast and too many for me to even begin to figure out, erupted from her. A shudder rocked her—

She jerked back with a gasp and fell backward.

Snapping forward, I rose onto my knees and tightened my hold around Poppy’s waist.

She panted for breath, her eyes wide as they swept over my features. I couldn’t tell if she recognized me, but she appeared startled—almost as if someone had abruptly woken her from sleep.

Tension seeped into my muscles as my fingers curled into the thin material of her sleeping gown. I fought to keep my emotions level as I drew in a shallow breath. “Poppy?”