Chapter 20

20

W e’d barely made it through the ballroom door when the shadows began to stir. Fifty feet of sinewy, black flesh rose up from the foyer, its sunken, green eyes looking straight at us. Only this time it didn’t shriek or roar. Instead, its gaze skirted past us toward the door with an almost longing look to it.

“Come on, Mari. Move.” Jack’s hand gripped my forearm and pulled, and I cursed when I realized I’d been wasting precious seconds. Laying on the speed, I charged down the stairs alongside Jack.

Gregar’s attention snapped from the door, and long black fingers stretched in our direction. Ducking in tandem, we slid down the next few steps in the menacing shadow of the giant’s hand. Once clear, I leaped to my feet, a grin stretching across my face as I glanced back at Jack. “Thank gods this fucker is slow?—”

My heart slammed into my chest when he stumbled to the floor with a grunt of pain, his right knee buckling beneath his weight.

The fingers swooped back around, pointed nails scraping the marble as they moved toward him.

“Jack!”

It was my turn to grab him, jerking him away from the monster’s hand a split second before it could close around him. Stumbling onto the upcoming landing, I yanked open the nearby door and threw us both inside without checking to see where it led. I’d deal with whatever I needed to, so long as it got us away from that thing.

We landed on rock—a huge, slate stepping stone to be exact. A dozen or more curved in a u-shaped path that bordered the grassy peninsula we found ourselves on. Steam-kissed, cerulean water filled the rest of the room, fed by a translucent waterfall that fell from the heavens. Tall, stone cliffs acted as walls, rising up around us like ancient sentinels, and lush, green bushes with bright orange and pink flowers skirted the line between rock and water. A bright moon and sparkling stars cast a silvery glow throughout the room, despite the fact that I was almost certain it was still morning, and the faintest hint of rose hip scented the air. I breathed it in while I pushed myself into a seated position, my gaze roaming hungrily over the magical room.

“What is this place?”

“Hot springs.” Jack’s reply came out in a pained grunt, and I winced when I looked down at him lying flat on his back, one hand rubbing his head.

“You okay?”

He sat up with a grimace. “I was fine until someone decided to barrel into me like a freaking sledgehammer.”

I blinked. “Are you serious right now? How about ‘thanks for saving my ass out there, Mariana. I’d be a crushed tomato if it weren’t for you.’”

“I’ve been running these stairs for ten years without your help,” Jack grumbled. “I would have managed it.”

Okay, so we were in denial now. Awesome. I leaned over, placing my face in front of his as I studied his complexion. The paleness wasn’t all that alarming—he was a pureblood vampire. But now that I looked closer (instead of avoiding looking at him altogether, as I’d been doing), I could see the red rimming his eyes, the hollow of his cheeks. He wasn’t fine; far from it.

“How long has it been?”

It took him a moment to answer, his gaze darting to my lips. A burst of fireflies danced through my stomach as I refrained from licking them. Barely. He swallowed, and my gaze was immediately drawn to his Adam’s apple, which led to his jaw, square and strong with just the faintest hint of scruff. My fingers itched to reach out and trace it; to tunnel into his thick, wavy hair and latch on, anchoring me as I pulled myself up?—

“A few months.”

I blinked at the sound of Jack’s voice, which was decidedly rougher than a moment ago, and heat pricked the back of my neck when I realized I was the one staring at his mouth now—a mouth that was turned down at the corners in a tense frown.

What am I doing? Snap out of it, Mariana.

“That’s way too long, as that little incident in the hallway proves.” I brushed away non-existent dirt while I stood. “Especially given the lack of variety around here. What have you even been feeding on?”

“Tigers.” Jack stretched slowly to his feet. “From the jungle room.”

“Tigers.” I bit my lip as an image of Jack wrestling one of the majestic beasts beneath a canopy of lush green filled my head. When the tiger morphed into a wolf, then the wolf into me, I gave myself a mental slap. Stop picturing it, damn it.

I focused on the clear water and the tendrils of heavenly steam wafting from its surface. “Tiger blood is good, although not as strong as human.” Or werewolf. I squeezed my thighs together, grateful for the leather pants and knee-length red cloak hiding any signs of wetness conjured at the memory of Jack’s fangs sinking into my flesh. “And knowing you, I’ll assume you only took the bare minimum.”

He’d always been a softy at heart.

“Killing off my best blood source wouldn’t exactly be in my best interest,” Jack replied, although I knew it was more than that. Jack hated unnecessary violence. Sure, he’d always been up for an adventure and didn’t shy away from a fight when it was shoved in his face, but he’d never sought it out or been deliberately cruel. His tackling Tenebris yesterday aside.

Yet another reason I wasn’t fit to be with him anymore.

The things I did to “protect” myself, to harden myself against feeling weak—when I thought of them now, I burned with shame.

“No, I suppose not,” I murmured, tugging at the ends of my cloak. It suddenly felt far too heavy amid the heat and steam of the springs. In fact, my entire ensemble seemed bent on suffocating me at the moment. I eyed the water longingly.

If only I could scrub my past clean.

“I’m going in.”

I shucked off my boots, the cloak following close behind. It wasn’t until I dropped my belt and leather bracers onto the growing pile and began loosening the ties on my pants, that Jack finally spoke up, his voice strangled.

“Shouldn’t we be getting back? Tenebris and Calum will want to know about the, um…”

He trailed off as I bent over, shimmying the pants down my legs.

“The uh…”

My brown, leather corset fell to the ground.

His voice was little more than a rough whisper. “…decanter.”

I kept my back to him while I plucked each of the buttons on my silky, white tunic free. “We can hardly leave now with Gregar all riled up and you running on empty. Might as well get a bath in while we’re waiting.” I allowed myself a quick peek over my shoulder as I shrugged the shirt off and was immediately struck by the hunger burning in Jack’s eyes. It was a look I’d seen a hundred times over, and yet it’d never left me this breathless before. This… agitated .

I’d never had a problem strutting about naked, so why in fuck’s sake did I feel so vulnerable now? It’s not like Jack hadn’t seen me naked before. I’d shifted in front of him this morning, for crying out loud.

But this morning my walls weren’t crumbling.

This morning, I’d been determined. I’d been focused.

And now…

Now all I could think about was that mouth and those fangs, the memory of his hands ghosting their way up my thighs. The way they’d tease and torture before he’d slip inside, filling me so full I’d see stars?—

I dove into the water, wishing it was colder. Swimming beneath the surface, I held my breath until my fingers brushed the rock cliff on the other side of the pool.

Get yourself under control. You and Jack can’t happen. It’s a bad idea.

I breached the surface with a gasp and turned, determined to play it cool. Only I wasn’t prepared for the sight that met me: Jack, standing in waist-high water. Shirtless. Most likely pantless. I tore my gaze from the broad swath of bare chest and toned abs long enough to spy a full pile of clothing on the shore.

Yep. Definitely not wearing pants.

I swallowed. “What are you doing?”

He quirked a brow. “Same thing you’re doing. Bathing while we have the chance.”

“Oh. Right.” I gripped the rocky ledge behind my back, my legs strangely wobbly. The motion arched my chest forward, and Jack’s jaw clenched in response, a storm brewing in his eyes as he slowly looked me up and down.

He took a step forward.

I pressed back against the wall, legs squeezing together for all they were worth.

His eyes hooded while he waded closer. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I’m right about a lot of things.” I bit my lip as the top of his sculpted v-line disappeared beneath the water. The pang of disappointment was offset by the anticipation of knowing he’d soon be close enough for me to see straight through the clear surface. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

He ran his tongue over his teeth, twin sets of fangs extending on either side. “I should probably feed. Just to be safe.”

He was so close now, I could reach out and touch him. My fingers itched to do just that, but I held my grip on the cliff as I forced my gaze to stay fixed on his. Feeding was practical. It was the smart thing to do, and I was happy to oblige. It did not, however, require climbing him like a tree. No matter how much my body ached to do just that.

“I’m glad you’re finally seeing sense,” I said, trying to recover some semblance of indifference and failing miserably. It was all I could do not to wrap my legs around his waist and slide my needy center onto all of the delicious hardness lurking beneath the water’s surface. I swallowed a wanton mew when he took another step closer and his cock pressed against my belly. Tilting my head to the side, I closed my eyes and whispered,

“Go on then. Bite me.”