36. CATALINA

THIRTY-SIX

catalina

Ren slammed me against the wall and slapped his palms near my ears, caging my head. My heart rate spiked and I craned my neck to look up at him, keeping the blanket wrapped around my torso. The intensity of his brown eyes stripped me bare and I fought the urge to take off sprinting, but I was sure he’d enjoy chasing me down. Just like Asher had. I didn’t know what to do. Or if I could do anything. A hunted feeling crawled up my neck.

With a move too quick for me to track, he’d wrapped his big hands around my thighs and hoisted me up the wall until my core was level with his dick. I gasped from the sudden grind of his jean-covered hardness against me.

“You like that don’t you.” He chuckled, eyelids lowered, a sultry expression on his face.

My stomach clenched. The echo of his touch and bites crested up my body and moisture gathered between my legs. I liked the feel of him too much, but to just grab at me? He was crazy. Certifiable and not trustworthy from what I’d noted, but my body wanted him.

His dark eyebrow raised and he thrust against me, shoving his hard cock between my legs. I sucked in a breath and bit back my whimper. The blanket dropped to expose the top of my breasts. He looked down at me with a satisfied smirk, as if he liked watching me squirm.

He wrapped his finger around my panties and continued wrapping his finger as the elastic dug into my skin until it ruptured. I gasped as the sudden pressure loosened on my clit. He still pinned me with his hips and the hand that just ripped the last of what I wore, dragged upwards. His fingertips grazed the top of my breast, and the tip of his nail rasped over the top. He dug harder, dragging his nail into my flesh. I gasped from the suddenness of the sting.

A thin line welled with blood. Ren’s smirk faded and his attention fastened on the red.

“Ren. Off her.”

Ren tilted his head as he stared in silence. His cock was still flush against my clit and I couldn’t help but wriggle. A shiver coasted up my spine.

“She’s a responsive little whore Asher, where did you find her?” Ren smiled cruelly, his eyes glinting with avarice.

I gasped, the words slapping me across the face.

He stepped back and I landed on my ass—again. I grunted and a dull pain spread down my thighs.

“You’re lucky I don’t fuck humans,” he smiled, showing more teeth than necessary.

“God!” I snapped and groaned, rubbing the sore spot.

Asher flashed over and lugged me up. My legs wobbled and he pressed me to his body. I used him as a crutch to lean on as he carefully wrapped me in the thin blanket.

Ren snorted and the sound dragged my attention to him. His eyes were narrowed on Asher.

“You’ve never been possessive over your toys. Makes me want her more than I already do.”

“Leave her be,” Asher snapped, tightening his hold on me.

I couldn’t see Ren’s reaction since my cheek was pressed to Asher’s silk encased shoulder, but I would bet my foot Ren smirked at the threat.

“Why so tense, Asher? Did the human crawl under your skin?”

“How about you tell us what you were doing getting captured by Calliope.” Asher’s chest rose once sharply.

“I allowed her to catch me. There’s a difference, but she knows nothing about the sudden uptick in infections.” So he let her put him in that situation? “Her mouth doesn’t get loose unless she feels like she’s got something over me.”

“And what about killing her children?” Tobias said, steps clipped as he approached.

“He shouldn’t have gotten in my way.” Ren shrugged.

“She’s exhausted, she can hardly keep her eyes open.” Tobias crouched before me, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Let’s get you comfortable.”

Asher resisted passing me to him for a beat, and I grunted at the sharp squeeze to my stomach. He finally let go and Tobias was making his way up the stairs with me in his arms.

“I need a bath,” I croaked.

Tobias frowned down at me, gray eyes roving over my blood-stained chest. “What happened?” I didn’t even have the energy to respond to that. I set my head against his bicep and my eyes fluttered shut.

Tobias jostled me and the spout to the tub powered on.

I stifled a yawn and he tugged the blanket off me.

“Catalina,” he hissed, eyes fixed on my body. I blinked slowly and looked down. Crusted dried blood flaked on my skin. My wounds were pretty much healed. The vampire blood Ren forced down my throat must have started the healing process. He set me in the bathtub and water sloshed over the sides of the tub. The clear water swiftly turned pinkish.

I leaned against the back porcelain, zapped of energy. The water lapped against my waist, and I straightened my legs until they were fully submerged.

Tobias reached over to pull the plug so it could drain as it filled. Then he grabbed a small towel underneath the sink and knelt beside the tub. I blinked as I watched him, a thick knot incrementally growing in my throat. He carefully rolled the sleeves of his cable knit sweater to his elbows.

I couldn’t stifle my groan of pleasure at the pressure of the water seeping into my bones and spreading through my body. The heat was heavenly and the view was... I shivered, watching Tobias smooth the carefully rolled sleeves. There was something incredibly sexy about his forearms. The muscle bunched with each flex, emphasizing the veins through his pale hand.

Concentration marred his brow as he wet the cloth and brought it to my neck, and in swift swipes across my skin, he cleaned away the dried blood as he inched down my shoulders.

The soft rasp of his ministrations combined with the attentiveness constricted my chest and pressure ballooned as I watched him. Goose bumps pebbled my flesh. Each rasp across my skin stoked a heady heat through my body. This wasn’t what I should be thinking right now. Such a bad idea to be lusting after the celibate vampire priest.

He ran the towel under the running water, drenching it. My gaze stalled on his profile as he wrung the excess water from the material. My fingers twitched to lift and graze down the bridge of his nose to the slightly upturned tip.

Tobias’s eyelids lowered, his lips softening. He paused with the cloth at my clavicle and his Adam’s apple bobbed. I could hardly hear the plunk of the towel sinking into the tub. The material grazed my thigh. I followed Tobias’s gaze to my breast where a drop of blood had beaded. It slowly dripped and plunked into the water.

Where Ren had opened me.

“Ren,” Tobias bit out. His jaw twitched.

I lifted my hand to swipe the blood away, but Tobias caught my wrist, his throat bobbing.

“I will heal you... if you would like.” His words were rough and red hinted in his irises before it disappeared.

I nodded hesitantly, unable to make a sound.

Tobias kept my gaze as he leaned over my breast, eyes unwavering from mine.

My breasts rose sharply with every pant. Pinpricks of anticipation crackled over my skin as his lips neared until finally his tongue flicked out and laved across the skin. My lips parted on a breathy exhale.

The line of his neck tensed, the column tightening enticingly. He lunged forward, pressing into me so my back dug into the lip of the tub. I could hardly feel the pinch since ripples of pleasure danced to my clit.

My fingers speared into his hair, curving into the strands tightly. I whimpered, and the water sloshed as I wiggled needily. His grip became hard—unyielding—delicious.

His lips fastened around my nipple, encasing it with his warm mouth. Tobias tongued my breast, sending electricity throughout my limbs. My thighs quivered and I detangled my digits from his hair. There was no feeling in my arms as they boundlessly slipped into the water to rest on my thighs.

Tobias was incredibly good with his tongue.

My breast popped out of his mouth and his shoulders rose and fell sharply. He set his wrists on the edge of the tub and squeezed his eyes shut, breathing hard twice more. His eyelids finally lifted and he sank his fingers into the water, lifting the wet towel from the clean water. He reached over and turned the spout off and pulled the lever so the stopper would settle into place.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the red cresting his cheek bones.

I struggled to get my breathing under control as he cleared his throat. Tobias handed me the cloth and then lifted to his feet, offering me his back. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the bunched shoulders or the way he ran his fingers through his hair. I quickly finished washing myself, trying to ignore the enflamed need. It was a mistake to say yes to him. I knew better, but I let lust guide me, and now, he would likely start avoiding me again.

When I’d finished washing, I stood, and water sloshed over the lip of the tub and ran down my body, tickling as it traveled down.

Stepping out of the bath, I caught my balance so I didn’t go flying. Tobias wrapped the large towel around me, steadying me. He wouldn’t meet my eyes as he retreated and left me standing in place, drops falling from my hair and splattering on the tile.