Chapter 40

40

Cassius

It was fucking madness.

After a century of abstaining, I couldn't believe I was entertaining the idea of feeding from her. I'd broken myself of the thirst, finding strength in self-denial. And yet, for all the will I possessed, there was no way I could resist her—not for much longer. She'd reawakened primal desires that would not be silenced.

But if I were to give in at last, at least it would serve a purpose. There'd be no question of where she'd been—or what we'd been doing.

Whatever excuse I had to give myself.

"What kind of proof do we need?" Ella asked, her voice tight with apprehension.

She stood at the foot of my bed, a vision of innocence and all that was pure despite the seductive red dress. But not that innocent. She'd broken into the Triad's garden and wasn't telling the truth as to why. Whether she knew it or not, she now had the power to end me.

"I'll be your alibi," I said. "I'll claim that I've made you my mistress, and that before I entered the garden, I was feeding from you. It'll confirm what everyone expects already—that I've taken an interest in you."

Her breath hitched, and she glanced up at me through lidded eyes. "And have you?"

It was too obvious for her not to know. Her interest in me was clear as day. Hell, every one of my senses had detected it from the moment we'd met. The way her skin heated under my touch, the way her scent grew rich with undertones of lilies whenever I was near. Her attraction toward me was undeniable and dangerous. But what point would there be in giving her false hope?

"Does it matter?" I said coldly. "They just need to believe that I have."

I watched the hurt flash in her beautiful lavender eyes and hated myself for it. "If the Triad's going to believe our charade, then they'll need to see for themselves that I've fed from you," I continued. "They'll need to see the marks."

Her throat moved in a sensuous way as she swallowed. "Then you mean to take the blood tithe from me."

"Yes."

She stood impossibly still, a perfect statue draped in bloodred silk. "Do I have a choice?"

I paused, measuring her determination. "Of course. I told you I'd never touch you without your permission. If you prefer, I'll claim that I was just fucking you—though there'd be no proof we could offer of that other than damp sheets."

Heat poured through me as wicked images flashed in my mind. It would be more than just fucking her. Once I'd been inside her— tasted her—there'd be no turning back, no letting go. She'd be mine for real, and I'd burn this kingdom to the ground if anyone stood in my way of keeping her.

Ella and I were an impossible match, and the truth of it stung. I could taste her, but I could never have her—not in the way I truly needed.

She silently weighed the options.

I moved toward her, unable to stay away. "If neither of those appeals to you, I could help you run. I'll give you a horse and money and send you over the border."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew it was a lie. I couldn't let her go.

"I won't run. This is my home." She fixed me with a steady gaze, then angled her head, exposing the long curve of her neck, as if giving her blood were a simple transaction. "Take your tithe, Cassius."

The gods were fools to put something so beautiful, so delicious, in my path.

"Are you certain this is what you want?"

Her voice was brave, but I saw her trembling and could hear the drum of her rising pulse. She was frightened, but a trace of a smile pulled at the corner of her perfect mouth. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what it'd be like."

I bent low, my hungry lips grazing the shell of her ear. "It won't be unpleasant for you, I promise."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Cradling her head with one hand, I dragged my thumb down the side of her neck, the rhythmic pulsing of her blood becoming the sweetest of siren's calls. "I haven't fed like this in over a century. I'm savoring the moment."

"Do it," she whispered. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and I scented both her desire and trepidation.

"So eager." I lowered my mouth to the crevice at the base of her throat and pressed a kiss to her silky skin. "If I am to do this properly, then you cannot be afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

I smiled wickedly against her skin, dragging my lips across the sensitive flesh of her neck. "You're a terrible liar."

The scent of her body and sweet taste of her perfect skin stoked a raging fire within me, and it took every ounce of control not to drink from her then and there. But I had made myself into iron over the years, and now that I knew I could taste her—and nothing more—I'd bide my time. I'd do it right.

I drew my lips across hers, coaxing her mouth open, then kissed her slowly and deeply. My tongue caressed hers, eliciting a soft moan from her throat that went straight to my cock. Her fingers sank into my hair, pulling me closer as I reveled in the way she tasted, the way she felt. She was as hungry as I was, and by the Fates, I wanted more.

I stepped back, and she reached for me. "Why are you stopping?"

"Making things more accessible." I grasped the clasps that secured her bodice and ripped them apart.

The heavy fabric tore easily, the metal closures flying free and exposing her breasts. Her pink nipples strained against the sheer black lace of her chemise, begging to be worshipped.

"Fucking hell." I said, my voice like gravel as I glided the sleeves down, allowing the silky ribbing to fall to her waist.

Embarrassment flashed in her eyes, and she raised her arms to cover herself.

"Don't," I said, gently taking her hands. "You're beautiful, and I want to see you."

"I've never…never been with a man before."

Never been bitten. Never been another man's. It was intoxicating, and my trousers strained further against me, but as much as I wanted to lay claim to this woman, I couldn't. My kingdom be damned, she was too pure, too good.

I pulled her close, savoring the warmth of her breasts against my chest, then kissed her softly. "I would never claim what isn't mine to take."

"And if I asked you to?"

She was dizzy with lust and not thinking straight.

"I'd decline." It was a lie. I wasn't a decent man. If she begged me then and there, I'd take her innocence without a second thought. "But that doesn't mean I can't show you pleasure."

But she hadn't begged me, only looked up at me with romance in her eyes. The poor girl didn't know that I didn't have an ounce of romance in me.

She gasped in delight as I swiftly lifted her onto my bed and lay beside her, one arm bracing me. I grazed my thumb over her nipple, causing the supple skin to pucker, begging me to lick and nip and suck.

"Yes," she sighed, arching her back.

The scent of her desire nearly undid me. It had been over a century since I'd last been with a woman, and never had I felt such need. The sensation was so foreign, it made it more acute. I took her nipple in my mouth, sucking on it as I palmed the other.

"More," she moaned as she melted in the furs sprawled beneath her. She was a vision I'd never forget. Her luscious breasts peeking out of the lace, her silver hair and skirts sprawled around her like a fallen angel. One begging to be corrupted.

Bracing my weight, I leaned over her and claimed her mouth with mine, my free hand pulling up the fabric around her legs until my fingers met warm flesh. Her thighs parted as if on command, hungry for my touch. I was eager to oblige. I drew a small circle over her clit with my thumb, eliciting a soft mewl from her throat. Slipping my middle finger into position, I parted her flesh with one long stroke.

She was so fucking wet.

I groaned when I sank my finger into her heat, my cock straining for release.

And so fucking tight.

Her hips arched against me, and before long, her body was trembling, her hand fisting the fur blanket as she moved against my hand.

"That's right, my Cinderella," I purred. "I want you to come undone for me."

I watched as she pressed her eyes closed, a silent moan parting her bruised lips as she quivered at the precipice of release.

Now.

I sank my fangs into her supple neck, bringing her across the threshold in a wave of ecstasy. The moment her blood touched my tongue, her desire became mine.

Her body arched as the orgasm rocked through her in waves, heightened by the effects of the bite. My hunger was insatiable, and the taste of her was like nectar, sweet and intoxicating, flooding my body with pleasure and heightening my senses to a fever pitch. I became attuned to every note of her scent, to the pulsing roar of blood through her veins, to the harsh exhalation of her breath, to the way her skin pebbled under my touch…I was spiraling into a dream.

I lifted my head, a flash of guilt shattering the dizzying flood of stimuli. I hadn't been prepared for how powerful drinking from the source would be. No, not just from the source—how powerful drinking from her would be.

Ella collapsed languidly beneath me, her chest rising and falling rapidly as the aftershocks of her desire rippled through her. Like a raging river in spring, her lifeblood coursed through me, filling me with an overwhelming sense of vitality and power that I hadn't felt in years.

She opened her eyes and looked up at me through heavy lashes. "Is that what it's always like when you feed on a human?"

It had never been like that.

I brushed the back of my hand across my mouth, still stunned by the intensity of her taste. "Nothing has ever been like feeding from you."

I was so attuned to her senses that I could barely separate my own experience from hers. I felt linked to her. This was only supposed to happen when a human fed from an immortal, not the other way around.

"Well," she said lazily, "you certainly did it properly."

I sat up, staring at the two crimson marks that tainted the smooth skin of her neck. The overwhelming contentment and peace I felt drained away, replaced at first by fierce possessiveness, and then a flicker of guilt.

I had marked her. Corrupted her. I'd given in to primal instincts that had lain dormant for a century and awoken something dangerous.

What had I done?