6. Caine

6

CAINE

Waiting until the other two guys have entered their rooms, I double back. It's not that I'm being decisively sneaky; I just really need some alone time with Violet.

I knock softly on Violet's door, hoping she hasn't fallen asleep yet. After a moment, I hear her quiet "Come in, Caine."

With a grin that she does feel my presence, I open the door and step inside.

She is sitting on the edge of her bed, still fully dressed. She looks up at me with tired eyes but manages a small smile. "Is everything okay?"

I nod and sit beside her. "Just wanted to check on you. That was a lot to go through tonight."

She sighs, leaning against me slightly. "Yeah, it was. But I'm glad we got what we needed for the ritual."

We sit in comfortable silence for a few moments before I speak again. "You know, you don't have to be strong all the time. It's okay to be scared or overwhelmed."

Violet tenses slightly, then relaxes. "I know. It's just if I let myself feel all of it, I'm afraid I'll fall apart completely."

I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Then fall apart. I'll be here to help put you back together."

She looks up at me, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Promise?"

"Always, snowdrop," I murmur, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

I wait for the dam to break, but instead, she brushes her tears away and leans her head on my shoulder.

"That it?" I snicker, not making light of it but wanting to see her smile.

She giggles. "I think this is a case of if I let myself cry, I might not stop. Also, I hate that it hurts you."

I frown down at her. "What do you mean?"

She sighs. "I don't want you to think I'm upset that I'm here right now. I'm not. It's just hard to explain, I guess."

"No, I get it. I don't think for a second that you don't want to be with us, but what Nathaniel did to you took away your choices and your human life. He made you a victim, and it's not fair."

"You do get it."

"I get you, snowdrop. Since I saw you twirling in the snow in my sweatshirt, I get you."

"Stay? "

"Wild… feral were things couldn't stop me," I say with a smile.

"Ah, fuck. I forgot about them."

"They can't get to you here. They are nowhere near as powerful as Nathaniel is. It's good to know what we are dealing with now. Shame I can't rip his head clean off his shoulders for you, but I'm getting that you aren't a damsel who needs saving."

"Not anymore," she says quietly. "I needed Flint to save me."

"Because you were being controlled. Don't ever blame yourself for that."

She blinks and looks down again, picking at the hem of her top. "Amara said that my dad got in trouble and owed money to a dangerous man. Nathaniel. When he couldn't pay, I was offered up as payment."

I stare at her for a moment, taking that in. "That is heavy."

"No shit, Sherlock. But you know what is crazy? I don't feel any betrayal over it. It's like I'm angry, obviously, but the rest is dulled into an event that happened to someone else. Like my parents' deaths. I don't feel guilty or grief. I feel…"

I wait for her to come up with a word, but she looks defeated. "Nothing?"

"No, not nothing, just apathetic, I guess. That's better than nothing, isn't it?"

I take a moment to consider her words, understanding the complexity of her emotions. "Apathy can be a defence mechanism, snowdrop. But it's not necessarily better or worse than feeling nothing. It's just different."

Violet nods slowly, processing this. "I guess that makes sense. I feel like I should be more upset about all of it. About my parents, about what my dad did. But I can't seem to access those emotions."

"You probably never will, Violet. Being a vampire has altered your concept of right and wrong, good and bad, pain and happiness. Remember, you told me those are human definitions."

She gives me the side-eye. "Who died and made you Freud?"

"Him?" I retort with a loud laugh. "But don't knock my knowledge. I am interested in humans. I take a lot of advanced classes here which teach human subjects like Psychology and English Lit."

"They have those?" she asks, eyes wide.

"For the more gifted students."

"Oh, you think you are gifted, do you?"

My gaze heats up as I stare into her eyes. "Extremely."

"Care to show me?" she murmurs, inching closer.

"Wild feral weres couldn't stop me," I whisper before crashing my lips against hers.

She arches into me, pressing her body as close to mine as she can get.

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her onto my lap as our kiss deepens. Her fingers tangle in my hair, tugging lightly in a way that makes me groan into her mouth. I trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck, revelling in the soft gasp she makes.

"Caine," she breathes, her voice husky with desire.

I pull back slightly, meeting her gaze. Her eyes are dark with want, and her lips are swollen from our kisses. She's never looked more beautiful.

"Are you sure about this, snowdrop?" I ask softly.

She smiles, tracing her fingers along my bottom lip. "I'm sure. I want this. I want you."

I capture her lips again, pouring all my pent-up desire into the kiss. My hands roam her body, slipping under her top to caress the soft skin of her back. She moans into my mouth, grinding her hips against mine, kicking this up a notch already.

I break the kiss to pull her top over her head, tossing it aside. My breath catches at the sight of her. "You're gorgeous," I murmur, trailing kisses along her collarbone as I tug at the cup of the bra I made her until her nipple pops out.

It's too tempting to resist. I move my mouth over it, biting down and tugging gently as I carefully remove the rest of her clothes with magick. It's cheating, but I don't give a shit right now. Mine follow, so she is now grinding down right over my cock.

"Fuck," she pants, looking down and taking me in her hand. She strokes me into a rod of iron, but I concentrate on her nipples, tweaking and pinching one while I suck and lick the other.

Her hand strokes me, her thumb circling the sensitive head of my cock. It jerks in her hand; the sensation is exquisite, but I want more.

"Please," she whimpers, her hand tightening around my cock. "I need you inside me."

I growl low in my throat, lifting her slightly. "Look at me, snowdrop," I command softly.

Her eyes meet mine, dark and hazy with lust. I hold her gaze as I slowly lower her onto me, watching as pleasure washes over her face. We both groan as I fill her completely.

"Fuck, you feel amazing," I pant, giving her a moment to adjust to my size.

After a second, she rolls her hips in a way that has me seeing stars. I grip her waist, guiding her movements as we find our rhythm.

"Caine," she moans, her nails digging into my shoulders. "Oh god, yes!"

I capture her lips in a searing kiss, swallowing her cries as I thrust up to meet her.

I can feel her getting close, her inner walls fluttering around me. I slip a hand between us, my thumb finding her clit and rubbing tight circles.

"Bite me, snowdrop," I murmur. "Drink from me."

She leans in, her breath cool against my skin. Her fangs graze my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. Then she bites down, and I'm lost in a haze of pleasure and pain.

The sensation of her drinking from me while we're fucking is indescribable. It's intimate in a way I've never experienced before. Her life force mingles with mine, creating a connection that goes beyond the physical.

Her inner walls clench around me as she drinks, pushing me closer to the edge. I increase the pressure on her clit, determined to bring her with me.

With her fangs still buried in my neck, her cry is muffled when her orgasm hits. The pulsing of her pussy combined with the sensation of her drinking from me, sends me teetering, but I don't want to come. Not yet.

Violet releases me, and I crush my mouth to hers again, tasting my blood as she does. I stop moving for a moment to manoeuvre us so she is underneath me. Then I give her everything I've got. My body and soul goes into it as I pound her into the bed, hearing her scream my name again as she climaxes with an epic force that nearly breaks my cock.

I groan as she soaks my cock even more. Leveraging myself over her, with my hands on either side, I focus on steady, deep thrusts that make her magnificent tits jiggle. "Fuck, you're gorgeous," I murmur again. "Fuck, this is everything."

She arches her back, and I close my eyes as I thrust deeper and deeper into her. My orgasm is getting close. I want it now. I need it.

I slam into her one last time, and then I unload with a low grunt, opening my eyes so I can see the shock in hers as I knot her. It expands at the base of my cock, stretching her pussy to the absolute limit.

"Jesus!" she gasps as her body convulses again with another orgasm, this one more intense than the last. "What is that?"

"That is my knot," I explain, my voice husky. "It's an Ice Demon thing, among other creatures."

"Oh," she breathes, shifting slightly and gasping as the movement causes the knot to press against her sensitive spots. "How long does it last?"

"We'll be tied together for a little while," I murmur, leaning down to kiss her softly. "Is that okay?"

She nods with a small smile. "More than okay. It feels incredible."

I grin, pleased by her reaction. "Good. Because I'm not done with you yet."

I start to jerk my hips again, small, shallow thrusts that make her moan and clutch at my shoulders. The knot ensures I stay deep inside her, hitting all the right spots with each movement.

"Caine," she whimpers. "Oh fuck!"

"That's it, snowdrop," I encourage, increasing the pace slightly. "Come for me again like the good girl I know you are."

Her back arches as another orgasm washes over her, her inner walls clenching around my sensitive cock and knot. The sensation is almost too much, and I follow her over the edge, groaning as I empty myself inside her again, draining my balls into her sweet pussy.

As we lay tangled together, our bodies slowly coming down from the intense high, I sigh happily, content for the first time, I think, ever. Violet is everything I never knew I needed - strong yet vulnerable, fierce yet tender.

I brush a strand of hair from her face, drinking in the sight of her flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips. "You okay, snowdrop?" I ask softly as I turn us onto our sides. She lifts her leg and places it over me, burying me even deeper.

She nods, a languid smile spreading across her face. "More than okay."

I chuckle, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"So," she says, a teasing lilt to her voice, "this knot is an Ice Demon thing? Any other surprises I should know about?"

I grin, trailing my fingers along her spine. "Oh, I've got plenty of surprises up my sleeve. But where's the fun in revealing them all at once?"

She laughs. "Fair enough. I look forward to discovering them all."

All too soon, I can feel my knot beginning to deflate. With a final gentle tug, it releases me, and I slip out of her with a reluctant groan. Violet shivers at the sensation, her eyes fluttering closed.

I whip the covers over us, and she snuggles further into me, and I kiss the top of her head. "Sleep now, snowdrop. I've got you."