Page 32 of Dark Fire Kiss

I’d leaned harder against the wall as my pulse raced and an ache blossomed low in my belly. I couldn’t see them, but images formed in my mind nonetheless—scenes of their powerful bodies twined together, their strong jaws moving against each other. With every moan and rustle of bedding, my skin had flushed hotter. My nipples tightened, and my heartbeat seemed to throb between my thighs.

My fangs had descended, the tips sharp and dripping with sila. A moan wound its way up my throat and burst from me before I could stop it.

I’d clapped a hand over my mouth. Then I’d dressed quickly and rushed from the room like the hounds of hell were snapping at my heels. I’d found the library through sheer luck, and I’d spent the past hour trying to think of anything other than Bram and Fergus.

But it was proving difficult. Sighing deeply, I shelved yet another book and stared at the row of colorful spines. Even now, my body hummed with restless energy.

And it wasn’t the first time. In the two days since I fed from Fergus, I’d been beset by…urges. It was as if his blood had galvanized my senses—all of them. My vision was sharper, and my hearing was better. When I stood in the shower, the caress of water on my skin made my breasts ache and my sex clench. When the sun rose and I lay in bed struggling to sleep, I tossed and turned as Fergus’s muscular shoulders and handsome face flashed through my head. Over and over, I pictured him striding nude across my room, his taut ass flexing as he went. I imagined him stretching his long arms along the edge of the pool and tilting his blond head as his deep voice rumbled, “Take what ye need.”

Worse, the forbidden thoughts hadn’t stopped with him. More than once, I’d dreamed of the men together—and with me. And each vision was more vivid and erotic than the last. It was as if the sila had worked in reverse, creating a craving I couldn’t ignore. Now I’d heard the men together, and I could only imagine what my brain was going to do with that information.

I rested my forehead against the edge of a bookshelf. I had to banish Bram and Fergus from my mind. Like now. Right this moment.

Footsteps had me swinging around, and then—as if I’d conjured them with my thoughts—my captors appeared in the library doorway, twin expressions of relief on their faces.

And, oh gods, they’d obviously just come from the shower. Their hair was damp, and both men had that “freshly scrubbed” look. Side by side, they made quite a pair: one light and one dark. Bram studied me with serious green eyes. Fergus grinned.

“There you are,” he said. “You damn near gave us a heart attack, lass. We couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“I’m sorry.” I focused on a spot on the floor halfway between us. “I was…bored in my room. You mentioned the library, so I thought I would check it out.”

“No need to apologize,” Bram said. “You’re welcome to go anywhere in the castle.”

Fergus strolled forward, bringing the scent of cinnamon and aftershave to my nose. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes,” I said quickly. The bookcase behind me prevented retreat, leaving me no choice but to stand still for his scrutiny.

“Your cheeks are flushed.”

“I’m fine.” Oh no, now Bram approached. I dared a look up and quickly yanked my gaze back down—but not before I got an eyeful of dark hair, stubbled jaw, and sculpted lips. His scent—smoke and forest and clean male—joined Fergus’s.

My body wanted to melt.

I stiffened my shoulders.

“Perhaps you need to feed again.” Fergus’s voice slid around me…through me…reaching places that made my heart beat faster.

“No, thank you.” That was the last thing I needed.

“Are you sure? You’re lookin’ a wee bit peaky.”

“I’m fine.”

“Ah. Well, all right, then.” For a moment, he looked so crestfallen I could have smiled. Then he brightened. “In that case, we have a proposal.”

I tensed. Why had I left my room? I was trapped with them now. Both of them. Whatever “proposal” they had in mind was bound to be—

“Go to dinner with us,” he finished. “Or I guess more like lunch for you, considerin’ it’s the middle o’ the night.”

I blinked. “Lunch?”

“Aye.” His lips twitched, as if he’d discerned the wild direction of my thoughts and took pleasure in proving me wrong. “If I’m no’ mistaken, you eat regular food just as often as we do, yes?”

“Yes,” I said slowly. “But I can continue dining in my room.” Eating with them was a bad idea, not when I couldn’t trust my traitorous body to behave itself in their presence.

“Och, that’s too bad,” he said, his expression not sorry in the least. “Bram and I were just saying how much we fancied a meal out. Weren’t we, Bram?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just plowed forward with that glimmer of mischief that appeared to be a permanent fixture in his eyes. “Thought you might like to get out of the castle for a bit. But I suppose you aren’t interested in human restaurants in the middle of a big city like Inverness.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “Lots of noise. People everywhere.”

My heart thumped. Lunch in a big city was exactly the sort of experience I longed for. And something told me he knew that. Somehow, Fergus Devlin had discovered the curious streak that had gotten me into so much trouble in Krovnosta. And now he dangled an adventure in front of me like bait.

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