Page 17 of Essa

I chance a look at him, hoping Essa isn't too close. But she's right there, right in front of him. Her face is so close to his, her fangs dripping a clear liquid that trails down her chin. I get the overwhelming need to lick it off her skin before I can think better of it and tear my eyes away from the scene.

There's a long, tense pause where the only sounds are the low growls in Jovi and Alik's chests, the rapid beating of Essa's heart, and the low chuckle vibrating from Adam's throat.

There's a more feminine snarl before Essa whips around, stomping out of the room. She leaves the rest of us to deal with the fear still tingling against our spines. All of us, except for Adam. I grab his shoulder because I know what he's about to do, and I need to stop him before he does something even more stupid.

"You can't just run," Adam calls out to Essa's retreating back.

He pushes my hand off of him, shooting me a glare that tells me he's doing whatever the fuck he wants right now, and I can either buckle up and go with him or sit back down and let him fuck shit up on his own. I groan and watch him stomp after Essa, curling my hands into fists before jumping over the couch and chasing after them.

"She might kill Adam," I tell the others over my shoulder. "It'll be justified."

I hear a snort and some grumbling, but for the most part, I tune them out. Adam isn't too far ahead of me, and Essa's just barely ahead of him.

He could reach out and grab her if he wanted, but he's waiting for some reason. I hear the whoosh of the entertainment room door closing. That's what he was waiting for.

His hand snaps up, wraps around Essa's bicep, and tugs her to face him again. I dart my eyes down, fear tickling the back of my neck even without looking at her. If I were to look into her eyes right now, I'm pretty sure I'd freeze up.

"If you put your hands on me again…" Essa's singsong voice falters, and then, out of nowhere, she lets out the sweetest sounding laugh I've ever heard. It draws me in and makes me want to look at her, but I don't. It's all some kind of ruse. When her laughing stops, there's a pause. I don't think even Adamknows how to react to her laughing at him. "You want me to bite you, don't you?"

"What?" Adam says in a way that might be believable if what Essa just said didn't make complete sense. Adam's acting even more than an ass than normal, and he's putting his hands on a woman. Sure, he's more of an equal opportunity fighter if threatened, but he's never picked fights with women. "No, that's ridiculous."

Essa laughs again. This time, she takes a step closer to Adam. I want to look up to see how close she is. See if their faces are only inches apart. But I don't know if she's still looking all scary, and I don't want to piss myself in front of her.

"You do!" She takes another step toward him, but Adam doesn't retreat.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adam says through clenched teeth.

"Then why did you sit in my spot, eat my food, chase me down, and grab me?" Essa asks. There's a brief silence, and when it's clear Adam isn't going to answer her, she continues. "If you want me to bite you, I need to feel in danger. I'm not biting you just because you took my snack."

With that, she turns away from the two of us and starts retreating toward her bedroom. I let out a sigh of relief at Adam leaving it be, at him not making this even worse, and for Essa seeming to understand what was happening.

I go to put my hand on Adam's shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze, to offer him whatever he needs since he's going through something right now. My hand hits nothing but empty air, and my head snaps up just in time to watch Adam stomp after Essa for a second time.

He wraps his hand around her arm again, but this time, when she turns, he's swinging his fist at her. It all seems to happen inslow motion, the fist flying toward her, the way she grabs his calf with her tail, kicks out his other leg, and dodges the hit.

She doesn't let him fall, even though that would be the funnier outcome. No, she loops an arm around his lower back to support him as her other hand grabs a handful of his hair, tilting his head to the side. She sinks her fangs into his shoulder, almost exactly where she bit him the first time.

I watch them for a moment longer, no fear tickling my spine, no panic settling over my nerves. She helps to right him and cradles his face in her hands. Her eyes scan over his features. I don't feel worried because I'm pretty sure Essa's the third we've been missing all along.

seven

Essa

"Sweet human," I murmur, tracing my fingers over Adam's nose and cheeks, making sure he's not reacting poorly to my venom after being bitten again.

I wasn't quite sure how he would react to it after already being bitten so recently. Haventh or their concubines with venom in their systems can't be affected by someone else's venom while there is another venom still in their system, but I wasn't sure how he would react to having more of mine inside of him.

I also like touching him. He smiles when he's like this. It softens his hard features and makes him look more handsome.

"I'm sorry he made you do that," Seth says, walking up behind Adam slowly, like he wants to make sure I know he's not a threat.

It's my responsibility to take care of Adam when he's like this. I'm the one who put him in this state. I'll be the one to ensure his safety until he wakes from it.

I wish to tell Seth that I don't mind Adam wanting me to bite him. In fact, I really kind of like it. Not the act of biting.I don't particularly enjoy that part. It's gross, and the feeling of breaking skin is unpleasant. But getting to care for him? That is wonderful.

This strong male who relies only on himself, needing me? It's an amazing thing. I've thought about it every waking moment since leaving the males the morning after I drugged Adam and left them in bed with one another.

"He made me do nothing," I murmur, wrapping my tail tighter around Adam's ankle as I pull him under my arm and turn him to face his male. "I could've restrained him, but I think he needs this."

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