Page 73 of Dark Rover's Luck

Lifting his head, he gazed at her blissful expression, and satisfaction washed over him for being the one who had put it there. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, careful not to wake her.

"Sleep well,mo chridhe," he whispered.

31

FENELLA

Fenella floated through a landscape of impossible colors and sensations, only vaguely aware that what she was experiencing wasn't real. Mountains of emerald and sapphire rose around her, rivers of liquid silver winding between them, the sky above shifting between shades of amber and rose that no earthly sunset could produce. She soared over this dreamscape without wings, feeling lighter than air.

She'd never known such profound peace, such complete contentment, her essence free to drift on currents of pure bliss.

A tiny part of her knew this was the effect of Din's venom—a biological response designed to create pleasure and bonding—but that knowledge didn't diminish the experience. If anything, it enhanced it.

Amid the swirling colors of her vision, she became aware of something anchoring her to reality—the soft, gentle pressure of lips against her face. Din was kissing her—her forehead, cheeks, eyelids, corner of her mouth—each touch feather-light and impossibly warm. Through the pleasant haze of her dream state, she felt the reverence in those kisses, the tenderness that went beyond physical desire.

It felt like love.

The thought should have terrified her, but instead, it tugged at something deep within her that had been dormant and was slowly stirring to life. As beautiful as the venom-induced euphoria was, the emotion conveyed in those simple kisses meant more to her than all the psychedelic wonders in her mind.

Din's kisses were real in a way the surreal landscapes were not.

Slowly, reluctantly, Fenella allowed herself to drift downward, back toward consciousness, drawn by the promise of that connection. It took tremendous effort to open her heavy eyelids, like swimming upward through layers of warm honey, but eventually she managed it, her vision gradually focusing on Din's face above her.

He was beautiful.

The strong line of his jaw that was softened by his smile, the intelligence that shone in his blue eyes, the subtle cleft in his chin that demanded to be kissed, the strands of dark hair falling across his forehead that she wanted to brush back with her fingers—all of it combined into a face that made her feel impossible things.

Scary things.

"Hello," she murmured, her voice sounding distant to her own ears.

Din's smile widened. "Hello to you, too." He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm glad to have you back."

"I never left." Fenella snuggled closer to press her nose against the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent—a complex mixture of sandalwood cologne and something uniquely him. "I felt your kisses." She pressed her lips to that warm spot that smelled so heavenly. "But it took me time to decide to come back. How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours."

"Really? That long?"

It'd felt like minutes. No wonder Din had woken her up. He must have been worried.

"Did you enjoy your venom trip?" he asked.

"Tremendously. I knew what it was from Jasmine and Kyra, but it exceeded my expectations."

Max must have bitten her when he'd induced her transition half a century ago, but he'd erased the memory of his bite, leaving behind only the memories of the pleasure he'd given her, but even that had faded over the years.

She watched with drowsy amusement as a look of smug satisfaction spread across Din's face. His expression reminded her of a cat that had not only gotten the cream but had convinced its owner to refill the crystal dish.

"There's plenty more where that came from," he promised.

"Oh, really?" Fenella arched an eyebrow. "Kyra and Jasmine also told me that immortal males don't need recovery time, but they can only generate enough venom for one bite a night."

"Is that a challenge?" Din's eyes were gleaming with playful intent.

Fenella couldn't suppress a yawn. "I'm too tired for challenges." Her body felt pleasantly languid, muscles relaxed in a way she couldn't remember ever experiencing.

Din's expression showed a flicker of disappointment, but he quickly masked it. "Immortal females don't need recuperating time either."

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