Page 68 of Blood Bought

Alaris huffed. “He will die for what he did. Maybe not this week, but he will die, andIwill be the one who rips out his heart.”

I shivered, unable to pretend that I wasn’t as impressed with him as I was terrified and turned on. “That’s a bad idea, Alaris. Dregan will come after you.”

“Then he’ll die too. I’ll wipe out his entire line if I have to, but don’t worry. Those guards’ lives are yours to do as you please with.”

“Fuck.” I wiggled up to kiss him, more intensely than I intended to — but no one, not even my own father, had ever gone to these lengths to protect me. To respect me. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Ris kissed me again, and again as he moved my legs to straddle his torso. “I’m hungry, baby.”

The memory of starving Alaris was horrible enough to ensure that I’d never let it happen again, so I held out my wrist for him. “I feel good. Take what you need.”

“Thank you.”

I watched him closely again, how his eyes changed as he gulped down my blood, the moans he let out as he went from thirsty to sated, and the almost adorable way he kitten-licked the wound when he was done.

It was hard to stay focused with the head rush, and when he growled quietly and went back for seconds, I stopped trying to be focused. I fell into it, slumping happily and basking in that haze until he pulled me out of it by rolling me over and sliding his blood-tinged tongue down my torso. “Not done with my breakfast.”

“You’re... illegal,” I mumbled, arching and letting my jaw go slack as he settled between my thighs. “Gimme.”

“Bossy,” he mumbled, flicking my clit with his tongue and then he dove in, sucking and eating my pussy like it truly was his breakfast. But not any breakfast, the rare ones we’d have a couple times a year when we had more food to spare. He didn’t let up until he’d pulled two orgasms from me, and as I laid there completely boneless, he sat up and wiped his mouth with a smirk. “Gotta wake up, sweet girl. We’re going out for your breakfast.”

“No.” I rolled over onto my stomach and pulled the blanket up, enjoying the last few moments of that feeling. The soreness, the endorphins, the exhaustion making my body buzz. I could’ve lived in that feeling forever, but Alaris tugged that blanket off and slapped my ass with a pop.

“What was that?”

I slowly opened one eye, fully aware I would either love what was about to happen or regret it. “Said no. Tired. Just give me like an hour or so.”

The click of his tongue had my skin buzzing as his hands slid along my curves like he was warming them up. He traced along my thighs and ass, and all of me couldn’t wait to see what he was about to do to me. “‘No’ twice. You want to go for a third before I begin?”

And finally experience what makes him the Discipline Heir? Hell. Yes.“No. And by that I mean yes, I want to say no for a third time.” I wiggled with my tongue pinched between my teeth, and I felt him disappear completely, then appear again behind me with some sort of wide-sided wood.

“Every no is doubled, so six. Say that back for me, Sweets.”

"You're... going to spank me with that thing six times," I whispered, blinking at it like it was suddenly going to become covered in fluffy clouds. "Does it help that I'm not tired anymore?"

“Yes.” My stomach growled unbelievably loud, making Alaris freeze behind me and then set the paddle next to my head. “But later. First you need to eat, and I’m not asking.”

He lifted me from the bed and carried me to the bathroom to clean up, and Kellian arrived so quickly with clothes for both of us that it was hard to believe he hadn’t planned this beforehand.

“Okay, I get the message. Food.”

Once my boots were laced and we were on the front porch, I raised my eyebrows. “We don’t have a car. You’re not going to carry me, are y—”

As expected, he swept me off my feet and kissed my lips. “Yes. I’ll walk in the place normally, if that helps.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” I buried my face in his neck as he took off, and he stopped again before I could get used to the movement.

“See? We’re still outside.” He set me on my feet in front of a family-owned diner with an old, faded lumberjack statue in front of it, then took my hand to lead me inside.

It was the first time I’d been anywhere with him other than the castle, so I was a little surprised when every single person we passed slid out of their seats to bow to him.

We chose a booth near the back, but even our poor waiter looked like he’d just been told he had to wait on God himself. “Heir Alaris, what a surprise. We don’t... um —” he flipped that menu over and back again, searching for something — “Well... we don’t have blood here, I’m sorry.”

“That’s offensive, Jared. I’m here for those sweet cake things. We do like other food, you know.”

He was joking, but Jared didn’t seem to catch on. “I–I didn’t mean any offense by it, Sir, I swear.” He looked so terrified that I cleared my throat quietly and tapped my neck so he could see the scars, and he seemed to get the hint that Alaris had all the blood he needed right in front of him. “Oh,” he sighed, grinning and relaxing. “Okay. Sweet cakes. Anything else?”

It had been years since I’d been to a proper restaurant, so I pinched my tongue between my teeth as I stared at all the choices. “Maybe just... no, wait... do you have burritos?”

---