Page 19 of Oath of Blood and Joy

Blood rushed to my face in a wave I couldn’t control, making a mockery of my attempt to appear unaffected. “Pleasurable? How?” A loud pounding echoed between my temples, loud enough that I was certain he could hear it with his supernatural senses.

“With a kiss.” He stroked the back of my hair, his fingers weaving through the strands with a tenderness I hadn’t expected from someone so lethal. The scent of him—cedar and copper, like freshly spilled blood—enveloped me as he leaned closer.

I stared at his lips, a strange dizziness washing over me. All of a sudden his lips fascinated me—the perfect curve of them, the way they moved when he spoke. I couldn’t understand why I was so transfixed.

Something warm and unfamiliar unfurled in my stomach, a sensation entirely different from fear. I lifted my head and parted my lips, my breath coming in shallow pulls that made my chest rise and fall rapidly.

He slipped his hand around my neck, his palm warm against my skin, thumb resting lightly over my racing pulse. The touch was both restraint and support as he brushed his lips over mine—a whisper of contact that sent electricity dancing across my nerve endings. Slowly, deliberately, he pushed me back onto the couch, his body following mine, bringing with it a weight thatshould have frightened me but instead felt like an anchor in a world that had lost all certainty.

Chapter Thirteen

Joy

The number of men I had kissed was few... they weren’t even men... they were boys. But this wasn’t just a man, this was a vampire, an enforcer who kissed with centuries of experience. His weight pressed me gently into the couch cushions, not crushing but grounding, as his lips moved against mine with confident precision. Each caress sent electricity racing through my veins, awakening parts of me I hadn’t known existed. His scent enveloped me completely—cold stone and iron—overwhelming my senses until I could focus on nothing else.

The world beyond this couch, beyond his touch, seemed to disappear entirely. As his hand cradled my face with surprising tenderness, I arched up into him, my body responding to his in ways my inexperienced mind could barely comprehend. In that moment of complete surrender, I knew with absolute certainty that I was being thoroughly ruined for any other man.

I ran my hands over his broad back, his muscles moving underneath my palms like living steel wrapped in silk. Every shift of his body against mine sent new waves of sensationcascading through me. Curiosity emboldened me, and I ran my tongue along his, accidentally rolling over the sharp points of his fangs. A small thrill of danger shot through me, but they didn’t hurt me—it was as if he was holding back, maintaining perfect control even as passion threatened to consume us both. The realization that this powerful predator was being so careful with me made something warm unfurl in my chest, a feeling that went beyond the heat of our kiss.

I grabbed the tight bun at the back of his head and pulled it loose, his dark hair cascading around his shoulders as my fingers tangled in it, feeling the raw, electrifying power surging through him—this vampire, this formidable warrior. Terrifying to many, even to my captors, yet here, he revealed a different facet of his being, brimming with untamed passion. His kiss intensified, a fierce claim, filled with lust and unyielding power, ensnaring me completely.

Desire coursed through me as I longed to feel the warmth of his skin, so I gently slipped my hands beneath his shirt. Underneath the fabric I discovered a landscape of strength, a testament to the power that resided within him. Yet as my fingers traced the contours, I encountered scars—each one a silent story etched into his flesh, marking the trials and battles a warrior had endured over countless centuries.

He trailed fervent kisses down my throat, each touch igniting a fiery path on my skin. His fangs grazed against my neck with a tantalizing scrape that sent a shiver of electric exhilaration coursing through my entire body, leaving me breathless and craving more.

His fingers brushed lightly against my skin as he slid his hand up my shirt, the fabric rustling softly with the movement. Cool air rushed against my bare skin, heightening the sensation as my breasts, full and aching with anticipation, were liberated.

Enzo tensed and lifted his head.

I gasped, not wanting him to stop. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s out there.” He rolled off me, his eyes widening with alarm, his shirt hanging loosely over his rumpled trousers. “Stay here,” he whispered urgently, his warm breath tickling my ear. “I won’t lose you again.” His fingers squeezed mine with desperate intensity before letting go.

Fear pulsed through me like an electric current, making my heart hammer against my ribs. I sat up shakily, the cool air raising goosebumps on my exposed skin. With trembling fingers, I pulled my T-shirt down. The fabric felt rough against my sensitized skin, the sound of my ragged breathing suddenly too loud in the tense silence.

Enzo watched me with a gentleness that contradicted his supernatural strength, waiting until I had composed myself. Only when I met his eyes again did he flash to the door, faster than I could track him.

He pressed his back against the wall between the large curtain window and door. I crawled onto the floor, feeling like a sitting duck.

Through the window, a pair of red eyes peered through the shadows, glowing with malevolent hunger. A flood of goosebumps rolled over my skin. Was that a vampire? Or something even more terrifying? The hair on my arms stood on end as a cold shiver rattled my bones.

“Stay down,” Enzo warned. His jaw clenched tight as he gripped the doorknob. He shot out the door, the wooden frame rattling in his wake, leaving me alone with nothing but the sound of my own rapid heartbeat pounding in my ears.

My mind raced with possibilities as I scanned the dimly lit interior, the gentle rocking of the boat beneath my feet a stark contrast to the danger lurking outside.

I heard an agonizing scream—a sound so raw and primal it froze my blood. I raced to the door, my pulse thundering andsweat beading on my forehead as I charged toward whatever horror awaited me.

Enzo. He was in trouble. That same protective anger surged through me like a raging river, hot and unstoppable. The chaotic beating in my chest nearly stole my breath as adrenaline flooded my system. Shadows slid along the wall as if they were an army at my command.

I burst out the door and gasped, the cool night air shocking my lungs as my eyes struggled to process the horrific scene before me.

The red-eyed creature bending over Enzo was Maximo! His familiar face was twisted into something inhuman, his mouth stretched into a grotesque smile revealing pointed teeth. How could that be—he was a man, not a vampire! He lifted his hand that had long bloody fingernails gleaming wet in the moonlight, poised to deliver a killing blow.

“No!” The shadows slipped around me like liquid midnight and headed over to where Enzo had fallen, his body crumpled and vulnerable on the cold ground.

Maximo’s nails retracted with a sickening sound as the shadows swirled around Enzo like a protective box, creating a barrier between him and certain death. The darkness pulsed and undulated, responding to the frantic beating of my heart.

“Come with me, Joy,” Maximo purred, his voice like velvet over broken glass, “or I’ll kill your hero.” His eyes glowed brighter, twin embers of malice in the darkness, as he extended a now-human hand toward me in mock invitation.

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