Page 89 of The Soulbond and Her Beloved

She stared pointedly at his chest and moistened her lips. "I do not mind the lust."

"Emeriel." His voice held warning.

Her eyes finally met his. "It’s just, I hate that the last intimacy between us was the cloudy memory of my heat, and before that was...that night."

"I do not wish to rush you. I am prepared to wait as long as necessary."

"Iwantyou to rush me." She surprised him. "I wish for us to bridge this gap between us, for if we do not try, we may never move past what happened."

She was… right.

How could they ever overcome the barrier that lay between them if they never made an effort to push through it? How could they reclaim their sexual and bloodfeeding intimacy if they hesitated at every turn?

Tempted as fuck, Daemonikai’s fangs pricked against his tongue. "Idowish to drink from you," he confessed, hunger seeping into his voice. "Your blood calls to me. Always."

A deep flush spread over her cheeks, and she ducked her head.

Daemonikai smiled, tilting her chin up with two fingers. "It is fascinating that, after everything we have been through, you still grow shy over the littlest things." His thumb traced the heat on her cheek. "Hard to believe."

Without breaking eye contact, he shifted, sitting up against the headboard before gripping her waist and lifting her onto his lap, making her straddle him.

Her pussy hovered a mere breath away from his aching cock. The nearness of it, the maddening temptation, fueled his hunger tenfold.Gods, even the barest shift of her hips got to him.

Emeriel settled one hand on his shoulder, sweeping her hair aside with the other. Once again, she exposed that smooth, vulnerable throat for him.

Daemonikai’s fangs lengthened in response, his mouth fuckingwatered.

Leaning in, he pierced her neck.

She gasped, going tensed. Then, melted against him.

He drank carefully, keeping all his senses alert. Attuned to her for any sign of discomfort.

But she pressed closer, digging her fingers into his skin.

The rich flavor of her blood played havoc with his senses. It was the finest elixir. Warm honey laced with ambrosia, with notes of sugared almond, and something deeper... something whollyhersthat no other blood had ever possessed.

He groaned, holding her waist tighter.

"Oh..." Her head lolled, body growing heavier.

Daemonikai caught her, sliding a hand beneath the back of her head to keep it from rolling. Her breaths grew uneven, hitching slightly, chest rising and falling faster.

Heat traveled through his veins, his cock pulsing in response. Straining against his pants. Aching with lust.

He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the rush of arousal slamming into him.Deities,he had missed her.

"I feel so hot," Emeriel whined.

Daemonikai let out ragged breaths through his nose, his restraint wearing thin with each second. Her slick soaked through the thin material, andfucking hell, it was right there, teasing, tempting—

By the time he withdrew his fangs and sealed the wound, his control had packed up and left, and she was trembling in his arms.

In a blur of movement, Daemonikai rolled them, pinning her under him in the sheets. She panted, breathless, eyes dark with heat.

Her legs opened, thighs shifting to accommodate him. Her nightgown bunched up, pooling around her hips.

Daemonikai exhaled heavily, grinding his cock to her core, nudging at her opening—

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