Page 73 of Little Wing
I was in control.
My lips pressed softly against his neck, feeling his gentle pulse against my mouth. There was already so much pleasure and gratitude in this position alone, but even more so as he leaned into my touch, patiently waiting for me to begin. I couldn’t hold back my smile against his chilled skin. Every moment of weakness, of not feeling good enough, evaporated when I felt Silas’s hands cling to my naked back.
“Thank you,” I whispered as my tears fell between us. A moment passed and then I sank my fangs into him.
The first burst of blood that coated my fangs forced my eyes wide open. It was like a technicolor explosion of emotions and sensations coating my body in goosebumps from my scalp all the way to my toes. He tasted… exquisite. The flavor was unlike any blood I’ve ever savored. This was bold like an aged wine, timeless, and mature, and all mine. I moaned into his skin as I drank, wrapping my legs tighter around Silas’s waist to draw him closer to me, to keep our bodies chasing a high I didn’t think I could ever top.
Consuming human or animal blood was like drinking water. We needed it to survive, to not succumb to bloodlust that truly brought out the animal in us. But consuming a vampire’s blood? A lover’s blood? I felt everything. His blood quenched a thirst that I couldn’t define until the moment I finally tasted him.
It was love.
I was starved of it for years, even with Wesley. Even as he made love to me and adored me, we were never meant to fit together.
But this moment with Silas? Nothing else in my existence felt more right than this.
When I moved my lips from his skin to lick up every bit of blood that streamed down his neck, I listened to his quiet groans of pleasure, not pain. Did this feel good for him, too? The puncture wound would soon close, leaving a scar of my own making to decorate his skin.
When I finally pulled away, Silas turned my face back to his and kissed the corner of my mouth, tasting his blood on my lips.
“Now you,” I urged him. “Consume me.”
As those words dripped from my mouth, I watched Silas observe me with an identical thirst in his silver eyes. A thirst not to survive, but to live and thrive. To live with a purpose that did not die with our mortality. To live knowing we were equal and devoted to one another.
Silas inspected my neck, his touch still so tender as he settled on a vacant spot. “Here?” he whispered, his voice delicate against my skin.
When I approved, he pulled back to look me in the eyes for a moment that stretched long enough to confirm that there was no doubt, no fear—this was it.
This decision to be claimed by him was my own. Silas would have me, consume me, just as I had consumed him. We would be bound to one another.
And so, he returned his soft lips to my neck and bit down—inhaling the stream of the aged crimson, tying my existence to his.
Whatever would come next, we would always have this moment, cemented in our eternity.
The phantom feeling of Lotus’s lips on my neck remained as I rubbed the fresh scar. I could still remember the taste of her blood on my tongue; it was delectable. As much as I wanted to live in the memory of what I could only describe as pure ecstasy, the news that came just a few days later brought us back to reality very quickly.
I recalled the moment we got the call from the detective to let us know that the sentencing was scheduled. Lotus was standing at the door leading outside to the balcony, wearing nothing more than my work shirt. I usually loved the sight of her wearing my clothes, but that day she looked so small and frightened. The loose clothing swallowed her small frame.
Her tether to me wasn’t required to know that while she presented a calm front, she was breaking inside. Only when she slept did she lower her defenses. My only hope was that her nightmares didn’t torment her.
Since the sentencing was just days away, Mateo and I agreed that it would be best for me to be with her. Although I wanted to keep her all to myself, I gladly welcomed Kait and Reina’s assistance in keeping Lotus distracted. Whether it was at the park, waiting for the cherryblossoms to flower, or hanging out at The Royal Nomad, we kept Lotus company.
Keeping Lotus occupied had always been the goal, but I admit that I felt I benefited more from these outings. I was riddled with worry, but I kept telling myself that there would be a future after this. Lotus and I had an eternity to look forward to, and I would accept nothing less.
“So, I’m thinking that we should have some cute bookish goodies at the front? Like, bookmarks, stickers, and annotation tabs?” Reina said, listing off a few more items as she sipped her colorful drink. “What do you think, Lo?”
“Hmm?” Lotus looked up from her untouched glass of crimson and smiled softly.
“Bookmarks would be nice at the front of the store. Maybe it’s better there than near the café, don’t you think? Less potential for people running into them when picking up drinks?” Kait chimed in, leaning forward to wipe down the bar top.
Reina snorted. “Do you think people will bulldoze through a bookmark display to pick up a drink?”
I watched from the hall beside the bathroom as the two women went back and forth about their future venture—the bookstore and café that they dreamed of opening. With everything that happened between them, they were pushing harder to make their dream a reality. And in doing so, they had plenty to discuss, even if only to pull Lotus out of her meddling thoughts. I wanted nothing more than to walk over and wrap my arms around her, but I knew she needed her spacetoo. At least until I watched Kait tuck her rag into her back pocket. The human woman’s heart was racing as she leaned forward once again, only this time to place her hand over Lotus’s.
“Tomorrow is a big day,” I heard Kait say.
That forced all my attention to the interactions taking place at the bar.
Lotus looked up from her drink and bobbed her head slowly. She spun her glass in place and returned her gaze to the drink she hadn’t touched.
