Page 94 of House of Crimson Hearts
“I’d have given you my blood,” I say again, though this time it’s weaker and I feel like I’m a needy idiot for offering again, especially given our history.
She looks over the bag at me as she guzzles it down. When she’s finished, she screws the plastic up and shucks it back on the tray.
Her words are softer now. “Yes. I know you would have. But we cannot. You’ve had my blood too many times, besides, it’s still in your system.”
“Right.” I scratch my mind trying to remember why that was such an issue when it comes to me. Ah, fuck. “The bond?”
She nods.
“What’s so bad about that again?”
“You don’t want to know.”
I go to get up out of the chair, but Octavia puts her bare foot on my chest to pin me to the armchair. “Did I tell you to get up?”
How dare sh— “Be a good girl for once in your life and stay the fuck where you’re told.”
This is a role reversal from the last time we were in this situation. It was all me in charge and her submissive. I didn’t think I’d like being in this position. Beneath her, under her control. But her blood makes me do and think and feel ways that I wouldn’t normally.
And I just want more.
More of her touching me, so I obey and ease myself against the back of the chair.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know,” I say, putting my hand around her foot and kneading the sole. She groans in pleasure as I dig my thumbs into her arch.
“If I drank your blood when my blood is in your system, given the number of times you’ve had mine, it would create a mating bond.” She sucks in a deep breath and shakes her head then she continues.
“I can’t do that to you. This has to be a one-way thing. You think I’m possessive over you now. You have no idea what would happen if we bonded.”
“I see.”
She leaps on top of me, straddling me in the armchair. “And I know how much you hate me. How much you’d despise being owned by me. Being mine.”
I can’t quite breathe. The air seems to have locked itself in my lungs, so instead I shake my head. Wait. That means no. So I stop and nod. But then I’m confused as to whether I’ve said yes or no.
“You do hate me, don’t you?” Octavia says.
I nod.
“And you don’t want to belong to me, do you?”
I start to shake my head but she grabs my chin so I can’t. “While my blood is in your system you do, in fact, belong to me, Verity.” This time, her words are less purr and more growl.
“I hate that you call me that. I hate that I have no idea how you know my name.”
She smiles, and her eyes drop to the corner of my mouth where I realise some of her blood must have settled. She leans in and draws her tongue over my lips, licking up what remains of her blood.
Mother of Blood.
It sends electric bolts straight to my cunt. I want to groan, to lie my head back and let her fuck me right here. The closer she gets, the more the pull and yearning need for her pulses through my veins.
“Look at me,” she says, suddenly serious.
I pull my head up, my expression crumpled at the rude interruption to the pleasure I was hoping to receive.
She scans my face, her eyes dancing over my skin. “I need to know who did this to you? Who attacked you?”
“I—” but I don’t know how to answer. “I don’t know. He was masked up and I couldn’t see him.”
