Page 52 of A Song of Saints and Swans
Without the thick canopy above us, I could see more of her in the dim starlight, and it was all I could do not to pull her into my arms. I would know those glorious curves anywhere, had blindly found them in the dark countless times. Even the way she stood was familiar—one hip jutting out with her arms loosely crossed, as if deep in thought about her next move. She turned to fully face me and I almost dropped to my knees again as another rush of recognition shot through me.
“Lisichka…”I murmured, aching for her as I took a tentative step. “Tell me you don’t feel this…” She growled like a cornered animal, but didn’t attack me or run, so I took another step in her direction, close enough to catch that natural floral scent of hers that I swore was part of her genetic makeup. If this was a trap, it was a damn good one.
And I honestly don’t know if I care to save myself.
“I feelsomething,”she harshly rasped, shivering, although I got the feeling the cold didn’t bother her. “Like a… whisper. A memory I can’t recall. There was so much water… I couldn’t breathe…”
My heart was breaking all over again. I briefly closed my eyes, wondering if I’d died in the chaos—if my penance was to endlessly relive the worst day of my life. “You drowned,” I choked out, pulling her into my arms, uncaring if she ripped me to shreds. “They found your body in the Volga and determined it was suicide.”
She stiffened against me. “Suicide? Why would I have killed myself?”
Tears were now running freely down my face as I prepared to confess my darkest sin. “I don’t think you did, Margo. If anyone’s responsible for your death… it’s me.”
Bloodlust
MARGO
My body felt like it had turned to stone, as ancient as Veles’ altar at my back. It sounded as though he was confessing to murder—tomymurder—but in my bones, I knew it wasn’t true.
Even though my thrall was no longer holding him under my control, this man didn’t feel like a threat to me. I wanted to sink deeper into his arms, to slice him open and burrow under his skin until I became an inextricable part of him.
Mine.
Relaxing in his hold, I reached between us to trail my claws over his stomach, feeling his muscles clench beneath his thin shirt. His reaction was extremely satisfying. Instead of the resigned horror my victims normally exhibited, this man was panting with need, grinding against me, so there was no mistaking his growing desire.
“Konstantin…” I whispered, his name appearing on my lips like a holy miracle.
How did I know that?
He momentarily froze before unleashing a growl that would have rivaled any creature in this forest. I yelped in surprise as he threw me to the ground, covering me with his much larger body and crashing his lips against mine. He licked his way into my mouth, demanding entrance and groaning as I nipped his bottom lip in retaliation.
“Say it again,” he pleaded, smiling against my mouth. “I need to hear you say it again.”
“Konstantin,” I laughed breathlessly, a weight I didn’t realize I’d been carrying lifting from my chest. “Do you like your name on my lips?”
“Fuck,Margo,” he gasped. “It’s the most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever heard. That,” he abruptly pulled away and began sliding down my naked body, trailing kisses along the way. “And the way you sound when I make you come.”
Oh?
The soft grass was cool beneath my overheated skin, the wind caressing the wetness between my thighs as he spread me wider. Eagerly lowering his face, he slowly licked his way through my folds, inhaling deeply and moaning as ifhewere the one receiving pleasure. A long-ago concern of how I tasted and smelled rose to the surface and I smirked. Such ahumanthing to worry about, and clearly unfounded, when the look on this man’s face confirmed I was his favorite meal.
My fangs ached at the thought. I still hadn’t fed tonight, but the idea of injuring Konstantin made me panic, so I tamped down the urge and dug my claws into his hair instead. I roughly tugged, curious about what he’d do. He groaned again in response, sliding two thick fingers inside me, curling them upward to rub a spot no man had bothered with in a long time.
Not since him…
Intense memories rushed through me of a cramped yet cozy apartment—my gaze rolling backward to the exposed beams overhead as Konstantin sucked on my clit until I was writhing, sweating mess on the couch beneath us. Now an observer in the room, I watched my human self regain her composure, shyly readjusting her clothes and gathering her purse before following him into the hallway. Something about witnessing this particular night bothered me, inspiring an insatiable urge to remind this man who he belonged to.
Growling low in my throat, I shot up with preternatural speed, flipping Konstantin onto his back before wrestling with his belt. He hurriedly pulled his shirt over his head before coming to my aid until he was as naked as I was. His thick cock strained toward me, precum already beading at the tip. Wasting no time, I straddled him and slid the full, hot length of him into my throbbing cunt.
“Holy shit,” he choked out, his large hands gripping my ass, guiding me to roll my hips. “I forgot how fucking good you feel. No one else has ever felt like this…”
I cocked my head, glaring down at him even as I continued to ride. “Have you had others since me?”
I will kill them all.
His expression was a combination of repentance and reverence. “Not many,lisichka.”When my continued scowl told him that answer was insufficient, he elaborated, “Yes, I eventually slept with a few more women. The first was only because her hair looked like yours, but she was nothing like you, nowhere close to what I wanted. She wasn’t who I missed more than anything…” He combed his fingers through the long, red strands covering my breasts before gently tugging, pulling me down for a sweet kiss that tasted of regret.
I was still unsettled—an echo of somethingimportantstill whispering in my ear. This man may not have killed me, but he was somehow associated with the ill-defined angst I was feeling, which caused my primal instincts to roar to the surface.
