Page 101 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
As if I weighed nothing, he deposited me on the bed and climbed on top of me. His weight on me felt like a homecoming. I had fantasized about this moment countless times, and it was finally here.
Stop, Lucia. Stop or you’ll regret this.The voice of reason still lingered in the back of my mind, but I shut it down. Reason had no place where instinct had taken over.
His mouth abandoned mine and worked its way down to my neck, my collarbone, the top of my right breast, where he traced a path along the lacy edge with his tongue. I gasped, thrusting my hips forward, driving my center against his erection, aching to have him inside of me.
Desperately, I pulled his shirt apart. The button snapped, and a couple flew to the floor, tinkling as they rolled away. He untangled himself from the shirt and threw it at the foot of the bed. His muscular chest was a smooth expanse that begged to be caressed. I splayed my hands on his pecs, then slid them down toward his waist, enjoying every taut ridge and marveling at his perfection.
He lowered his head and kissed my peaked nipples through the fabric of the bra. As he returned to kiss my mouth, his smooth chest made contact with mine. His skin seared me with a heat that felt unnatural yet welcoming.
I slid my hand to the waistband of his pants, determined to get him on equal grounds with my level of clothing. Fair was fair. As I fumbled with the zipper, he rocked his hips, pushing into my middle, driving me to insanity. Suddenly, he growled and bit into my neck, making me cry out. He froze on top of me, breathing heavily.
Something warm and wet slid down my neck. He pulled away, his eye completely golden down to the whites. As if by magic, he flew back and, an instant later, landed on his feet several yards away from the foot of the bed, leaving me bereft.
“I’m sorry,” he said, panting, his teeth and lips red with my blood. His face seemed… changed. The cheekbones… sharper. The chin… pointed. The eyes… fiery.
I took a hand to my neck, to the punctures he’d made with his sharp fangs. I sat up, pressing my fingers against the slick wound, entranced by his wild appearance. I blinked, and his features returned to normal. Had I imagined it all?
“Drevan?” I said under my breath, a plea and a question at the same time.
He shook his head.
“Why?” I wanted to know.
When he answered, he demonstrated that he knew me better than anyone because he understood I wasn’t asking why he had bitten me, but instead, why he’d stopped.
“I can’t. I thought I could but...” His lower lip trembled as he turned his face away toward the door, embarrassment slashing his face.
Slowly, I gathered the covers around my body. “Then what right do you have to claim me?” I asked, the hurt of rejection zinging in my voice.
His gaze snapped back to mine.
—I have every right and don’t forget it.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say anything, he vanished, leaving me alone and utterly confused.
“Sir Fernsby is dead.” Drevan strolled into the dining room the next morning, where a massive breakfast had been laid out for us. Benjamin was already sitting at the table, enjoying a stack of blueberry pancakes, and Jenna had gone out to look for Sage, who apparently was oversleeping.
I was standing by a long buffet table, scooping pieces of cantaloupe onto my plate. At the sound of Drevan’s voice, I set the spoon down and turned to look at him. His dark hair was damp, and his chiseled face freshly shaven. When his golden eyes met mine, a vision of the night before overpowered me. I placed a hand on the back of a nearby chair to steady myself while Drevan acted as if nothing had happened. I resisted the urge to touch my neck where he’d bitten me. When I woke up, I discovered there was no sign of the puncture marks anymore, which left me to wonder how much of what I remembered was actually true.
Benjamin blinked slowly as if taking a moment to process what Devan had said. “You mean the English aristocrat is deadalready?”
Strolling in and taking a plate from the table, Drevan walked in my direction. He stopped in front of me and smiled, while all I could do was scramble away from him to take a seat next to Benjamin.
Drevan picked up a bagel from a tall stack and a packet of cream cheese and placed them on his plate. “Yes, dead already,” he said. “I called in a favor to expedite things.”
“But… is that allowed?” Benjamin set down his fork and scratched his dark curls.
“Of course it’s allowed. Though only with those who don’t have long and are bound to my realm. Sir Fernsby was no little lamb.”
“What now, then?” Benjamin asked while all I could do was stare at the melon on my plate.
Drevan set his plate down and took a seat at the head of the table. “We expedite things even more. We get Sage to callRichie.”
“We’ll have to find him first,” Jenna said from the threshold. “He’s not here. He must’ve left. I tried to call him, but he didn’t answer. What the hell happened last night?” Her blue eyes danced back and forth between Drevan and me.
I speared a piece of cantaloupe and stuffed it in my mouth.
Jenna walked in and sat in front of a plate of scrambled eggs she’d served herself before going to look for Sage.
