Page 7 of Blood Bonds
Pity. He wanted more of a fight. Perhaps he would provoke it out of her.
“I possess most of the Seraphim traits,” he murmured as he crowded her. She attempted to punch him with her free hand, but he caught her wrist and pinned both of her hands in one of his against the wall above her head.
“I’m strong,” he continued. “I can compel, just like my father, I can see through ethereal veils, and runes do not impair me.”
“Can you mist?” she asked, her tone breathier than before. He took that as a sign to step even closer, creating a miniscule gap between their bodies. Every inhale brushed her perfect breasts against his chest, something they both seemed to notice.
“No, sadly, I was not gifted with that ability or with wings.” The latter were only available to Seraphim in their ethereal state. That was how he noticed Caro in the club—her fiery blue feathers drew him in immediately. They practically glowed in the darkness. Had his father spotted her first, she would have suffered. He shuddered thinking of the pain and mutilation his father enjoyed dispensing to those he had no use for. Hence the purpose of Sethios’s detour.
And maybe he’d been a little curious, too. A Seraphim in the Arcadia wasn’t a typical sight.
“Why are you holding me in this manner?” she asked, her head tilting upward to hold his gaze. “If you wish to secure me, surely rope would be easier.”
He grinned. “Careful, angel, or I’ll take that as an offer.”
“An offer for what?”
Oh, this would be entertaining indeed. “Have you ever been kissed?”
Her brow furrowed. “Kissing holds no practical use and should be avoided, especially between humans. It enhances the spread of disease, and their lives are already so short.”
“We’re not human,” he pointed out.
“Fair, but the act of a kiss possesses no relevance to a Seraphim. We only touch when sparring or procreating.”
He parted her thighs with one of his own and grabbed her hip with his free hand to keep her from moving. “And have you procreated, angel?”
“Yes.” An unabashed response. “I have one progeny in my line.”
“And did you enjoy the process of fornicating?” He preferred the term fucking, but Caro seemed to favor formal terms.
She scrunched her nose. “Enjoyment is for humans.”
“Is it?” He slid his leg upward, and her breathing quickened. “I find the act very pleasing.”
She swallowed. “What are you doing?”
“Seducing you,” he admitted as he stroked the waistband of her pants.
“To what purpose?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper.
“Pleasure, angel. And perhaps a bit of intrigue to see if I can’t evoke a reaction from you in the process.”
Her blue eyes glinted with reproach. “That bears no practical reasoning whatsoever.”
“Not everything is based on practicality, sweetheart.” He slid his hand beneath her blouse to explore the bare skin beneath. “Some experiences are based on sensation.”
He pressed his palm to her side and ventured higher, slowly. Goose bumps sprouted along the way, indicating she wasn’t nearly as averse to his touch as she pretended to be.
“Stoicism is the result of avoiding emotion, but our bodies speak for us.” He traced the underwire of her bra with his thumb and smiled when her cheeks flushed in response. “Do you feel warm, angel?”
“I—” She cleared her throat. Twice. “I fail to see the relevance of what you’re doing.”
Sethios trailed his fingers higher to find her pebbled nipple and rolled it through the fabric. “What if I offered you something useful?” he asked as he continued taunting her breast. “Would that put your mind at ease?”
She swallowed again as her gaze deepened to a midnight blue. He doubted she recognized the reaction, but he did. Arousal.
Mmm, it seemed Seraphim could indeed feel.
