His growl sends a chill down my spine, but it also makes lower parts of me clench in anticipation. My nipples pebble into sharp little points and my mouth goes dry.
I hear him take a single, deep breath. “If you don’t want this…”
I turn around to glare at him, only to find he’s penned me in against the counter. “I made the bargain, I intend to honour it. So do it. Bite me.”
The red which consumes his eyes is the warning not to mess with the vampire. But it comes too late. With one hand, he scoops me against him, putting my neck level with his mouth. One arm holds me underneath my ass, pressing me into the hardness of his body. The other fists in my hair, dragging my head to one side.
His fangs sink into my neck.
The sharp flash of pain flashes through me, and I brace myself for more.
The moment he takes the first draw of my blood, I melt. Something orgasmic flows through my veins, making my breasts heavy and my core clench with need. The erection I felt earlier grows impossibly harder, and I grind myself against him, seeking relief from the ache that settles in my core.
“Goddess,” I moan, my head falling even further to one side, making more room for him.
Rysen groans, taking another deep pull. His arms tug me closer and his hips thrust against mine. My hands fall onto his bare chest, fingers playing with his nipple rings.
I almost shatter. I can feel that edge approaching. One more pull and I’ll be gone.
My body cries out. I’m so close, and it’s been so long.
His fangs withdraw.
My mind, still foggy from arousal, can’t process the single, long lick he presses to the wound, or the sudden, cold space between our bodies. I blink up at him myopically, stumbling backwards.
Rysen curses as I catch myself on his arm.
“Sorry, Lady Solar, I took too much.”
The formal—and incorrect—address pulls me back to reality with the sting of a snapped rubber band. I’m panting, I realise. The vampire made me pant. I blush, my cheeksheating even as I curse the response. The Shadow of the Moon doesn’t blush, dammit.
And a Solar witch would never react like that in the first place. Shit.
I school my expression and hope like hell he misses the breathiness of my voice as I speak, keeping my eyes downcast.
“Was that… normal?”
He hesitates, moving me back so I can hold myself up against the counter before putting more space between us. I look up to find his eyes still red and crinkled with concern. They keep flicking between my face and what must be the bite mark on my neck, flashing between worry and possessive heat.
“I was too rough,” he grates, ignoring my question completely.
Hell no, I want to say, that was perfection. Or it would be, if he wasn’t leaving me hanging.
Before my year of celibacy, I chose lovers I knew would make sure I was thoroughly fucked, marked up, and aching when I was done with them. I don’t know a Lunar witch who’s only into polite, delicate missionary sex. Unfortunately, that isn’t something I can admit to Rysen. But I can’t let him think I disliked what just happened either.
I shake my head in denial. “You weren’t.” I take a deep breath, trying to clear my brain as I sweep my hair over the sealed bite mark. “Will you need to feed again before we make land?”
He seems to think about it for a second. “Yes. Val is heading for Port Evert which is two days away, perhaps longer if the winds aren’t favourable.”
Goddess, I’m not sure I’ll survive a repeat without embarrassing myself.
“How often…”
“Every other day, but next time I’ll have more control.” He hesitates once again, then holds his arm out. “Would you like to come up on deck? Fresh air might help with the dizziness.”
I grimace, thinking of all that water. Inside the cabins it’s easier to ignore the ocean, but seeing it surrounding me for miles is too much to even think about without my breath hitching and my stomach knotting in anxiety.
At least a Solar can sequester themselves without arousing suspicion. I have to do something about the ache he’s awoken in my body before I feed him again or there’s a good chance I’ll jump the poor vampire and fuck him until we’re both satisfied.