Magick Marked (The DarqRealm Series) (26 page)

He took another step forward. “Are you hurting?”

She fell still. “Just a little. I’ll be fine once I eat something.”

“Then eat.”

Rho’s eyes widened. “Right
now
?”

“Is there any reason to wait?”

Her breath caught as she eyed his neck. She shook her head.

“Okay then.”

“What if I hurt you?” she whispered.

“You won’t. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” He extended a hand and ran his fingers along the delicate curve of her jawbone. She flinched under the weight of his touch and he forced his hand to drop.

She nodded and patted the bed beside her. Following her silent instructions, he hoisted himself onto the mattress. Nerves knotted in his stomach.

Her eyes were wide, the gray irises swirling with crimson as she gazed at him. “I can feed from your wrist.”

That wasn’t how she usually fed. “Why not my neck?”

She gulped. “I—I can, but—”

“Then do it. You don’t need to change your preferences for me.”

Long lashes fluttered back at him as her eyes flooded scarlet. Her lips parted, the white peaks of her fangs barely revealing themselves. Something told him he should be afraid of her, but he wasn’t.

He scooted forward, bringing their bodies only inches apart. His heart beat like a snare drum in his ears. “What will this be like?”

“I can control it.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I can make it feel good.”

Her trepidation was practically palpable, but he stifled the urge to reach out and comfort her. It had been difficult enough convincing her to take his vein. If he drew this out too long, he’d be giving her enough time to change her mind. “What do I need to do?”

She reached out, her small, cool fingers biting into his biceps as she held his arms firmly in place. “Stay as still as you can. Tilt your head to the side. And close your eyes.”

He did as instructed, the world falling into darkness. Typically strong and always in control, the act felt foreign. He’d never allowed himself to be this vulnerable before, but yet he wasn’t afraid. Nervous, yes, but not afraid.

His lungs threatened to punch through his chest as he felt the flutter of air at his neck, her cool breath sending his heart into overdrive.

“Last chance. I can still go somewhere else,” Rho offered quietly.

He shook his head. If he could sustain her, he wouldn’t need to send her out into the world. She could stay safe by his side right here instead of seeking danger in a dark alley somewhere. Or danger seeking her.

“Okay then.” Rho’s voice was husky. She ran her nose along his neck, breathing deeply as she moved from his jaw down to the collar of his shirt. “You’re nervous.”

Sweat blossomed along his forehead. He couldn’t respond. Strung somewhere between edgy and craving, the words escaped him.

Sharp pricks of pain bloomed along his neck.

His breath slammed in his lungs as his body tensed, the sweet sting of her teeth overriding every thought. His body was a livewire. Heat poured through his neck, the sensation pulsating with each beat of his heart and spreading through his body with unbelievable speed. Pleasure rippled across his synapses, following the warmth in a tremendous wave.

He’d never felt anything like this before. Not even close.

She tasted the puncture with her tongue, pulling his blood into her mouth with deep, unrelenting drags. God, she could take it all if she wanted. He tilted his head back farther to give her better access. Her satisfied groan vibrated against his throat, sending pleasure rocketing through every nerve.

The wall between their minds collapsed.

Snapshots of desire and satisfaction hopscotched from her brain to his, intertwining every thought and sensation. He wanted so badly to touch her, but he didn’t dare jeopardize her focus. Minutes passed before she finally released her hold on his neck. She ran her tongue along the wounds then dragged her fangs beneath his chin. His body jerked as the pleasure spiked, the tension suspended in the air between them.

Eldon’s control snapped.

His lips found hers instantly, nothing gentle in their demand. She sank into the pillow and he followed her down, careful not to crush her beneath his weight as he covered her with his body. Her arms wrapped around him, nails biting into the flesh at his back.

She wanted this. She wanted him.

With his fingertips, he traced the soft contours of her lovely face. Her gray eyes locked on to his. God, she was beautiful. He wove his hands through her hair, the long, gentle waves soft between his fingers. Traveling the length of her neck with his lips, he marveled at how right she felt beneath him. He wanted to feel all of her.

And she wasn’t stopping him.

Lust drove his thoughts as he wrapped his mind around hers like paper around a gift, smiling as he felt her do the same. Their connection rendered words unnecessary. He kissed her again, exploring her mouth with his tongue, dancing along the sharp tips of her fangs and daring her to take more of him.

He could taste his blood on her lips. His life keeping her alive.

Rho wrapped her leg around his thigh and pulled him closer as she took over, dominating him even though he held the high ground. He’d never complain. It was sexy as hell. She was all power as she moved beneath him, shutting the world out of his mind until only she existed.

Mine,
he thought.

A door whooshed open and slammed against the wall.

“What the
fuck
is going on here?” a voice barked from the doorway.

“What’s going on?” Eldon’s youngest sister poked her head around the corner.

Rho squeezed her eyes shut. Flipping awesome. They had an audience to what had to be one of her biggest, most embarrassing mistakes
ever.

Things had gone way, way too far. Like, another galaxy too far. The hunger after three days of recovery must have been too much for her system, because she’d clearly lost her ability to make good decisions. She wiped her mouth on a pajama sleeve and dared to glimpse at the doorway.

Adelle strode forward. “Please, tell me I didn’t see what I think I saw.”

Jess glanced from Eldon to Rho. “Wait, what did you see?”

“Not something Mom would’ve approved of,” Adelle muttered.

“What?” Jess’s confused stare darted from Rho back to Eldon, then back to Rho again. “What did they do?”

Eldon pushed himself off the bed and stood tall, dwarfing his little sisters. “First of all, don’t pretend like you haven’t already seen what’s to come. Second, what I do in my private time is none of your business.” He folded his arms across his chest. “But if you must know, Rho needed to feed.”

“Didn’t look like feeding to me,” Adelle muttered.

Jess gaped. “She attacked you again?” She swiveled toward Rho. “That’s it, I’ve had enough of your—”

“Can it, Jess,” Eldon cut her off. “She didn’t attack me, I volunteered.”

A tiny dose of relief washed over Rho. At least she wasn’t painted as the only bad guy here.

Jess swiveled back around. “You did what?”

“She hasn’t fed for three days. She needed blood to heal.”

Her jaw dropped. “So you offered yourself up as an entrée?”

“I helped out my teammate when she needed me. Not that this is any of your business.” Eldon rested his hand gently against Rho’s back. “Let’s go downstairs. I’m sure Tim will be happy to see you’re up and moving again.”

Rho nodded, grateful for any excuse to get out from beneath the watchful eyes of Eldon’s baby sisters. He guided her to the doorway and shut the door behind him, but somehow she could still feel their disapproval crawling all over her skin. Man, what a day this had turned out to be already.

Rho relaxed into the plush khaki couch in the living room and rested her mug on its arm. The room was small and comfortable, holding a long sofa and two matching loveseats set opposite each other. Tim had settled on one, Jess on the other.

Adelle leaned against a far wall by the windows adorned with cream and brown plaid curtains. A black cat was curled up in her arms, purring loudly as she stroked between its ears. Rho stifled a shudder, craning her head to the side and trying not to let the cat set her on edge. It was just a cat, for God’s sake.

A faint smell of fear rolled off Adelle, and Rho tried to focus on that instead. There was an undercurrent of worry surrounding Eldon’s sister, despite her cool demeanor. The redheaded mover smiled as she watched Jess cringe. Live and let live, she’d said.

At least, that’s what she’d been trying to tell Jess for the past thirty minutes, which wasn’t going well at all. They very much disapproved of Eldon’s decision to allow Rho to feed from him, and weren’t at all quiet about it.

Jess set her hands on her hips. “So what’s the plan now?”

“There is no plan that involves either of you.” Eldon pointed to Adelle. “Both of you are to stay out of team business.”

“B-but—” Jess sputtered, clearly unhappy with being left out of the loop.

“But nothing.” He shook his head. “You’re both out of this. Go.”

Adelle took the hint and moved away from the wall. “Give it up, Jess.” She shook her head and scooted past the sofas. “Come help me set up stronger wards around this place,” she said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Jess’s brow furrowed as she stared down at her brother. He glared back at her, his expression proving he wouldn’t be cowed. She swore softly then stomped out of the room.

Rho took another sip from her mug, the contents now turning cold.

Tim’s brows pinched in thought. “Obviously the fae have something to do with that letter.”

“But it doesn’t make sense. Why would their magick be on a letter from the ShiftMaster?” Rho asked.

The DarqRealm races were segregated by choice, so the likelihood of the fae bumping into a letter from the ShiftMaster was slim to none. Not to mention the elves who showed up at their door only minutes after that letter was delivered.

“How can you be sure Alexander sent it at all?” Rho mused. The possibility existed that Alexander had no idea about the letter. It could be a setup by the fae.

Tim shook his head. “Before Preshea took off, she said the letter had been sealed with his mark.”

“That can’t be forged?” Rho asked.

“Not a chance, according the Preshea. She sensed his crux on the seal,” Tim said.

Eldon raised a brow. “Crux?”

“The essence of his shifter spirit.” Tim rose from the couch and paced the floor near the windows. “It’s not unlike the werewolves. We know each other in either form. The magickal fingerprint never changes. She swore it was Alexander’s mark.”

So much for Alexander the innocent.

Eldon frowned. “Do you think he’d use Vectra to find the Kamens?”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Rho said.

Tim nodded. “It’s a real possibility. Especially if he wants the stones.”

“I can’t understand why he’d want them, though. He’s on the Council.” Eldon stroked his chin with a thumb then reached into his back pocket and pulled out the crumpled note, unfolding it carefully. “It says
Kamens,
not
Kamen
. Plural. He definitely wants all of them.”