Twilight's Eternal Embrace (4 page)

"
Do they hurt?
"

"
What?
"
His gaze wavered over her face. She was curious about his fangs, not frightened.

"
Do they hurt?
"
She pointed, but quickly let her hand drop.
"
When the teeth break the gums, I mean.
"

"
They do not break the gums. The teeth are there already. They lengthen when…
"
Damn, how did he tell her without her fleeing from him in fear?

"
They lengthen when…
"
she coaxed.

He cleared his throat.
"
When I am craving blood. Not that I am craving blood now,
"
he hurried to explain.
"

Her lovely ruddy brow
s
lifted.
"
But there is another reason, aye?
"

He swallowed the lump in his throat wishing it would just lodge there, preventing him from speaking. No such luck.
"
They lengthen when I am aroused.
"
He would not lie to her. Let her know the truth now
,
before she decided to meet with him again.

"
Oh.
"

It took her moment to digest what he revealed to her, but he knew the moment his words sunk in. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she
lowered her gaze
.

"
You find me comely then?
"

He wanted to laugh.
Comely?
"
You are beautiful.
"
His voice sounded rough and unused.

She turned to look at him again.
"
I find you rather easy on the eyes as well.
"

Now he did laugh.
"
Easy on the eyes?
"

"
Would you rather I call you beautiful as well?
"

He shook his head.
"
No.
"

She moved closer to him.
"
May I touch them?
"

Dear Heaven above. Should he? No, he should not, but it seemed his senses were compromised around her.
"
If you wish.
"
He opened his mouth. She moved closer, reaching out with the tip of her forefinger. Her touch was gentle, erotic
…
and brave.

"
They feel like any other tooth.
"
She moved her hand away, but she pricked her flesh in the process.
"
Ouch.
"
Blood welled from the pinprick.

His mouth watered. The scent of her blood hit him
,
a
strong
wave of her sweet aroma. Their gazes met and held. Fear lit her eyes, but there was also curiosity.

"
Your eyes are... They…
"

"
They glow red,
"
he finished for her.
"
Your blood.
"
He licked his lips. Sweat
moistened
his brow as he held back the urge to taste the blood welling up on her fingertip.

"
Would you be able to stop?
" she asked.

"
What do
you
mean?
"

"
Would you be able to stop if you took a taste?
"

He nodded. Yet he was not entirely sure. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to know if her blood was as sweet as it smelled.

She held out her hand.
May the gods
help him
,
he took
her offering
. He slipped her finger between his lips and drank her in. He closed his eyes. Her blood was sweeter than he imagined. The few droplets made him want more, but he let her go with a kiss on the tip of her finger, his saliva closing the wound.

She pulled her hand away and stared at her appendage for a moment before she spoke again.
"
I want you to
drink from my neck
.
"

He star
ed
at her
like a dumbfounded fool. Had the woman lost her senses or had his ears deceived him?
Surely, she hadn
'
t asked him to bite her. It was a trick of the wind or his devious desire to sink his teeth into her flesh.

Her eyes leveled on him, a stormy dark gray of determination. She took a step toward him and he took a step back.

"
Do you fear me, brave Oich
e
Sith?
"
Her light colored brows rose slightly in question.

The Heavens preserve him, but he did fear her. She held some kind of power over him he didn
'
t understand.
"
I cannot trust myself to taste your blood and stop before I harm you.
"

She held up her finger.
"
You already tasted my blood
and I still live."

"Sipping a droplet from your finger
is not the same
as drawing blood from your neck
. Do you have a death sentence? You might as well hurl yourself off the cliff and be done with it now. I will not be a part of your suicide.
"

She
gazed
toward the ledge as if contemplating doing as he suggested. He grabbed her arm.
Her eyes met his, brimmed
with tears.
"
I want to know what my sister felt. I want to know if she felt pain in
the
last moments she breathed life.
"

He didn
'
t know the answers. He only knew what the other warriors had told him of their experiences.
"
Camden is not cruel.
"

"
Camden? This is the male who took my sister to his bed?
In truth, I did not remember his name when he came with one of your elders to meet my sister."

He nodded.
"
Aye.
Camden would not have abused your sister."
His praise of Camden fell short when they both knew the male had not shown restraint and had drained
Fianait
. However, at this moment, Adryanna didn't seem to care that the outcome of biting her neck could result in death.
Her hand reached for his face, her palm warm against his cheek. The
daywalkers
always felt warmer
,
as if their bodies kept the sun
'
s rays trapped within their skins.

"
You are a kind man, too.
"

She would not think so if she knew his thoughts. He wanted to bite her and drink her blood as he took her maidenhood. She would not think him so kind if
he told her his wish to
ravish her.

"
You will be able to stop in time. I trust you.
"
When he still did not consent, she let her hand drop.
"
If you will not give me what I want, I will seek another of your clan.
"

Fear and anger claimed his emotions.
No one
would touch her, but him. He grabbed her hand. A cry of alarm left her lips, but he would not sway from what he was about to do.
"
Do you still have your dagger?
"

She nodded.

"
Then take it out.
"
She did as she was told, showing him the weapon.
"
If I do not let you go, use it against me.
"
She
appeare
d ready to refuse, her head shaking back and forth, but he gripped her shoulders, making her look into his eyes.
"
It is the only way I will agree to this insanity.
"

She worried her lower lip between her teeth then gave him a curt nod.
"
Agreed.
"

He loosened his grip only slightly. It was a foolish game they played, but he could not back out of it now. He leaned down and claimed her lips. She wanted to know what her sister felt. He would bring her as close to rapture as he dared without removing her clothes and taking her fully. He wasn
'
t doing this only for her, but for him as well. He wanted her, but he still had a slim amount of honor left in him not to abuse her trust.

Chapter Seven

Adryanna
's blood warmed immediately to Bram's touch and an ache coiled low in her abdomen.
She gripped
hi
s arms as he dragged her deeper into the abyss of pleasure.
H
er mind clouded with only thoughts of Bram and the way he felt beneath her
palm
s—power
and
, endurance. The rippling muscles seemed like mountains
of strength
.

He moved his caresses to her ear, to the tender flesh
of
her neck. She flinched when she felt the pinpricks, but his hand
settled on her lower back,
d
rawing
her closer, fitting her body against his. A part of her knew he drank from her, but the euphoria kept her from caring. She wanted more of him. She wanted to feel his flesh against hers.

She let the dagger slip from her grip, the weapon long forgotten. Her fingers pulled at his leather vest, removing the ties. She undid his shirt as well, slipping her hands inside. He was taut and muscled there as well. She wrapped her arms around his back.

"
More.
"
Her voice sounded foreign to her and far away. She wasn
'
t sure she
'
d spoken the words aloud, until Bram lowered her to the ground. His mouth kissed her neck and her throat, while his
fingers
worked
the ties of
her gown
loose and
release
d
her breasts. All thoughts of this being wrong left her as his
lips teased her flesh with slow delightful
caress
es
.

She speared her hands through his hair, drawing him closer, fearing he
'
d leave her. He didn
'
t. He gave her other breast the same amount of attention. His hand took hold of hers then and brought her wrist to his mouth. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he sunk his teeth into her flesh. She groaned, not understanding why the act of him feeding off her was so erotic.

He released her wrist and flicked his tongue over the wound before pressing his lips over the spot he drank from. He brought her hand to his chest, where his heart lay beneath. He pulled up her dress, covering her before he lay to the side of her with his body pressed against hers. His eyes glowed red beneath heavy lids.

She didn
'
t understand why he halted his advances, but as he pressed his hips into her, she realized he stopped before he could not hold back. In truth, she wasn
'
t entirely sure she wanted him to stop. She closed her eyes and tears spr
a
ng to her eyes again. She had not cried
as
much in her whole life as she
'
d done today.

"
Shush, I will not hurt you. I am in control.
"

She shook her head and took a ragged breath, before meeting his gaze.
"
Thank you.
"

His dark brows furrowed over the bridge of his nose.

"
Thank you for showing me my sister did not suffer. Her gaze slid over his features, understanding perhaps for the first time that not all of the Oiche Sith were beasts.
"
If you hadn
'
t stopped, if you had made love to me, would you have fed again?
"

"
Aye.
"
His voice was low and husky. His gaze flickered to her neck and her hand flew to cover it in response. She worried now how it would
appear
to her parents if they saw the bite marks.

"
It is barely noticeable. I closed the wound with my saliva.
"

She frowned.
"
Can all the Oich
e
Sith heal wounds?
"