Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“I made dinner. Come eat.”
She cracks one eye open. “You made dinner?” Then she smiles and sniffs. Maybe even gets a little excited.
“Chicken fettuccini.”
“Yum. And it’s like you were reading my mind. That’s what I was going to make.”
“Yep. I figured that out. Come on, get up. Get dressed. Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
She sits up, but I can tell this takes some effort. Like she would almost rather sleep until morning. “I don’t want to get dressed.”
My eyebrow goes up. “OK.”
She laughs, then swings her legs out of bed and stands up, just a few inches from me now. She places her hands on my shoulders and leans up to kiss my mouth, just barely skimming her lips against mine so she can whisper. “Your blood, Ryet. It was… good.” She pulls back, tipping her head up so she can look me in the eyes. “Can I have another small taste?”
She doesn’t wait for me to answer, just kisses me again. This time her teeth graze over the tender skin. She doesn’t bite me, but I definitely get the feeling she wants to.
And hey, if she wants blood, who am I to deny her?
I bite my lip, just like Paul used to bite his lip for me, and then I let her lick up the blood.
It’s not enough. And I remember this feeling. The cravings.
But I also remember Paul being cautious. It felt like he just wanted to deny me the blood at the time. And he did. That was why he never let me drink too much. But I now realize it wasn’t to be in control or to make me want it more. There was a reason for his denial. And it was probably something biological. My biology, specifically. The slow, deliberate maturation process that he was in the middle of inducing inside me.
So I don’t bite my lip again once it’s healed. I just kiss Syrsee until I’m hard and I start to forget about the food.
But then my stomach grumbles and Syrsee pulls back, looking down at it. “You really do want food?”
“I feel like I’m starving, Syrsee.”
“I feel the same.” Her head tilts up so she can, once again, look me in the eyes. “Only I seem to crave your blood all of a sudden. What do you think this means?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. But it’s…”
“Probably not good?” For such a serious subject, her tone is one of unconcern.
“Probably not.”
She just smiles at me. Then, without getting dressed, leaves the bedroom. Throwing one last glance over her shoulder as an invitation for me to join her.
I do.
She’s already looking for plates when I arrive in the kitchen. “That cupboard there.” I point at the one with plates in it.
She gets two and starts putting food on them while I grab a bottle of red wine that’s been chilling in the fridge since she got home.
A few minutes later, we’re sitting across from each other at the small dining room table. She’s naked, but unconcerned about this as she eats. Which I do find delightful, but it also worries me. It seems out of character. Granted, I haven’t known her that long. I actually barely know her at all. But her willingness to just eat dinner naked feels like something new. Feels a lot like this blood craving, actually.
I finish first and I almost go back for more, but this craving for food, in combination with Syrsee’s craving for blood, makes me hesitate.
What is going on now? Is this normal?
Maybe my hunger for real food is, but Syrsee shouldn’t be craving blood.
Actually, how would I know that? Paul never explained anything about the Black witches to me. I was just always hunting them. This one, specifically. What if drinking blood is something she needs to do? What if symbiosis is the whole point of our relationship?
“What in the world are you thinking about?”
I look up and find Syrsee staring at me. “What?”
“You face is nothing but angst. What’s up?”
“Don’t you think that wanting my blood is a bit weird?”
“A bit?” She laughs, sitting back in her chair a little, giving me a really nice view of her breasts. “Of course I think it’s weird. All of this is weird.”
“Do you crave it? Or need it?”
“Hmm.” She studies me as she thoughtfully considers my question. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you want more right now?”
“I wasn’t thinking about it.” But her eyes are already looking at my lips. Then they slide up to meet my gaze. “But now that you mention it…” I get a coy smile from her here. And then she’s getting up and coming around the table to me. I grin as she lifts her leg over my lap and straddles me, settling her thighs on mine and placing her forearms on my shoulders, her fingertips playing with my hair right at the nape of my neck. “That was an offer?” Her voice is sweet and a little bit teasing.