Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
And despite her joking offer, I really do need to figure out how to feed. Thirst burns the back of my throat so much it’s hard to concentrate. I absently trace the column of my neck as if that might soothe the pain. Dagon likely has to feel the same way, with the thirst at least. I hadn’t seen him feed much on the island and now I’m wondering if it had more to do with the bond than either of us knew.
Or…does he not feel anything at all? Was he distant because he was trying to find a way to let me down easy? To reject the bond without ruining the friendship we’d built on that island?
Could I handle that?
I don’t know.
Honestly, when it comes to Dagon, I’m not certain of anything beyond this insatiable need to be near him. To hear his voice and make him laugh. To touch him and make him growl. To infuriate him and soothe him. To…
Fuck my life. I’m in love with the prick.
I shake my head at myself, the realization hitting me harder than the appearance of the mark on my back. I knew it. I fell in love with him long before the mark appeared. And I’m so mad at myself for it. Because why? Why would my heart latch onto a male who outwardly expressed his disdain for all things love and mates? He thinks of it as a weakness.
A liability. But…it’s only a liability because you care about the person, love the person, and are terrified of something happening to them, right? Could that be it?
I straighten at the thought, studying Dagon from the distance separating us.
Does he care? Truly care? Is that why he’s staying away? Does he think being attached to him would be something I wouldn’t want? Does he believe I think he’s not worth the risk involved with mating a hunter?
Could he be waiting for me to show him, prove it to him?
The more I ruminate on the idea, the more sense it makes. He’s mentioned what happened to Talia several times. Spoken about how it devastating things almost were for her and Zachariah. Watching that first hand would certainly make mating a terrifying thing.
Maybe he needs to understand how I feel about him in order to make his own decision.
There’s only one way to find out.
I finish the rest of my champagne before I head across the room.
“Dagon.” I urge him away from the group.
He excuses himself, and I’m slightly relieved his eyes go a little molten when they trail my body. “You look beautiful,” he says, which melts my heart a bit.
“Thank you,” I say. “I like you in a suit.”
He laughs, tugging at the dress shirt beneath his jacket. “Not my favorite.”
I swallow hard, nerves threatening to steal my courage. “Can we go somewhere more private?” I ask.
His smile dies and he shakes his head. “Annika, I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
I sigh, wetting my lips as his scent hits my nose. He smells divine. Delicious. He…he smells like mine.
“Please, Dagon,” I say, my need overtaking all sense of pride. Everything I need to say empties from my mind as my thirst takes over. It’s so hard to concentrate when I’m this close to him. His smell, it’s making my mouth water and my fangs throb. “I’m so hungry.”
Dagon jolts, eyes widening at my words. His hand slides into mine, and he leads us from the room in a one-tracked flurry of movement that has my heart racing. Before I can catch my breath, we’re in his rooms and he’s locking the door.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. “I thought you were drinking, feeding.”
“I can’t anymore,” I say. “I tried. It never tastes right.”
Dagon flinches. “It’s the same for me.”
I swallow hard at that admission. He’s still holding my hand, absently drawing it to his chest, bringing us closer together.
“You should’ve told me,” he says. “I don’t want you to be in pain.”
“I didn’t want to force you,” I say, tipping my head back as our mouths draw closer. I can’t stop the need to be near him. He’s a magnet and I’m helpless to his pull.
“You’d never force me,” he says. “If you need something from me, all you have to do is ask.”
I meet his eyes, getting lost in the sincerity there. He means it. He’s not joking, not mocking me. I’m tempted to ask him for forever, but the need of my thirst is overtaking everything else.
“Would you mind?” I ask. “Please, Dagon.”
He drags a knuckle along the edge of my jaw, eliciting chills with his touch. “Please what, Annika?”
Heat spirals at the way he says my name, possessive and adoring. “Feed me.”
He crushes his lips on mine, as if my words are magic, unchaining him from the restraints he placed on himself. He kisses his way to my neck, his hands roaming everywhere he can reach. My thirst ebbs as desire takes over, the emotions tangling in a battle for attention that makes every inch of my body buzz.