"Sam?"
I spoke in his mind. Follow the path.
His footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor.
I checked to make sure everything was perfect. Our dark purple comforter and red rose petals looked sexy and inviting, and I hoped I did, too.
When he opened the door to our room, he sucked in his breath, then exhaled slowly. "Sam?"
"Drake."
"What is all this?"
I frowned. "If you have to ask, I must be doing it wrong."
But looking down at his pants, I didn't think that was the case. I grinned at the power I held to make him hard so quickly.
"You're not doing it wrong." His voice sounded husky, deep and needy, but fear flickered over his face.
"I know what you're thinking," I said, to which he smirked at that. "Occupational hazard, but seriously, I understand. You're scared. You don't want to hurt me. I get it."
"Do you?" He ran a tanned hand through his blond hair. "Because I don't. I don't understand what's happening to me and I don't know what I'm capable of. I can't risk you or Ana."
"Which is why you've suddenly had double the work at Elysium that keeps you away from the house as much as possible?" I cocked my hip and locked eyes with him.
He looked down, but didn't say anything.
"Drake, let's not even start on the fact that I have no desire to be a single mom. We won't talk about the inherent unfairness of you leaving all childcare work to me because of your fear, or the fact that your remarkable daughter thought you were going to die and needs her daddy."
He flinched at my words, but I didn't feel bad.
"But we will talk about the bite. About your change. About the fact that I still need my husband."
He took a step toward me, but then stopped. "What if I hurt you?"
Now I had my own confession to make. I blushed. Not as sexually adventurous as Rose and Ocean, I'd only just started learning how to express what I wanted, how to… talk dirty. It was scary…and exhilarating, freeing, to embrace my own sexuality and I wanted more. "You didn't hurt me." I closed the distance between us and placed a hand on his chest, reveling in his strength and sexiness. "I… liked it."
His eyes widened. "Liked it?"
I nodded and pressed my body against his, rubbing against his hard cock. "Yes. It turned me on. I've been so horny since then and you've disappeared. I need you. I need you inside me. I need you to bite me again."
His fangs popped out and heat pooled in my stomach. I tilted my neck and before he could overthink this or change his mind, I pulled his head toward me, pushing his mouth to my neck as I stroked his cock and worked to undo his pants.
When his teeth sunk into me, my world came alive. Color and music blended. A hot liquid filled me, setting me on fire. His pants fell to the ground and he stopped sucking on my neck as I tore off his shirt.
"Oh, Sam." Blood trickled down his chin and I kissed him as he pushed me to the bed. I wrapped my legs around him, our bodies hot and needy.
He shoved aside the crotch of my panties and teased me with his fingers as he bit into me again. My orgasm built so fast, so hard, I couldn't stop it. I kicked out my legs, a scream pulled from my lungs as he thrust himself into me and split me open with his fire.
Our worlds collided as my blood gave him new life, new strength. He glowed golden, light shining from him as he flipped me over and stood, holding me as he fucked me against the wall, his arms hardly straining at all under my weight. When he came, I came again, both of us buckling under the soaring heat of our love.
FIVE
For Surety
DRAKE
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety.
— William Shakespeare, Othello
THE SUN GLARED into our bedroom, casting shadows over the remnants of snuffed out candles and wilting flower petals. Sam lay curled in a ball, asleep and looking so beautiful. I kissed her gently, then noticed the now-healing bite mark on her neck and cringed and pulled back, disgusted by the monster I'd become.
I had no control over my powers, didn't even know what I could do, how far I could take this. I needed control, needed to learn about who I was before I hurt someone I loved.
Resolved, I dressed quickly, the early morning greeting me with the quiet of a school still asleep, as I went in search for Beleth. He had a guest room in the mansion, but I knew he wouldn't be there. Instead I went into the woods and found him moving as if in a dance through a sword fighting form, his Nephilim blade shining brightly in the sun.
He stopped when he saw me, slipping the sword into a hidden sheath on his back. "I was going to come find you when I thought you'd be awake."