Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
There’s no rush. We’re all gently questing hands and ragged gasps. We taste and touch and weave pleasure that’s only more intense for the steady build. By the time I make my way back to her mouth, our kiss tastes of both of us, a combination I never want to lose. My body shakes, sweat glistening on my skin. For her part, Lizzie is no less affected. She stares down at me, her eyes swallowed by crimson.
Her fangs peek out, just a little. “Maeve.” There’s a wealth of meaning in my name on her lips. An agony of wanting. “I’ll kill anything that hurts you. And that includes me.”
That’s about enough of that. I dig my fingers into her hair. “I trust you.”
“You shouldn’t.”
I tilt my head to the side, baring my neck. “Lizzie . . . I trust you.”
She licks her lips. “It’s a bad idea.”
“I want you to.” But I don’t pull her head to me. I wait, giving her time to work through what she wants versus what she fears.
Finally, a small eternity later, Lizzie meets my gaze. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” There’s no question. I realize it’s not realistic to have her only feed from me, but being deprived of her bite is agony. I hate that she’s been holding part of herself back from me. I want all of her.
She doesn’t ask again. She eases down slowly and kisses my neck. When she does bite me, it’s so soft at first that I hardly realize it’s happened. Only the pleasure gathering in response to the nick of her teeth conveys that she’s broken skin. A single swallow of blood is all she allows herself. A single pull that echoes through my entire body, sending me sweeping into an orgasm that curls my toes and bows my spine.
I cling to her as she licks the small wounds, healing them with her blood. She lifts herself enough to stare into my face, obviously searching for signs of fear or regret. There’s only love.
I smile, feeling a bit goofy. “Told you.”
“You’ve very cute when you’re smug.” She smiles as she says it. “I like it.”
I drag my thumb over her bottom lip. “It’s greed. I want to keep going.”
“Mmm. Yes.” She settles down on top of me. “But I like you greedy just as much as I like you smug.” Her hand delves back between my thighs. “Morning will come soon enough, Maeve. I mean to have my fill of you until then.”
chapter 32
Lizzie
After spending the night wrapped up in each other, Maeve and I sleep well past noon. I manage to keep my hands off her long enough to drag her to a nearby restaurant and ensure she gets fed, but by the time we’re done with that, the sun is sinking low in the sky.
Siobhan arrives soon after. The cloak she wore yesterday to shield her features is nowhere in evidence. She’s so fucking athletic and that jaw is so strong, I have the sneaking suspicion that I could break my knuckles on it.
I belatedly realize she’s holding a harness. It takes me all of three seconds to realize what she intends. To use it on Maeve. I open my mouth to protest, but Maeve anticipates me. She squeezes my hand and steps forward. “It’s the fastest way to ensure we make it through the water without anyone noticing.”
I don’t like it. I don’t like any of this. And not just because it requires me to swim through dark water where anything could be below me. I haven’t gone under since the fight with the water horse, and I’m not looking forward to this experience. But the alternative is to let Maeve and Siobhan go without me, and that’s no alternative at all.
For Siobhan to be the leader of this rebellion, it means that she’s willing to accept losses. Not this Bastian, apparently, but Maeve is hardly a linchpin in the rebellion. If something happens tonight, then she’s just another martyr along the way. A name to call as the people who care about her charge into a battle that will see most of them dead.
I’m not going to let that happen. Maeve is not replaceable to me. She’s not some faceless martyr. She’s mine. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it means striking down Siobhan herself.
Siobhan leads us down to the lowest level, where the docks are, but turns away from them and heads toward the edge of town. It’s not particularly late, but the farther we get from the docks, the more deserted the gently curving street is. I catch a glimpse of light behind closed shutters, but apparently we’re in a residential neighborhood and there’s no nightlife to speak of.
It certainly makes it easier to sneak around without being seen.
Within a few minutes, we leave the town behind entirely. The carefully curated road turns into little more than a goat track—or whatever the goat equivalent they have on Drash is—that curves around the bay in a deceptively gentle incline. We pick our way along single file: Siobhan in front, followed by Maeve, with me picking up the rear. It takes all my preternatural skill to stay on my feet. The rock reminds me of shale, ready to crumble without a moment’s notice. One wrong step, and we’ll end up falling into the water crashing against the rocks below.