Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“You never touch the ground?”
I feel him shrug behind me. “On vacation, perhaps. There are places that have been kept clean. The further you get out of the cities, the more likely you are to be able to comfortably dirt walk. But this is our home. This city is called Dallas.”
Dallas. I taste it on my tongue. Odd-sounding name. And no forests. The balcony has a few trees, but they are rooted in pots, not the earth. The whole world around me looks foreign and alien. Beautiful, but beautiful things can be deadly.
“I’ll show you everything tomorrow,” Dante murmurs. He turns me around so I am facing him. “But for now, I don’t think we need to leave our rooms. Are you feeling better?”
I nod and bury my face in his chest. I feel better here, surrounded by his scent. I feel safer.
“Excellent.” His hands reach down and hook beneath my knees as he hauls me against his chest. “I have a few things I’ve wanted to do to you.”
I shiver in his arms. “You’re going to spank me?”
It is what he promised. I violated direct orders. I am not afraid of Dante’s version of punishment.
He smiles down at me, but I do not catch that hint of fangs I love. “Not tonight. I think I would be a bit of an ass if I spanked you when you’re still tired due to blood loss. No, I’m going to take care of you tonight. But don’t think for an instant I’ve forgotten what happened out there. You will answer for your disobedience. I’m actually having a room renovated for that very occasion.”
“There are more rooms?” This one seems so large. Far too large for the two of us.
“Yes,” Dante replies as the door on the far end of the room swings open. “Susie and Colin are moving to the east wing. We’re taking over this whole wing of the penthouse. We have ten rooms all to ourselves over three floors. Of course, there are also common rooms.”
Well, of course.
“But I don’t want you to worry about any of it.” Dante sets me on my feet. I find myself in a plush room that seems to be made from smooth stone. I recognize one fixture. A huge bathtub dominates the room, but Dante walks to a glass enclosure. He unbuttons his shirt as he stands next to it. “Shower. Thirty-eight degrees Celsius.”
A waterfall pours from a fixture in the ceiling. Dante shucks the rest of his clothes. With each piece he tosses aside, he sheds the civilized man I do not understand. Somehow he becomes different without the trappings of his culture on his body. He turns to me, and my heart races. There they are—the fangs I adore. I love how savage they make him look, how strong and powerful. I love the way they feel when he drinks from me. Without thought, I allow my neck to roll back.
He is on me before I can breathe, his hand tugging at my hair. “Don’t you dare, consort. Don’t you tempt me. I can see you want it, but there will be none of that.”
Even as he says the words, his head leans down, and he runs his nose along my neck.
“I am fine.” I feel strong.
He growls. “No, Kaja. I’m beginning to think I should spank you. I ate two meal pills so I wouldn’t feed from you. They taste like ass now. I only want you. You’re a fucking addiction. You’re also still recovering.”
I press my neck to his mouth. If he is addicted, then so am I. I never feel closer to him than I do when we are connected like that. “I am fine.”
He gently shoves me away. “Damn it. You are pushing me. I’ve had a rough couple of days. I want to be gentle with you. Fuck that. I want to tear into you, but not tonight. You mind me.”
I soften against him. This is not about me. This is about him. He will feel bad if he is rough with me. I can give him that. I let my arms wind around his waist. His cock already presses against my belly. I hope he does not intend to be too gentle. I can handle the fact that he will not bite me, but I need him to make love to me.
I press my mouth to his chest. “I’ll behave.”
He lifts my face up. “No, you won’t. But then that’s one of the things I lo—like about you. And you’re not completely off the hook, love. I need to explain the way relationships work here. I’m in charge of us, especially in the bedroom. I’m the one with the fangs. I’m the one who could hurt you, so by the gods, you will listen to me.”