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)
My focus turns inward a bit, and I can’t stop the grin that shapes my lips. “One time, at the residence, I ran into him in the snack hall. He was hording muffins like he’d never tasted one before and he was afraid he never would again. It was adorable. And then, the way he is with the other hunters…the connection, the loyalty and love that they all share is endearing. The tight-knit family they created, the bonds and the way they picked up right where they left off despite going into statis. He can be prickish, at times, but I understand why. A lifetime of training and hunting. He and the other hunters have a massive weight on their shoulders, living in a constant state of battles and survival. But despite that huge responsibility, he can be gentle and kind. He’s even patient with me when I’m not. Sometimes, with the things he notices about me, it’s like he can see straight to the heart of me. I’ve never felt more drawn to anyone in my life. He’s…enthralling.”
Cassandra blows out a breath, drawing my focus back to the present.
The water is now boiling above the crystal pitcher.
Aurora, in a daze, reaches up, about to touch one of the boiling bubbles, when Cassandra gently draws her hand back. I hurry to cool the water, a little steam hissing around it as I put it back in the pitcher.
“That’s—”
A soft shuffle cuts off Cassandra’s words, and my eyes dart to the sound.
Dagon stands where the patio connects to the house, eyes blazing as he looks at me.
Shit. How long has he been standing there?
I part my lips to ask.
He turns and rushes the opposite direction.
I scoff, looking to Cassandra. “See what I mean?”
“Go get him,” she urges. “Tell him to stop being a coward.”
“Don’t waste the chance,” Aurora adds. “You never know when you won’t be able to try again.”
I smile at them both. They’re right. He’s being ridiculous and I’m being ridiculous. I push away from the table, hurrying in the direction he’d taken off.
I easily catch his scent, following him through the house, and to the opposite side and out again, where the pool rests on the other side of Cassandra’s home.
The same pool he devoured me in.
“Dagon!” I call when I find him near a cabana by the pool, poised to run again.
He pauses, his shoulders tense.
“Where have you been?” I ask. “You didn’t show up for lessons earlier and—”
“The feeder island,” he cuts me off, turning to face me.
Something sharp stings my chest. It’s good that he’s feeding, why on earth would I be jealous of that? I furrow my brow, doing my best to sort the emotion, but I’m a bundle of nerves now that I have his attention.
“I would’ve gone with you,” I say. “I like fresh, hot blood too. And I didn’t get to go with the others last time. You didn’t think to ask me?”
He looks genuinely surprised. “I thought you’d been raised on the canned stuff?”
“I was,” I say. “But since I’ve lived at the residence, I’ve enjoyed freely volunteered necks.” The thought of him feeding from a beautiful human woman has me reeling and I have no idea why. Feeding isn’t sexual. It can be, but it isn’t always. And why do I care? The man gave me one amazing orgasm and a lot more frustration than I know what to do with. Why am I so worked up over it?
I swallow hard. “And the men aren’t bad either,” I blurt out.
Why the hell did I say that? Ugh. How pathetic.
Something flashes in his eyes, the blues turning fiery. “Is that so?” His voice is low, lethal, as he steps into my space.
I don’t know why I decided to provoke an eight-hundred-year-old hunter, but I don’t make the smartest choices when it comes to him. Hell, I’d thrown Saint in his face the other night too, and I’d had zero intention of asking Saint for any kind of attention. What the hell is wrong with me?
CHAPTER 9
Dagon
The men aren’t bad either.
Did she really just say that to me?
I stalk her across the pool deck, slowly, intently. She backs away, but doesn’t take her eyes off me. She’s fearless. I love that about her. Love that she’s challenging me without a second of hesitation.
But she doesn’t know who she’s playing with. And despite the desire rocketing through my veins right now, I need to remind her of that.
“These men,” I say, my voice low and intentional as we stop. The backs of her legs have touched a lounge chair in the closest cabana, but she doesn’t try to move. Doesn’t try to run. I lean closer, dipping down so my cheek is close to hers as I whisper in her ear. “Did they make your thighs tremble like they did when my face was between them?”