Sugar Coated (A Bitter Pill #2)

Chapter Six – Fang

Being away from my princess for days on end was torture, but I made progress on my work faster than I would’ve if I would’ve spent hours with Laina each day. I did get a call from Lola; the man Mike had given her to get information out of was being kept somewhere—actual torture, I imagined.

But the call wasn’t about him; rather, it was an idea Lola had, an idea that I already had when it came to my cotton candy princess.

Laina had expressed some desire to be there when Lola tortured him, and Lola thought it would be a good idea to make her something, just as I’d created Lola’s mask. Coming from someone like Lola, the thought was sweet, and I told her I already had something in mind.

It wasn’t the first set of claws I’d created. I’d made multiple gauntlets for my brother, the Beast. He had a penchant for digging those claws into his enemies and tearing them limb from limb. His gauntlets, of course, fitted over his hand. More garish, meant to induce fear in the men he was about to tear apart.

What I had in mind for Laina was more feminine, more sleek and slender in their appearance—but still just as sharp.

I was going to have them both ready for her at the same time. The one she could wear day in and day out, where the metal prosthetic fingers fit over the remnants of her actual fingers, shaped to be just like the ones on her right hand. They’d bend when she moved her nubs, mimicking real fingers with mechanical movement. Sleek, silver chains no thicker than a common necklace would connect to a bracelet on her wrist and keep them tight on her scarred knuckles.

I finished those first. The second set took a bit more work, as there was more to it.

Sharpened points, like long, extended nails filed in the shape of daggers, sharp enough to easily break flesh if she put any weight behind them. One for each finger, even her thumb. More chains connected to a bracelet, with an added plate of detailed silver for the back of her hand.

I made Lola’s mask more than just the lower jaw of a skeleton. I gave it intricate details; flowers, butterflies, similar things. I made it pretty, and as the days wore on, I did the same to the plate for Laina’s claws.

My princess would love these. I knew it in my heart, because I knew her. I might not have spent as much time with her as I wished, but I recognized the animal inside her. Just like me, just like my brother, my girl had something fierce in her, waiting to emerge. Her kidnapping helped foster it, and it would be up to me—me, Mike, Kieran, and even Lola—to help coax it out, to teach her that it was okay to be a little bad sometimes.

All I knew was, when Lola was ready to get the truth out of that asshole, I was going to be there. I wanted to watch Laina and see what she did with her claws.

I worked on the claws last, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to go that long without seeing my princess. After five days of withdrawal, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I told Laina to come over. I’d give her the normal prosthetic while I saved the claws as a surprise for later.

It was a weird feeling, being so excited to see another person. Normally I was a recluse; I’d always preferred to be alone and in my studio rather than out in the world, socializing. But when it came to Laina, well, things were a bit different.

In a good way, though.

I made sure my loft was clean, that my bed was made and the floors were swept. I told her I’d make her dinner if she wanted, and she said that would be perfect. I even invited Mike and Kieran for dinner—she’d told me the latter had finally woken up out of his coma, which didn’t surprise me in the least. I knew he’d never let a bullet keep him from her—but Kieran was still housebound, focused on healing and Mike said he’d rather not.

All perfectly fine, because that meant I got Laina all to myself.

Mike dropped her off around four, and though he didn’t get out of the car, I could tell by the look on Laina’s face as she got out that the big man wasn’t too thrilled with her spending some alone time with me.

I didn’t ask her, but I assumed that meant he was still acting all grumpy when it came to her. As long as he and Laina refused to accept their blossoming feelings for the other, the dance would continue.

I held open the door for Laina, grinning widely as she turned away from the car and approached me. Her hair was a bit kinky, its pastel pink and blue lengths unevenly wavy. She wore her colored contacts, her eyes a bubblegum pink.

The first words out of my mouth were, “You look delicious.” She immediately blushed, like she wasn’t used to hearing things like that. I glanced at the car, where Mike remained; I’d bet anything he was in there, watching through that tinted glass. “Shall we make him jealous?”

“Jealous, what—”

I didn’t give Laina a chance to say more. Keeping the door open with my foot, I reached for her and pulled her in close, slamming her body against mine as one of my hands went to her neck and swept her hair aside to give Mike a better view. My top half leaned down, and my mouth crashed upon hers, kissing her so hard I stole the air out of her lungs.

Mmm. Tasting her again; there really wasn’t anything in the world like it. So sweet. Lips so damned soft. Just like that every part of me was set aflame, and I momentarily forgot this particular kiss was to try to make the man in the car green with envy.

It felt like it lasted forever, but in reality, it was more like ten or so seconds—long enough, coupled with more than enough passion, to make us both pant for air by the time I pulled my mouth off hers. I only smirked at her as I yanked her into my building and shut the door, locking it for good measure.

Laina’s cheeks were adorably pink, too, flushed after that kiss. “Um. Hi.”

I chuckled. “Hello, Princess.” I offered her my hand, and she, without hesitation, took it. I led her up the stairs. She could make it to the top without being out of breath, something I couldn’t have said about her the first time she was here. My girl was becoming accustomed to living her life outside of a single room, and I loved that for her.

I brought her into my loft and led her to the couch, where I sat her on the middle cushion and took the one to her right. “Would you like me to cook dinner now, or do you want to see what I made you, first? It’s your choice, always.” I couldn’t stop myself from whispering, “Or, if you’d prefer, I could eat you up before we do any of that.”

Something about her really did set me off, ignited a hunger so deep inside of me it could never fully be sated. She made me crazy in the best of ways. My inner freak wanted hers so badly, to the point where her panties at night were a poor substitute for the real thing.

Laina smiled at me, and that smile made certain parts of me warm. “I could be your dessert.”

My chest hummed as I murmured, “Then dessert you will be. Still, that leaves the question of what first?”

“Show me what you made,” she said, the words an order, one I would gladly take. Hell, if she told me to worship the ground she walked on, I would. I’d shower every inch of that body with exactly the kind of worship it required.

I squeezed her hand before getting up. I darted over to my desk on the other side of the loft, where I’d brought up her metal prosthetic fingers and the attached bracelet. I kept it in a small box, so she wouldn’t see it, and I picked up that box and carried it over to the couch.

I was confident in my crafting abilities, but I could honestly say, I’d never made something so small and delicate before. It was challenging, to say the least, but I was a man who was always up for the challenge, especially when it was for my girl.

As I sat beside her once again, I offered her the box. The tips of her fingers grazed mine as she took it from me, splitting her time between glancing down at the box and at me. It sounded as though she held her breath as she lifted the top of the box and set it aside.

“Wow,” Laina whispered, breathless, “it’s beautiful.”

“Here, let me.” I reached into the box and carefully lifted it out. She set the box near the lid to her left before offering me her hand. I slid the two metal fingers over the stubby nubs that made up the last two fingers on her left hand, and then I clasped the bracelet around her wrist to better anchor them. “You might need some help putting it on and taking it off, and of course if anything on it should ever break, I will gladly fix it for you.”

On her dainty hand, the metal prosthetic looked feminine, a piece of jewelry with a touch of steampunk. It suited her perfectly, and I couldn’t help but grin as I watched her lift her left hand and test out its mechanical capabilities. When she moved what was left of her fingers, my metal attachments bent as real fingers would.

“This is unreal,” Laina said as she did it over and over again, unable to take her eyes off it. And then she turned that pretty face to me and threw her arms around my neck as she murmured, “Thank you.”

I didn’t do this for money. I did it for her, because even from day one, Laina intrigued me. And, yes, I did it so I would have an excuse to see her again. I’d design anything for this girl.

“You’re welcome,” I told her, wrapping my arms around her back and pulling her onto my lap. I buried my face against the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply, and the smell of her fruity body wash filled my nostrils. “You smell delicious too, Princess. I really could eat you up.”

Her left arm moved, and seconds later I felt her hand gliding along my neck. The metal from her new prosthetic fingers grazed my skin, cold compared to her flesh, but just as smooth. “What would you do if I told you you could?”

The question caused me to lift my face away from the crook of her neck and stare at her with a single eyebrow cocked.

“Okay, maybe not eat, but bite,” she clarified.

“There’d be not a single part of me that would be able to resist,” I told her as my arms tightened around her back. Having her on my lap, it was impossible not to get turned on—but I knew if we took things to the bed now, we’d never have an actual dinner. I’d get too lost in her, and she’d be too lost in me. “I’d leave a mark on you so that when you’re not with me, you’d always know you belong to me.”

Most wouldn’t like that. Most would be horrified. My princess was anything but; if anything, she was even more curious.

“Why don’t you let me cook dinner before you tempt me with dessert?” Of course, if she told me she wanted to skip dinner, who was I to say no to her? If she really wanted to get nasty immediately, I’d more than gladly go along with it.

“You’re right,” she whispered after a long stretch of silence, biting her bottom lip in a way that made me want to take that lip between my own teeth and have a good nibble. “I’m curious if your cooking skills are as good as Mike’s.”

A rumble of a laugh escaped my chest. “Comparing us now, are you?”

“You can cook breakfast, but dinner is a different beast—”

I kissed her hard before saying, “This beast is ready to both show you that I can cook a full meal and ravage you afterward.” Before I got too tempted by her, I scooted her body off my lap so I could stand.

If we remained there for much longer, we’d abandon all hope of eating and go straight to the bed. Her comment did make me wonder if, perhaps, my princess was comparing us by more than just our cooking skills. It’d be hard to compete with her Devil; she had two years of pining after him.

Eh, it just meant I had a lot to make up for. Again, I wouldn’t back down from the challenge.

I decided to make her chicken alfredo, with homemade sauce. It took a bit of preparation, but since my loft was basically one huge room, I was able to see her with my peripherals the entire time.

Laina is the one who broke the silence by saying, “So, tell me about your brother.”

“Curious about him, are you?”

She laughed softly. “Not like that, but… yeah, if he’s anything like you, he’s got to be impressive. You called him the Beast. A name like that puts certain thoughts into a girl’s head, you know.”

I couldn’t help but laugh myself. “He is the Beast, because that’s just who he is. Even before I made him his claws, he liked to get messy. He’s got his own thing going on in the city, smuggles weapons and a few other bits and bobs. Everyone knows to stay on his good side, otherwise they’ll join his wall.”

“His wall?”

“Every time he kills a man, he brings me their skull to encase in silver.”

Laina stretched on the couch, laying down as she said, “Wow. Sounds pretty intense.”

“He is. He’s also got a girl he and his two top men share, a beauty to his beast.”

“That’s pretty on the nose, don’t you think?”

“I think it’s poetic. She’s got a bit of a dark side, too, actually—kind of like you.”

“Oh, well, in that case, I bet I’d like her.” A few seconds later, she added, “It feels like every girl around here has her own gaggle of boyfriends. They make it sound so easy, but maybe the men in their lives aren’t as… hot and cold as the men in mine.” She paused. “You, not included.”

Damn right. If there was one thing I was, it was simply: hot . No coldness here.

“Mike’s hot and cold attitude is unsurprising, but Kieran is giving you the cold shoulder? I doubt it.”

Laina was sprawled out on the couch facing the kitchen, so she could look at me as I prepared dinner. “No, he’s not. It’s… me, I guess. When he first came home, he asked me what he was to me—if he’s not my step-uncle, then what is he? I guess I wasn’t expecting him to be so blunt about it so soon. I didn’t know what to say.”

“And so you’ve avoided him?” I couldn’t imagine Kieran accepting the avoidance, unless he really did have some healing left to do.

Then again, given everything… it wouldn’t surprise me, either.

“Not exactly. I mean, it doesn’t help that he can’t really leave the house. Tessa’s always hovering around, too, which makes it impossible to have any moments alone with him. I know my dad wouldn’t approve, and I don’t think Tessa would, either.”

“I don’t think they would approve of me, either,” I chimed in. “Same with Mike.”

“You’re not wrong. I guess I have a type.” She was quiet for a while, but I could tell something nagged at her. It took her a few minutes to ask another question, “You really don’t care about sharing me?”

I stopped what I was doing and stared at her across the loft. “You already have two men who lose themselves in jealousy more than they don’t. Do you really want one more? If that’s what you’d prefer, I could give it a whirl.” I smirked. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”

Laina sighed. “No, I don’t want you to be jealous. I just… I guess I don’t get why you’re so okay with it when they act all alpha when another guy so much as looks at me.”

“Some people aren’t as in tune with their desires as I am. I learned from a young age what mine were.” As I said that last part, I ran my tongue over my teeth—mainly, the two sharp fangs. “The world would be a much better place if more people would be more accepting, don’t you think?”

“Again, you’re not wrong.” She sent me a smile. “I like the way you are. I don’t want you to change.”

Was I glad to have made my move when I did. I doubted Laina would’ve had the balls to make the move on her own, and I just couldn’t imagine a life without her now. We still had so much to discover about the other, but we’d get there. We had time. I’d enjoy the hell out of every moment I spent with her.

I’d lived my whole life knowing I wasn’t normal. My brother and I were the furthest thing from it. Our peculiarities were accepted by the Luciano family purely due to our other skills. Laina, on the other hand, did not require anything. If she’d never come to me, looking for prosthetic fingers, I didn’t doubt if I would’ve run across her out in the world, we still would’ve been drawn together like magnets.

She accepted me, and I accepted her. You couldn’t ask for more.

We talked a bit more about other things while our meal cooked; she was very curious about my childhood, which in turn led me to ask about hers. I already knew the gist, of course: she’d always tried to make her father proud. Her friend Kelly had led her astray a few times, but by day she always pretended to be the innocent, smiling, supportive daughter.

Besides the kidnapping, you’d think she had a perfectly fine childhood, but sometimes the weight of being perfect all the time pushed back on you, stressed you out to the point where you lost who you were. It was only in that room, while she was kept hidden away for two whole years, that Laina found herself again.

I let her guide the majority of the conversation. There was one thing I wanted to discuss, something involving the man outside, and I wanted until we were seated at the small table, the chicken alfredo finished and portioned off between us, to ask it.

“So, Princess, have you been driving Mike as crazy as I think you have?” I asked the question right as she was taking her first bite of the chicken, and she paused, mouth half-open, to stare at me, as if she was unsure if she’d heard me correctly.

Once the question finally registered, she ate the chicken on her fork, chewing slowly. “It’s good,” she said with a sly smile.

“Of course it is. But back to Mike.”

Laina sighed. “No, I haven’t been driving him crazy. I mean, he hardly talks to me now. He acts like he doesn’t ever want to see me. I think he’s still mad at me for sneaking out to that party.”

“I don’t know him well. Never had many dealings with him or his brother before this, but from what I know, his family has served the Lucianos for… well, ever. They’ve always been the right-hand henchmen. If I had to guess, he’s not used to going after what he wants. He’s more used to being told what to do.”

The corners of her mouth quirked up. “Do you think if I told him to stop pretending I don’t exist, he’d listen?”

Shrugging, I said, “There’s only one way to find out.” I studied her face, how she seemed to pout as she ate. “Mike, Kieran… even your Devil. I want you to be happy, and knowing they’re stressing you out… I don’t like it.”

“I wouldn’t say they’re stressing me out, but—” Laina bit her bottom lip. “—I appreciate it, Fang. You’re very good with words… and that mouth.”

“Not the only things I’m an expert with, trust me.” I chuckled softly to myself when she began to blush. I’d tasted her, witnessed her unravel over and over again while I was buried between her thighs making a feast of her, and yet I could still make her blush like she was new to all this. It was adorable.

That cute blush remained on her cheeks as we continued to eat. Having her here, sharing a meal… it was all so domestic—not something I was used to. In fact, this was the first time I’d ever cooked for someone else with the intent to impress. Sitting across from Laina, talking to her, watching her every move; it was something I could get used to.

Having her here every day would be a dream. I’d never wanted anyone to be in my space before, so it was a new concept entirely for me. Spending days upon days where we didn’t see each other, let alone talk to one another, really made me wish she was closer.

Hmm. Maybe I had to get out more, find other reasons to visit my princess.

After the meal, I told Laina to take it easy while I did the dishes. I hurried, knowing Mike was downstairs, waiting in his car for us to be done with our little date, but there was still one more thing to do.

Dessert.

I found myself on the spot beside Laina on the couch, immediately grabbing her and pulling her onto my lap. I took her left hand in mine and studied my creation as I absentmindedly ran circles around her palm with my thumb.

Laina moved her knuckles, bending the metal prosthetic fingers and collapsing them over my hand. They might not have a grip like true fingers would, but they certainly did the job. The metal was all shiny and new, and quite dainty. It might not totally match her pastel persona, but it fit all the same.

“I really do love it,” she whispered, biting her bottom lip before flicking her pink eyes up at me.

“Good,” I murmured as I lowered my face to bury my nose in her hair and breathe her in. “Now… shall we have dessert? I believe you offered yourself up on a silver platter to me earlier—if the offer still stands, I would gladly devour you in a way I’ve yet to experience.”

Laina giggled. “Why do you have to say it like that?”

I pulled my face away from her and smirked, flashing her my teeth. “How would you like me to say it? Would you rather me tell you that I’m dying to pick you up, carry you to my bed, tear off all your clothes, and fuck you until day turns to dusk?”

“Fang,” she inhaled sharply as she spoke my name, like she was shocked at my language.

“Oh, you’re right. What would Mike think if we made him wait that long?” I paused. “Should we find out?”

She shook her head, eventually saying, “I don’t want to think about Mike right now. I just… I want you. Is that crazy?”

“It’s not crazy. You are my princess, after all.” I brought my lips to hers and uttered a single word more: “ Mine .” And then I kissed her hard. My hands roamed across her body, eventually finding their way to her back, and with our mouths still locked, I picked her up as I got to my feet.

Carrying her to my bed was the opposite of a burden. She responded only by returning my passion with her own, and before I set her down I grazed her bottom lip with one of my fangs. She moaned into the kiss as a result.

My princess liked it a little rough. She wasn’t afraid of my teeth or what they could do.

The moment I placed her on my bed, there was no more being coy. No more measured movements. It turned frantic, a race to get Laina’s clothes off as quickly as humanly possible. Honestly? I wanted her the moment I saw her. The animal in me knew it recognized and craved her the very first time we met.

Laina had been mine from the very beginning, and now we were going to make it official.

Her clothes came off, and they fell to heaps on the floor, immediately forgotten by us both. Having her on my bed, free of all clothing, was heaven. Every inch of that body called to me; the mere sight was enough to make me rock hard if I wasn’t already.

Obviously, I was. I’d been battling myself ever since she suggested having her for dessert.

I tore off my shirt next, and before I could continue to take my clothes off, Laina propped herself up on her elbows and ravaged me with her eyes, raking her stare down along my body with unabashed desire.

It wasn’t the first time she saw me shirtless, but it was the very first time she looked at me with such carnal hunger, with absolutely nothing holding her back.

Perhaps being with her Devil had freed her, so to speak. Perhaps a part of her had been waiting for her Devil to make a move, like she felt she owed him her body, first, and now that he claimed her, she was free to give it to whoever else she wanted.

Or maybe that was me reading too much into things. Who could say?

The rest of my clothes came off within another minute, and once we were both fully nude, we didn’t even bother crawling beneath the sheets. No, with the early twilight peeking in through the windows, I wanted to see her, to memorize every part of her as I finally made her mine.

I brought my lips down to hers once again while my hands danced over her body, settling on her gorgeous tits. As she melted into me, my fingers toyed with her nipples until they were hard enough to cut glass. My tongue met hers as she writhed under me.

One of my hands dropped, snaking its way between her clenched thighs. My fingers slid around her clit, and I stroked her while my teeth toyed with her lower lip, teasing, tempting. Her affections might’ve been fractured between multiple men, but right now she was all mine, and I planned on making the most of it.

Her chest shuddered, and she whimpered into the kiss. I could tell she liked the way I rubbed her clit by how her body reacted. I must’ve read her body’s manual in my past life, because how else could I explain how in tune we were, how it seemed like we were made for each other?

I nuzzled into her neck, giving her mouth a reprieve as my stroking between her legs intensified. I pinched her clit, feeling it swell with the attention it was receiving, and I ran my tongue up her neck, all the way to her earlobe, which I nibbled before abandoning it for her chest. I took her left nipple into my mouth and sucked hard, and the moan that came from her told me she approved.

It didn’t take much longer for my princess to cry out her pleasure, to voice just how good I made her feel—and when she did, I committed the sound to memory, filing it away for later, when she’d leave and I’d be alone in this giant loft again. Her panties were a poor substitution for the real thing.

Tearing my mouth off her chest, I whispered, “I love the sounds you make, Princess. I hope you’re this loud when I’m inside you.”

Laina must not have been able to use her voice, for she only was able to moan and squirm under me. I let my fingers dip lower than her clit, curling along her until they found the rim of her pussy. The slickness that greeted my fingers told me she was wet and more than ready for me. The only question was…

“Are you going to take me bare, or do you want me to put something on?” I bought a box of condoms for this occasion specifically; I didn’t want to wrap my length with rubber, but I would if that’s what she wanted. It was my princess’s choice, as it should always be.

Her answer came swiftly, with no ounce of hesitation whatsoever: “Bare.”

My cock twitched, my balls clenching in anticipation. “And am I free to… spill inside of you, or do you want me to pull out?” I might’ve been a little peculiar with my teeth and what I liked to do with them, but I would never overstep when it came to her. Truly, it was her choice.

Laina lifted her left hand, drawing her fingertips down along my jawline, her metal fingers just grazing my skin in the process. “Inside. I’m on birth control.”

That was all I needed to hear. I kissed her again, and as I did so, I spread her legs under me and positioned myself at her entrance. The only reason I tore my mouth off hers was so that I could watch her as I pushed inside.

Inch by inch, I filled her up as I bore down upon her, watching her react while battling my own urge to shut my eyes and surrender to the pleasure inside.

It was subtle, but I saw her eyelids flutter and her lips part. I heard the way she sucked in a breath and her chest rose while my length buried itself inside her. I noticed the way her pupils dilated ever so slightly as she gazed up at me, giving me something she’d only ever given her Devil.

Her body. Her heart. Her soul.

Honestly? I’d had sex before. I knew what it was like, how it felt—but it never, ever felt like this. The need to have her, to mark her, had never been this strong. Laina’s pussy was tight and wet, and I fit inside her in a way that made me never want to pull out. If I could spend the rest of my life buried inside her, I would.

She felt like heaven, and someone like me didn’t say that easily. I was no villain, but I was far from a good man. I’d killed, and I’d done it with no remorse. Given everything, I wasn’t somebody who had a right to heaven on earth.

But here she was, bearing herself, giving me everything. Here heaven was in a tiny, pastel package. A candy-coated outside with a hint of darkness within; my kind of girl. My girl, now and forever.

Once I was fully inside her, once her body could take no more of me, I began to thrust, letting the animal inside take over. It wasn’t a gentle exploration of one another’s bodies; no, it was hard and rough, a kind of fucking only a person like me could give and a person like Laina could take.

Propping myself up over her, I fucked her hard, eliciting numerous moans from her. I was a man finally getting a taste of his last meal, and there was no way in hell I’d ever be able to take it slowly.

She felt spectacular. Better than I ever imagined. Her body took every thrust, her arousal so strong you could hear the slickness in the air. A low pressure rose deep within me, something I tried to avoid for as long as possible, became too strong to ignore.

My hips jerked harder against her, and a low moan escaped me as I bore down upon her, burying my length as deep as I could the moment the pressure grew to be too much. My cock spewed inside of her, emptying into her as I finally shut my eyes to revel in the heated pleasure surging through me.

“Oh, Princess,” I murmured as I leaned my forehead against hers, “you make me lose control, you know that?” I had my vices, but my brother was always the one who lost control. Not me. Never me. But when it came to Laina, how could I not?

Through half-lidded eyes, Laina nodded once, and then she whispered, “I want… I want you to use those teeth on me. Bite me.” The way she said it, it almost sounded as though she was begging.

I licked my lips. “Are you sure you’re ready for that? It can wait. Having you like this—” I was going to tell her was enough to tide me over, to sate the hunger inside of me, but the look she gave me right then told me she was certain.

“Yes. I want you to mark me.” As she spoke, she ran a hand down my chest, and the soft touch made my cock twitch inside of her. “Just… maybe somewhere private?”

My chest hummed, a new need surging inside of me. If she wanted me to bite her, to mark her, who was I to say no? I was always down for using my teeth, and this way, even after she walked out of my building and rejoined Mike in his car, she’d always have something to think of me by.

I’d have to clean her up afterwards, of course; like hell would I send her off with a bleeding wound on her body. If I was going to leave her with a mark that’d scar, I wanted the scar to be as perfect as it could be, and that meant disinfection and a bandage.

“As you wish,” I whispered, slow in pulling my length out of her. I gave her a soft kiss before dragging my mouth lower, past her chest, down along her stomach, stopping only when my head was between her thighs.

From my new position, I could see bits of my cum starting to ooze out of her core and drip down the curve of her body. The sight was a delicious one, and I licked my lips once before dragging my tongue along her slickness, catching both my spent cum and her leaked arousal. The taste of us together was a salty kind of sweet.

Laina moaned the moment my tongue lapped at her. I took my time in cleaning her up—though I did spend some extra time on her clit. Still swollen, still aching for more; once her core leaked no more, I put all of my attention onto that tiny nub of flesh to make my princess come again… and only when she came would I mark her, that way the pain of my fangs biting into her flesh would mix with pleasure.

I did not like the thought of hurting her, but if she wanted me to…

I sucked hard on her clit, and Laina’s body instantly reacted. Her senses must’ve already been heightened; she clenched the sheets below, her thighs tightening around the sides of my head. Her hips began to grind, grinding against my face as I showered her clit with attention.

Her breathing hitched; I could hear it the moment it happened, and I knew she was close to unravelling again. I pushed her to the brink, and the very second that nub spasmed and she cried out, I moved my mouth off her clit, bringing it to her inner thigh. I opened my mouth and bit down, sinking my sharp fangs into her skin.

The coppery taste of her blood filled my mouth as her thigh trembled beneath my bite. Saliva, blood, slick arousal; every part of her was spectacular.

I did not linger with my fangs buried into her flesh; as soon as I tasted her blood, I withdrew my mouth from her, pulling my fangs out of her skin. I scooted to the edge of the bed, got to my feet, and then scooped her up, cradling her like a baby as I walked her to the bathroom.

I set her down on the counter, got my first aid kit, and got to work, kneeling down between her open legs to address the bite mark. It was far enough up her inner thigh that it would be hidden if she chose to wear shorts—provided they weren’t too short.

“Be gentle with yourself for a few days,” I advised her as I cleaned up the blood and disinfected it. “If you keep reopening it once it scabs over—”

“I’ll be careful,” Laina spoke, still sounding quite out of breath.

Grabbing a bandage out of my kit, I opened it up and applied it above the bite mark. “I wonder how the others will react once they see it. I can’t imagine they’ll be too happy.” I was slow in standing, and I set my hands on either side of Laina as I gazed down at her.

Even sitting on my bathroom vanity, she was shorter than me—not by much, but a few inches, anyway.

“Well, with the way things are going, I don’t think we have to worry about that for a while,” she said dryly.

I cupped her face, angling it back. “No matter what happens, you’ll always be my princess. If you decide on world domination, I’ll be right beside you.” I lowered my mouth to hers, mere moments from kissing her again, when she started to giggle.

“World domination? You really think I could go that far?” The way she sounded, so innocent, made me smirk at her.

“With those eyes of yours, I think you could rule the world.”