50. Esurient
CHAPTER FIFTY
ESURIENT
Saya Claymore
“Whose cabin is this?” I run the dry towel over my sopping-wet skin.
Serun leans back on the bed, wearing only his leather pants, legs spread, muscles tense, eyes tracing my exposed flesh. “Mine. I have a few around Pyra I use if I am not too trusting of cities and towns with slayers.”
I turn away from the boarded-up window. “It’s a little exposed, no?”
“Slayers and humans don’t travel the woods. Aside from nightwalkers rumoured to congregate there, the wildlife also starves.” He tilts his head the slightest, eyes drifting down my naked body as I make my way to him. “We are safe here.”
With a slow nod, my fingers run up his broad arms as I move my legs on either side of him until I am straddling him. My hands explore, tracing down to Serun’s scar, but I know better than to ask. I bite my lower lip before saying, “So, nightwalker. What do you have in mind?”
Serun tilts his head to the side, baring his neck. “I want you to bite me.”
My head jolts back, and I try to shuffle off him, but Serun grabs my waist and flips me onto the bed. He pins me down and cages my wrists in his hands.
“Nightwalker,” I spit. “Get the fuck off me.”
His cold eyes glare down at me. “You’re starving. Every time you eat, you force it down, all the while ignoring that you can’t fucking stomach anything, Saya.”
My legs thrash beneath him, and I turn away from his words, as if that would somehow shut them out completely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You do.” A tear slips down my cheek, and my lip trembles at his words. “You have starved since we left the Undercity. A hint of my blood wasn’t enough. You need to drink more, and from my neck.”
I shake my head from side to side, my thrashing weakening. “You’re lying.”
Positioning himself better, he moves my arms up and shackles them with one big hand while the other touches my cheek.
“I saw the way you were looking at Olivia. Your eyes couldn’t keep away from her neck.
And even if you were unaware, you’re a day away from needing to eat—I know it because that is what every nightwalker feels. ”
“Liar!” I face him, ears back, teeth gritted. “You’re a fucking liar, Serun. I’m not like you. I am nothing like you fucking bloodsuckers.”
“Mother of Light,” he grunts in irritation and lifts his arm, sinking his fangs into his wrist. His chest flares as he inhales. A droplet of blood slips down, and my eyes widen and my mouth waters.
He offers me his wrist, and my mouth opens, saliva slick on my fangs before I snap it shut and turn away, scanning my surroundings for a way out.
“You’re a liar,” I whisper. “Because if you aren’t, it means that one day I might turn on those I cherish most. One day I will kill you. Or worse, my brother…”
Serun moves, and his chest rests against mine. His hand slips from my wrist, catching me by surprise. I face him when his mouth crushes against mine. My body sags, and I close my eyes, understanding that he must have accepted my words and won’t push.
I open my mouth, and when he does the same, my entire body stiffens. Blood rushes down my throat. My eyes fly open, and I stare into raw, firm neon eyes as this sweetness thickens, exotic, filling me with adrenaline and excitement.
When he closes his mouth, I do the same, only to take a deep breath, ready to burst. Rage fills me, smouldering bones, and I am about to spew every insult I can at him when he says, “I am selfish by design—I know I am. I take and take, and as much as I try to keep my indulgence in check, this I will take willingly.” His thumbs brush my tears, and I sense the desperation in his words.
“If I can’t have an eternity with you, I will take a lifetime instead.
But for me to do that, I need you to feed on me.
” Serun reveals his nape. “I’m all yours, darling. ”
The breath filled with malice shatters like glass, and the ache in my bones softens. As I exhale, I grab Serun by the hips, use my body weight, and roll across the bed until I am on top of him. My focus falls on his neck. Serun tilts his head to the side, a silent invitation.
Trust. Acceptance. And vulnerability.
Leaning down, I sink my fangs into the side of his neck. A pool of blood fills my mouth, slipping messily down his collar.
Serun lets out a breathy, “Fuck.” Rough hands grab at my flesh, gripping my thighs. He tips his head further to the side, giving me more room to sink into him.
His blood tastes of lemongrass. Like the rain in a sunshower. Like the first cup of water in the morning. As I break away from the skin, a breathy moan escapes me before my tongue traces his neck. “Look at you. Such a good nightwalker, bleeding prettily for me.”
Serun grips my arse, pushing my heat against his cock. “Bite. Me. Harder.”
I lace my hands into his hair, and I completely indulge in my treat. The memories come in fragments. A sharp dagger to the mind. Flames, screams, and a boy running away from the wagons, thickening with smoke.
I drink more.
He runs through the woods, branches cutting into his skin, and tears of regret filling his—
“Stay here with me,” Serun says hoarsely.
I retract my fangs and sit up, blood dripping down my chin and splashing onto his bare chest. He doesn’t look at me, but looks away, jaw tight. Sighing, I rest my chest against his, touch his cheek, and guide him back to me. “I’m yours, Serun,” I say. “No memory of yours could change that.”
He leans in, his nose kissing mine, and our breaths shared. “Hold your liar’s tongue.”
“Yes, I will.”
Serun tips his head to the side again. “Indulge, kamai.”
My mouth grazes the corner of his, leaving trails of bloody kisses down to his throat. I sink my fangs back into him, and his hands run up and down my spine. Excitement, or a thrill, they can’t stay still as I close my eyes and let it race with his memories.
Bubbles float around my vision, and there’s a scarcity in my throat I can’t explain. Through the blur, as if waking from years of deep sleep, I overlook the tank I float in. On the other side, a woman watches. White hair, silver eyes, and moonlight freckles dusting her cheeks.
The woman who saved him?
She rests her hand on the tank, a tear slipping down her cheek. “What have they done to you, Serun?”
I retract my fangs and close my mouth over the bite, sending tender kisses across the puncture wounds. “I’m sorry,” I murmur.
He laughs bitterly, and his hands on my hips tighten.
I gasp as he rolls over until he is on top of me.
Serun’s long fingers run up my thigh, sending flutters through me as he grips tight, lifts my leg until my thigh presses against his waist, and his body collides with mine.
“That’s enough. Give me it all, my kamai. ”
A whimpered moan escapes me, and my legs squirm with excitement and frustration as he nuzzles my neck and his fangs sink into my nape. He sucks hard, sending electric currents down my body. My arousal tightens and hardens my nipples that brush against his firm muscles.
Our bodies move, clashing in a cadence. His belt rubs frustratingly against my clit, and my fingers dig into the satin sheets. Moans escape me with every suck, and venom bleeds from my skin as light and shadow wrap around us. Our magik collides, two snakes mating as he drives his fangs deeper.
I coil my legs around him. My hands on the mattress slap against raw, broad back muscles, and my long fingernails scratch down his back.
Serun retracts his fangs, his mouth moving lower.
His hand pushes up my breast, allowing his mouth to take me.
My nipple softens into a dewy drop as he bites down and suckles, teasing my piercing with his stiff tongue, running it in a circular motion.
Every flick becomes another spasm in my core.
Daring, I slip my hands away from his bleeding back and to the buckle restraining his cock. I toss the leather aside, then plunge my hand into his pants, fisting him, but my hand barely wraps around the base.
What in the fucking monster… I’m stunned into silence by the size and shimmer of a silver stud near the top of the shaft. My thumb brushes the piercing, and he twitches.
Serun lowers himself on me, his mouth against the shell of my ear. A low purr comes from him, and his cock vibrates in my tight grip.
What. The. Fuck?
His fangs graze my lobe. “Afraid, Saya Claymore?”
“I’m bracing myself,” I say, my hand gripping his cock tighter.
He chuckles darkly. “Take your time. We have all,”—a light tap comes from the door—“night…”
“I can watch Saya if you need to hunt, Lord Serun.”
Whatever lust there is shrivels like a prune. Serun rolls off me and glares at the ceiling as if he’s contemplating killing my only friend. I rest my hand on his chest, lean in, and peck him on the cheek before I shuffle off the bed to wash away the blood and find clothes.
“You’re right,” Serun answers my silent thoughts as he sits up and grabs the belt I tossed to the ground. He slides the leather through the loops and turns to face me. “We will wait until I am on my deathbed with you.”
I smile as I slip my tunic back over my shoulders. “We will have all night, undisturbed.”
“Undisturbed,” he repeats. “I want to take my time with you. Savour the taste of your lips.”
Heat flushes my cheeks at the thought of his mouth between my legs.
An icy finger traces my nape, and when I turn towards him, Serun’s already dressed. “I tore the skin when I got too excited. Forgive me.”
I cup the wound, but the bleeding has already stopped, leaving only two tiny dents that my fingers circle. “You can treat me more tenderly when we return to your home.”
“Saya, I can move anywhere and call it home. The issue is, if you aren’t there with me, I wouldn’t want any part of it.”
“Serun…”
He pinches the fabric of my tunic, eyes on me, then quickly away, as if sudden guilt washes over him. “Entertain your servant before I turn her into nothing. Return to me when you’re tired.”
As I reach the door, I say, “Feeding from you is only temporary until I can take control of this hunger. Next time, we’ll be careful. I’ll be more gentle.”
“Whatever you desire, as long as I can claim your lifetime.”
A declaration, but also a warning. He tells me he will force-feed me if I try to refuse. And in my twisted mind, I’ve realised that as long as it’s Serun’s blood, everything will be okay.