Chapter 18
Archer
Iwas rock hard before I even got to the stairs.
The anticipation coursing through my veins felt almost electric as I followed Valen up the narrow staircase, my eyes drawn to the way his body moved ahead of me.
Every step felt deliberate, charged with the promise of what was about to happen between us.
The wine had helped steady my nerves downstairs, but now all I could focus on was the heat building in my core and the way Valen’s scent seemed to wrap around me in the confined space.
His bedroom was at the end of the hall, and when he pushed open the door, I was struck by how intimate the space felt.
Deep burgundy walls, a massive four-poster bed with dark wooden posts, and more framed photographs scattered on surfaces throughout the room.
Candles flickered on the nightstand, casting dancing shadows that made everything feel dreamlike.
“Second thoughts?” Valen asked, turning to face me as I stepped into the room. There was still time to back out written in his expression, even as his amber eyes burned with barely restrained hunger.
“None,” I said firmly, closing the distance between us. “I want this, Valen. I want you to feed from me. I want to understand what it feels like to nourish you.”
His hands came up to frame my face, and I could see the last vestiges of his control wavering. “Once we start, I won’t be able to stop until I’m fully fed,” he warned, his voice rough with need. “It could take hours. Are you prepared for that kind of intensity?”
Instead of answering with words, I pressed my lips to his, pouring all my want and determination into the kiss.
He responded immediately, his mouth moving against mine with a desperate hunger that made my knees weak.
I could taste the wine on his tongue, feel the sharp edge of his fangs as our kiss deepened.
His hands moved to my shirt, fingers working at the buttons with vampire speed and efficiency. I helped him, my own hands fumbling with the hem of his sweater until we were both pulling at fabric, desperate to eliminate the barriers between us.
“Slow down,” he murmured against my neck, pressing kisses along my pulse point that made me shiver. “I want to savor every inch of you this time.”
The promise in his words sent heat shooting straight to my cock. I felt his fangs graze my throat, not quite breaking skin but enough to make me gasp and arch against him.
“Valen,” I breathed, not even sure what I was asking for. But I wanted it all, anything he would give me.
He walked me backward toward the bed, his hands mapping the planes of my chest as my shirt fell away. When the backs of my knees hit the mattress, he paused, amber eyes drinking in the sight of me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You’re exquisite,” he said, and the reverence in his voice made my heart flutter. “Absolutely fucking beautiful, Archer.”
The heat in his voice, and the way he was looking at me like I was something wonderful and dangerous all at once, made me bold. I reached for him, my hands finding the waistband of his jeans.
“Then show me,” I whispered, my fingers working at his belt buckle. “Show me what it means to feed a vampire properly.”
He caught my hands in his, stilling my movements. For a moment I thought he was going to stop this again, pull back behind those careful boundaries. But then he brought my hands to his mouth, pressing kisses to my palms that made me shiver.
“Lie back,” he said, his voice dropping to that commanding tone that never failed to make my cock throb. “Let me worship you the way you deserve, darling.”
I did as he asked, settling back against the soft pillows as he stood at the foot of the bed. The way he looked at me, amber eyes burning with hunger, made me feel exposed in the best possible way. Like he could see straight through to my soul and liked what he found there.
He stripped off his sweater in one fluid motion, revealing the lean muscle and pale skin I’d been fantasizing about for weeks. Then he was on the bed with me, his cool hands mapping every inch of my torso like he was memorizing the world’s most exquisite sculpture.
“I’m going to taste every part of you,” he murmured against my collarbone, his fangs grazing the sensitive skin there. “Every freckle, every scar. I want to know your body better than you know it yourself.”
The thought made me gasp, my back arching as he pressed hot kisses down my chest. When his mouth found my nipple, I couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped me. The sensation was electric, sending jolts of pleasure straight to my already aching cock.
“That’s it,” he praised, his voice muffled against my skin. “Let me hear how good I make you feel, darling. I want to feed off every sound you make.”
He worked his way lower, his mouth and tongue leaving a trail of fire across my abdomen. When he reached the waistband of my pants, he looked up at me, seeking permission even though we both knew I was already completely lost to him.
“Please,” I breathed, lifting my hips to help as he worked my pants and underwear down my legs.
The cool air of the room hit my flushed skin, but Valen’s hands were there immediately, warming me with his touch. He settled between my thighs, and the sight of him there, amber eyes dark with hunger as he looked at my cock, nearly undid me completely.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, pressing kisses to my inner thighs that made me tremble. “Absolutely perfect.”
When his mouth finally closed around my cock, I cried out, my hands fisting in the sheets. The sensation was overwhelming. I loved the wet heat of his mouth, the careful pressure of his fangs that never quite broke skin, and the way he seemed to know exactly how much suction would drive me crazy.
I was already close, embarrassingly close from just his mouth on me, but when I felt the first pull of energy, I nearly came on the spot.
It was subtle at first, like a gentle current flowing from my body to his, but as my arousal spiked higher, the sensation intensified.
I could actually feel him drawing sustenance from my pleasure, and somehow that made everything more intense.
“Fuck,” I gasped, my hips bucking involuntarily. “Valen, I can feel it. I can feel you feeding.”
He pulled off my cock with a wet sound, his amber eyes practically glowing in the candlelight. “Good,” he said, his voice rougher than I’d ever heard it. “That means the connection is strong. Don’t fight it, darling. Let yourself feel everything.”
Before I could respond, his mouth was on me again, but this time he took me deeper, his throat working around my cock in a way that made my breath hitch.
The feeding sensation grew stronger, like invisible threads connecting us, pulling my energy into him while somehow amplifying every sensation in my body.
I’d never experienced anything like it. The feeding he’d gotten from me before was invisible.
But now that I was paying attention, I realized that every nerve ending felt hyperaware, and every touch magnified tenfold.
When he hummed around my cock, the vibration shot through me like lightning.
I could feel my orgasm building, but it was different this time.
It was deeper, more intense, and almost like it was coming from my very soul.
“I’m gonna—” I started to warn him, but he just took me deeper, one hand coming up to gently massage my balls while the other pressed firmly against my perineum.
The orgasm that tore through me was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
It felt like every cell in my body was lighting up simultaneously, pleasure radiating outward in waves that seemed to go on forever.
I could feel Valen drawing energy from my climax as he drank my cum greedily.
And somehow that made it even more intense, like we were caught in a feedback loop of sensation.
When I finally came down from the high, I was trembling all over, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
Valen crawled up my body, pressing soft kisses to my overheated skin, and I could see that he looked different somehow.
More vibrant, more alive, like my energy had restored something vital in him.
“That was just the beginning,” he murmured against my ear, his fangs grazing my throat in a way that made me shiver despite my recent orgasm. “I told you I wanted to taste every inch of you, and I meant it.”
Before I could fully process what he meant, he was moving down my body again, but this time he didn’t stop at my cock. His hands gripped my thighs, spreading them wider as his mouth worked lower, pressing kisses and gentle bites to the sensitive skin of my inner thighs.
“Valen,” I breathed, my voice shaky with anticipation and lingering pleasure. “What are you—”
“Shh,” he said. “Just let me work, darling.”
Suddenly he grabbed the back of my knees and pushing them toward my chest, spreading me wide open so I was on full display. For a moment I felt a flush of embarrassment. However, it completely disappeared when I felt his tongue lick a long stripe across my hole.
“Oh fuck!” I gasped, my body tensing as the pleasure tore through me. “Oh my god… that… that feels incredible!”
Valen chuckled against my skin, the vibration sending another shockwave through me. “You taste even better here,” he murmured, his breath hot against my most intimate places. “So fucking sweet, darling.”
I could barely form coherent thoughts as his tongue worked against me, alternating between broad strokes and focused attention that made my toes curl.
Every nerve ending felt like it was on fire, and I could feel that strange energy connection growing stronger, more intense than it had been when he’d had his mouth on my cock.
“I can’t—” I gasped, my hands fisting in his hair as he did something with his tongue that made brain feel like it was shorting out. “It’s too much. I might cum again if you don’t stop…”