Chapter 14 #2
The feel of her body yielding to mine, the taste of her sweet blood coating my tongue, the sound of her breathless whimpers…
it was all too much, too perfect, too overwhelming.
I pulled out and drove back in, savoring the exquisite friction.
And again, feeling her body quiver around me.
And then I was moving fast, unable to hold back any longer, pounding into her luscious body as her blood alighted every one of my senses.
Talin cried out, jerking beneath me, her inner muscles spasming wildly as her release crashed through her. The pulsing of her body around mine triggered my own climax, and I came so deep inside of her I was sure she could taste it.
The threads appeared around us, just like last time. Opening my eyes, I could see them now, glowing lines of shimmering color that connected us to each other and to everyone we knew. Our thread was the brightest, a rope of pure light that pulsed with every swallow I took.
And beyond that, stretching into the distance like a map laid out in neon, I could see the path to Alex. The blue thread that was stretched too thin, the shadows coiling around it that must be Marcus's influence.
Talin gasped, and I realized she was seeing it too. Seeing what I saw, the bond between us so strong now that we were sharing the same vision.
There.
Her thought slipped into my mind. She wasn't pointing at Alex's thread, but at something else. A knot of darkness where dozens of threads converged, all of them tangled together in a pattern that made my skin crawl.
That's where he's keeping Alex. That's where I need to go.
Terror slammed into me, so sharp I nearly choked on it. She couldn't. She couldn't walk into that darkness, that wrongness. It would swallow her whole.
But even as the fear tore through me, I felt her certainty. Her absolute conviction that this was the only way.
I forced myself to retract my fangs, to seal the wound with my tongue even though every instinct screamed at me to keep drinking, to tie her to me so completely she could never leave.
She accepted my weight as I slumped against her, her breathing harsh and uneven. Blood stained her shoulder, and I leaned down to lick it clean, the gesture both tender and possessive.
The threads were already fading from my vision, sinking back into whatever dimension they normally inhabited. But I could still feel them, could sense the web that connected us to everyone we knew.
Could sense the darkness waiting at the center of it.
Gods, what the hell had I been thinking? Draining her now? Where the fuck was that self control when I'd needed it? "I'm sorry," I rasped. "I shouldn't have done that."
"Will my blood help you find me if I get lost?" she asked.
I lifted my head to stare down into her soft green eyes. "Yes." Yes, it would. And… if my blood was running through her veins…well, hell…that would be even better.
Balancing myself on one elbow, I lifted my other wrist to my mouth and bit down until there was a good flow of blood. I pressed the open bite to her lips. "Drink," I ordered.
For once, she didn't argue with me.
As this amazing woman sucked on my vein, moaning at the taste of me, I felt myself grow hard again.
Slowly, lazily, I fucked her as she drank, giving her my strength in return for nourishing me.
It wasn't wild and desperate like before.
It just felt fucking good to slide my cock in and out of her tight body.
After a few minutes, she stopped, licking at my wrist much like I did to her.
"Take more," I insisted.
But Talin shook her head. "That's enough. I feel like I could lift this house and throw it into Lake Pontchartrain."
I nearly insisted. But in the end, I allowed the wound to heal and pulled out of her body, rolling onto my back and bringing her with me until we were back in our original position.
Her hand found mine, our fingers tangling together. "I saw it. Where Alex is. Where Marcus is waiting."
"I saw it too."
She swallowed hard. "I heard you inside my head." Her voice was questioning.
"I heard you, too."
Will you always be able to hear me now?
I don't know, but I can hear you still.
"Good," she whispered against my mouth as she kissed me. "Because that'll be just one more way you can help me find my way home."
The fear tried to claw its way up my throat again, but I shoved it down. She was right. We'd done everything we could to prepare. The bond between us was strong, but was it strong enough to anchor her across dimensions if it had to?
It had to be. It had to be enough.
Reluctantly, I pulled back, scanning her face as she did the same to me. Her gaze was steady. Determined. Strong.
"We need to feed you before we meet with the others," I told her. "Get your strength back up."
"I'm fine."
"You're tired."
"Am not."
I raised an eyebrow, and she sighed.
"Okay, maybe a little. I'll grab something out of the fridge on our way out." Glancing toward the window, she sighed. "It's time to go."
She was right, damn it. The sun had just touched the horizon. I felt it in the loosening of my muscles, the way my senses sharpened as darkness claimed the sky.
"Fine." I slid off the bed, reaching for my clothes. I thought about showering again, but couldn't stand the thought of washing her scent from me. And I didn't give a shit if the others would smell her too. They'd also smell me all over her. "But you're eating, Talin. That's non-negotiable."
"Bossy."
"Concerned."
She rolled her eyes, and I narrowed my eyes at her. She was going to pay for that.
She dressed reluctantly, pulling on dark jeans and a black tank top before reaching for the padded bra. I caught her hand before she could put it on.
"You don't have to," I said quietly. "Not around me."
Her throat worked as she swallowed. "I'm more comfortable with it on."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell her again how she was beautiful exactly as she was. But I could see the vulnerability in her eyes, the way this choice was still so new and fragile.
So instead, I just nodded and released her hand. Let her make the decision for herself.
She put the bra on, then the rest of her clothes, and called the high priestess to tell her what she'd seen and what needed to happen.
After making her a quick sandwich with some stuff I found in her fridge—and making sure she ate it—we left her apartment hand in hand, stepping out into a New Orleans evening that was thick with humidity, salty sea air, and the scent of jasmine.
Even though it was technically still winter, I could tell it had been a warmer day, and the south had no respect for the seasons.
The French Quarter was already coming alive as we approached, music drifting from open doorways and tourists clogging the sidewalks. I tried not to scowl at them all, but it was hard not to when I really just wanted to be back in Talin's bed.
But our walk came to an end way too soon. Ancient Magicks loomed ahead, the closed sign on the door, but through the windows we could see some lights on toward the back. I could already sense the others inside, too, both vampires and witches.
Talin's hand tightened in mine.
"Hey." I stopped us just outside the door, turning her to face me. "Whatever happens in there tonight, I want you to know I'm not sorry about this."
She frowned up at me in confusion.
"This." I gestured between us. "Us. The two of us."
"It's not like we really had a choice."
"Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm still not sorry it did."
I kissed her one more time, trying to pour everything I had no time to say into the quick press of my mouth against hers.
When we broke apart, she looked around, and I knew the threads hadn't disappeared this time.
"Ready?" I asked.
She took a breath, squaring her shoulders. "Ready."
I pushed open the door to Lizzy's store, and we stepped inside to face our fate.