Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“You…want to kiss me?”
Actually, he wanted to lick her, but Davrik thought it was better not to do that. He was sure he could spread his Essence with an open-mouthed kiss too. The moment he had seen her, his fangs—which had been dull for five long years—had sharpened and the moment she’d been hurt, they had started producing copious amounts of the pale blue liquid.
If he’d had any question or doubt in his mind that this Sonya wasn’t right for him the way his own Sonya had been, that had dispelled it. The way his body reacted to hers—his fangs sharpening and producing Essence—proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was meant to be his mate. Probably he was making his Bonding Scent too, which ought to attract her to him, if only she got close enough to smell him with her limited human senses.
But of course, he couldn’t tell her all that—not yet.
“I want to heal you,” he told her again. “Please, Sonya—will you trust me enough to let me do that?”
He held her eyes with his as he spoke, willing her to understand what he was saying—to believe he only wanted to help her.
I just want to protect you, baby girl! To heal you and pleasure you and keep you safe always!
But it was too soon to say those words to her. All he could do was hold her gaze with his own and wait for her decision.
TWENTY-FOUR
SONYA
Sonya looked at the big Kindred uncertainly. He was so huge she felt like a child beside him. Even with him sitting and her standing they were eye-to-eye because of his enormous height. She could see the sharp points of his fangs gleaming under his lush upper lip—was she really going to trust him to put his mouth on her when he had the equivalent of four razor blades hidden in his smile?
And yet…he hadn’t grabbed her or forced her to do anything. Even now he was just sitting there, waiting patiently with one hand outstretched. Maybe he really did just want to help her…to kiss her.
The thought sent a surprising little tremble through her midsection. He really was extremely handsome, even though he was so big. And he smelled incredible—a warm, masculine scent like cedar wood and spice that filled her senses.
“All right,” she said at last. “You…you can kiss me. But if you bite me, I’m never trusting you again!” she added in a rush.
“Sonya…I will never hurt you.” His deep, rumbling voice seemed to caress her and his pale blue eyes were filled with sincerity. Then, slowly and never taking his eyes off her, he lifted her burned wrist to his mouth.
The burn was on the underside of her wrist, just under the bracelet of blue veins that were visible through her light brown skin. Sonya couldn’t help thinking that it was exactly where a vampire would want to bite.
But the big Kindred didn’t bite her. Instead, he licked his lips and then leaned down and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the burned part of her arm.
Sonya gasped and almost jerked away. But he wasn’t biting her—wasn’t hurting her. In fact, the moment his lips made contact with her skin, the awful burning pain the bracelet had left began to dissipate and a soothing coolness took its place.
After a long moment, Davrik pulled away and looked at her arm critically.
“Hmm…still a little redness,” he murmured. Putting out his tongue—it was pink, even though his skin was gray, she noted—he lapped her gently, laving the hurt area until it was apparently healed to his satisfaction. Then he examined her again and nodded before releasing her arm and sitting back. “There—all healed.”
“Er…thank you.” Sonya looked down at her arm uncertainly. Sure enough, she was completely healed. It was like some kind of magic or something! “How did you do that?” she asked, looking up at him.
For a moment, Davrik hesitated, as though thinking how to explain to her.
“It has to do with my Kindred anatomy,” he said at last. “It…recognizes a female I may be compatible with and enables me to make the Essence which can heal or pleasure her.”
“Wait…pleasure her?” Sonya raised her eyebrows. “How?”
“We don’t have to speak about that now,” he said firmly. “For now, I just want to be sure you won’t get burned again. I still think you should let me break the links on the bracelet and take it off your arm. If the Sluggorn asks about it, I can always say that it was my decision and take complete responsibility.”
Sonya shook her head regretfully.
“I wish it was that easy. But even if he told you it was all right, he would still punish me after the week is up and you’re gone. He might…might even put me in The Box.”
The Box was a horrible punishment reserved for girls who refused to submit to the clients who came to see them. Sonya had never been put into it herself, but she’d heard horror stories from the other “flowers.”