Page 35 of Crimson Elemental
Saint grins down at me as he tugs his pants on. God, I love his smile. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. Since accepting the bond, he’s done it more and more.
“I have to,” he says, pulling his shirt on before leaning down to brush his lips over mine. “You need me at my best to keep you fed.”
I sigh as he kisses me again, shifting to my knees to wrap my arms around him. “Can I come?” I ask.
His smile falters.
“Just to get out,” I hurry to say. “Not to feed.” I slide my hands over his strong chest. “You’ve satisfied that thirst quite well.”
The tension in the lines of his face eases, but only a fraction. I’m still learning what is and isn’t triggering to him so early in our mating stages. I tilt my head. “Wait. What’s more unsettling, that you thought I wanted to feed from someone else or that I want to get out?”
He’s been helping me train between our intimate sessions. Helping me with my hand-to-hand combat skills and he even gave me some power control pointers too. He has to know I’m getting stronger by the minute, right?
His lips find mine, his hands sliding around my body to bring us flush. I open for him, losing all sense of the conversation for a few seconds before I pull back. “Don’t distract me,” I chide him. “Answer the question.”
“Feeding,” he grumbles.
I tip my chin up. “So, you’re fine taking me off property with you?”
I see the hesitation before he opens his mouth. “Aurora?—”
I gently disconnect myself from him, climbing off the bed. I cross the room to the wardrobe, slipping on my softest pink robe. By the time I have it tied, I have the courage to speak again.
“I haven’t seen the stars in seven nights,” I say.
He smirks, his lips curling in a delicious, challenging way that sends lightning down my spine. “Are you saying I’ve kept you too busy?” He tsks me. “You’re the one always begging for me.”
I huff a laugh. “Says the male who would literally get on his knees if I told him to drop?”
Saint’s pupils blow out before he spans the distance between us. My back kisses the wall next to my wardrobe as he cages me in. “Say it and I’ll make it happen.”
The bond between us goes taut and hot all at the same time.
“You need to feed,” I argue, even as he drags his nose along the edge of my neck. Even as I arch into his hard, powerful body. “I just want to get out of here.”
“You’re more than free to roam the grounds while I go,” he whispers against my skin, planting kisses that make my breath hitch. “I know Annika misses you. Dagon has been irritatingly loud about it whenever I see him.”
“Whenever you leave to feed together.” I grip the hair on the back of his head and tug. “I know I can roam the grounds.” I wiggle out of his embrace, needing the distance to think straight. “Saint, I can’t stay here forever.” I tilt my head up at him. “You know that, don’t you?”
He visibly swallows. “You understand why I don’t want you leaving the safety of the wards.”
“Yes, I’m aware of the threat on my eternal life.” We’ve been over this a dozen times. “But our lives can’t simply stop because we’re afraid of what he’ll do.”
“You know what he’s capable of.”
“I do.”
“And you’re mine.”
I smile, warmth fluttering beneath my skin at the declaration. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing him admit that.
“I am,” I say, crossing the distance.
He takes a step away from me, retreating like I’m the predator. “Don’t give me that look,” he warns. “It makes me want to give you anything you ask for.”
I bat my eyes at him a little more. His knees hit the back of the bed, and he sinks down atop it. I step between his thighs, andhis hands immediately fly to my hips. “So, you’ll take me with you?”
Pain flutters over his features, like the idea of taking me outside the safety of the wards is physically hurting him. “I can’t.”
