Page 30 of Knight’s Absolution

“You need to feed regularly, Luna.”

“I’ll figure something out—”

“How will you figure it out?” he said, so harshly, goose bumps rose all over her skin. “You need blood, I’m offering you mine.”

She shook her head even as her fangs tingled and her stomach gripped with the beginning pangs of hunger. “You’ve already done enough. I’ll find someone…don’t worry about me.”

“Look at me,” he said, softer but still harsh.

It was difficult, she didn’t want to look at his handsome face, not when her body was screaming at her to move closer to him, to seek out his incredible warmth, to breathe in his intoxicating scent.

She forced herself to meet his eyes. “You don’t need to offer yourself up like that.”

His eyes were bright, hard, determined. “When you need to feed, love, you will feed from me.”

She opened her mouth to argue and shut it again. That look brooked no argument. She didn’t understand why he was so adamant about this. Why he’d even want that?

Duty. The voice in her head whispered again. His strong, unwavering sense of duty.

She nodded but had no intention of doing as he asked. No, she couldn’t bear to be that…vulnerable with him again. That was asking too much. Her fragile emotions couldn’t take it.

He looked pleased, and she ignored the niggle of guilt that she’d lied to him.

He opened the door that led to the hall outside his apartment. “Right, now that that’s sorted, let’s go.”

CHAPTER 8

Hell

The door opened and, like always, Scarlet peered around it before she walked in. And, like always, Tobias’s heart smacked to life in his chest. From the moment she walked into this room, his world became her. And the moment she left, he lived until she would come back. Until he could see her again.

She was the only thing worth fighting for.

His body was a mess, worse than the day before. It had been “fun with knives” day, and the demon had enjoyed the hell out of himself. Fucker.

Scarlet moved into the room, and he fucking sucked in a pained breath. Oh, Christ. This had to mean something. How could it not? Yesterday, as she’d tended his wounds, he’d told her how beautiful her hair was, and today, for the first time since he was sent here, she wasn’t wearing a braid. No, her wild, glorious red hair was down and free.

He wanted to believe it was for him so badly, he yanked viciously at his chains, trying to break free. She stilled and glanced up at him warily from under her lashes, still not meeting his eyes.

“Sorry,” he said thickly.

She lowered her gaze again and moved closer. Her scent invaded his senses, and he wanted to fucking cry, to roar in frustration. Why wouldn’t she remember? He needed her to remember.

Placing her bowl on the floor, she wrung out her rag and began her daily task, cleaning his wounds, healing them for the next round of torture. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as her delicate fingers gripped that rag, moving it gently over his abused flesh.

And like every day, he asked her the question he was desperate for her to answer. “What is your name, female?” His heart continued to thunder in his chest as he waited, desperate for her to answer, to say anything, to hear her voice again.

Her hand stilled for a split second, but instead of ignoring him and carrying on cleaning his wounds like she always did, she paused and licked her lips before her gaze darted to his for a split second. “I…I don’t know,” she said softly.

His fucking legs almost gave out. Her voice. Christ, it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. It would be light and sweet if it wasn’t for that slight rasp she’d always had. He loved that fucking rasp. It hit him in the gut, and he wanted to laugh, fucking weep, from the pleasure of hearing her again.

She rinsed the rag in her bowl again and brought it back to smooth over his shoulders, up his throat, and along his jaw where the demon had sliced him deeply. “What is your name?” she asked.

He had to swallow several times to get his voice to work. “Tobias,” he rasped. “My name is Tobias.”

Her hand stilled, and her gaze met his again for a brief moment. “Tobias,” she repeated like she was tasting it on her tongue.

“Your hair,” he said. “So beautiful.”