Bittersweet Blood (The Order #1)

A sense of foreboding washed over Christian. Something lurked behind her eyes. She still appeared human, but it was like a thin veneer concealing some other form. He breathed deeply and the faint rank, bitter scent of rotting eggs assaulted his nostrils. Demon.

His eyes flickered around the room, searching for an explanation, but they were alone, and his gaze returned to Tara. He inhaled again. The taint of sulfur was still there, but overlaid with something exotic and sweet. It rolled around his senses, intoxicating and sensual. His cock stirred in his pants and heat coiled low in his belly. The prickle in his gums reminded him that he longed to taste her. He closed his eyes and savored the feelings. Whatever she was, it made no difference.

And whatever happened in the future, he knew he would have her this night, in every way possible. She would be his.

“Christian, what is it?”

An edge of panic floated beneath the surface of her voice. Opening his eyes, he made no attempt to hide the hunger in his gaze. He’d kept so much of his real self hidden from her, concealing his exact nature, afraid she wouldn’t be able to accept him. Now he let her see beneath the mask, and her eyes widened with shock. She swayed toward him, but then shook herself and sat up straight.

“Tell me what you see,” she said.

“I see nothing, but you smell…” He leaned closer and inhaled. “Delectable.” He stroked his tongue along the line of her throat. “Edible…irresistible.”

…

At the first stroke of his tongue, Tara’s body melted and her mind ceased to function. She wanted desperately to know what he had seen when she removed the necklace. If anything, he seemed to want her more. It was an almost tangible thing between them, and a flicker of unease rippled through her.

He nuzzled at her neck, nibbling at her flesh, and tremors of pleasure shot through her. She squirmed in her seat, but forced herself to make one more try. She slipped her hand between them and pushed. It made no difference. He was immoveable.

“Please, Christian, tell me.”

He sighed against her throat. Then sat back, and Tara watched, fascinated as he pulled himself under control, wrapped it around himself like a cloak. She waited, holding her breath as the hunger faded from his eyes.

“I don’t know,” he said. “There’s something there, you’re different.” He searched her face. “It isn’t in how you look. It’s in your very essence.” He shook his head. “I can’t tell what it is. May I try something?”

“What?”

“Do you trust me, Tara?”

Strangely she did. She nodded.

“I want to try and get inside your head. We need to do it at some point anyway.”

“We do?”

“You heard me with Piers. I promised. And you’re less likely to come to harm once you bear my mark. Too many people in my world have met you now, and for some reason you’re not easily forgotten.”

“You won’t make me do anything I don’t want?”

He murmured, “I assure you that you will crave every last thing we do together with every cell of your body.”

“Promises, promises…” But she had no doubt that he spoke the truth. “Okay, what do I have to do?”

“Nothing. Just don’t fight me.”

He took her chin between his finger and thumb, raised her head, and stared into her eyes. Tara waited for something to happen. After a minute, he released his hold and sat back.

“Well, that was a bit of an anticlimax,” Tara said. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was sure with the talisman gone you’d be mine to take, but I can’t get in. Your mind is locked up tight.”

“What does it mean?”

“It could be a number of things. I don’t want to speculate without knowing more.”

“Why?” she asked. “Are all these ‘things’ unpleasant?”

“Not at all,” he said, and she had the distinct impression that if not lying outright then he was being stingy with the truth. “But it’s been a long evening for you and there is one more thing we can do tonight.”

“And that is?”

His eyes roamed over her before setting on her throat. “I can taste you.”

“Taste me?”

“Drink your blood.” His voice dropped, low and dark. Sharp prickles of sensation shot through her body, stiffening her nipples to hard little nubs, clenching the muscles of her belly into tight knots of desire. She shifted in her chair and he smiled.

“We can tell a lot from a person’s blood. It may reveal exactly what you are, what has been done to you. Are you willing to let me drink from you, Tara?”

She stared at him, mesmerized as the tight hold on his control slowly unraveled, letting the monster peer out from within. He smiled with a flash of fangs, and her breath caught in her throat. She opened her mouth but no sound came out, and she closed it again. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. A fierce flare of excitement gleamed in his silver eyes and an echoing surge shot through her.