She smiled at that as she drew near him. "Interesting image."
He thought over what Spawn had said about her needs. She'd been pregnant for almost a month now. Was she okay? "How are you feeling?"
"Very, very tired. I came down to go to bed early."
He gave a halfhearted laugh at that. "Only in our world would midnight be considered early." He pulled her gently into his lap. She settled across him easily and he realized just how comfortable he'd become with her.
"Yeah, I know," she said as she tucked her head under his chin and leaned against his chest. "The joys of being nocturnal."
She sighed. "When I was a little girl, I used to try and bring sunshine to my mother. I felt so bad that she had never really seen or felt it. So I would try and catch it in jars. When that failed, I captured jars and jars of lightning bugs and told her that if we could catch enough of them, then it would look like the sun. She'd laugh, hug me, and then set them free and tell me that nothing should have to live its life in a cage."
Wulf smiled. He could just imagine her bringing her jars to her mother. "I'm sure it pleased her."
She ran her hand over his forearm, raising chills on his entire body as she idly stroked his skin. "My older sister was like her. She couldn't tolerate the sun at all. If she was in it any more than three minutes, she would burn to a crisp."
"I'm sorry."
The two of them fell silent while Wulf closed his eyes and let her scent of roses permeate him. She was so soft against him. Her curves lush and full from her pregnancy. All he wanted was to taste her.
"Do you think dying hurts?" she asked, her voice nothing more than a breathless whisper.
Pain lacerated him at the thought. "Baby, why do you do this to yourself?"
"I try not to," she whispered. "I really do, but I can't seem to stop myself from thinking about the fact that in seven months I will never see the sunshine again." She looked up at him with her eyes bright and shining from unshed tears. "Never see you. Kat. This ratty old cellar."
"My rooms are not ratty."
She gave him a bittersweet, winsome smile. "I know. I guess I should count my blessings. At least I have the benefit of knowing when I'll die. This way I can put everything in order."
No, she couldn't, because as he spent more and more time with her, he was drawn closer to her. These last three weeks had been so incredible. He'd learned to feel almost normal. It was so nice to walk upstairs and not have to introduce himself to her and Kat. To wake up at dusk and find her lying beside him, knowing him, his touch…
Sighing, she pushed herself out of his lap and headed toward the bed. She took a step and stumbled. Wulf moved with lightning speed to scoop her up into his arms before she fell. "You okay?"
"Dizzy spell."
She'd been having those for the last week. "Do I need to send for blood?"
"No. I think that one was pregnancy related."
He carried her to the bed and laid her down gently. Cassandra smiled at the sight of her Viking warrior and his care. Whatever she needed or wanted, he sent someone for it or he went and got it himself. As he started to pull away, she kissed his lips. His reaction startled her as he kissed her back desperately. He was like a wild animal as he explored every inch of her mouth. His tongue danced with hers, and when she brushed against his fangs, she shivered.
She felt the predator inside him, the barbarian. He tasted of bloodlust and mercy. Growling, he lifted her shirt up so that he could cup her breast in his hand. Cassandra sighed at his demanding touch. He was normally so tender but tonight his touch was feral. He pulled her pants and panties off together so quickly that she barely felt the denim and silk leave her.
He didn't even bother removing his pants all the way. Instead, he shoved them down just below his hips, enough so that he could enter her. Cassandra moaned as he filled her with such sweet bliss that she wanted to weep. He was so wild as he thrust himself against her, and she took delight in every deep, penetrating stroke.
Wulf couldn't breathe. He had no business with her. No business letting her inside his defenses when he had no choice except to let her go, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to feel her in his arms. Needed to feel her body under him.
She sank her nails into his skin as she arched her back and came for him. He waited until she had finished shuddering before he joined her in that blissful place. He laid himself carefully down over her body so as not to hurt her or the baby. All he wanted was to feel her entwined with him, her bare legs cradling his body.
"Are you all right?" she asked quietly. "It's not like you to be in such a hurry."