Kale drew on my blood and energy, which I freely gave. Pain throbbed from the wounds like fire racing down my neck into my back. As much as it hurt, there was a gratifying element to his bite. My power had wanted Kale for some time. In that moment, he was mine.
The chill of his mouth on my injured skin swept me up in a storm of desire. I didn’t want to react to him like this, and certainly not in front of anyone else. His lust for me sprang to life, and I feasted upon his desire, responding to his hunger for my blood and body. At least Arys’s presence kept me grounded; I was grateful for that.
Kale pressed against me as he fed. There was no mistaking the evidence of his growing arousal. The power swirled around us, taunting us with the promise of more. A delightful tingle started in my groin. I ached to have him nestled between my thighs again.
I was shaking and breathless. We fed upon each other in a sordid little tango. He drained my blood, and I feasted on his response to my power. However, blood loss had my head spinning; I had to stop him.
With both hands on his chest, I braced, ready to physically throw him off. “Kale, stop.” My words were a lie. Even as I said it, I was entertaining thoughts of throwing him down on the grass beneath us and taking him the way I longed to.
Applause broke the spell holding us entwined. Kale jerked away from me as if my touch had burned. I collapsed on my hands and knees, digging my fingers into the earth in an attempt to ground my energy and get control of myself.
Falon clapped, slow and dramatic. My vision swam as I tried to focus on him. I was thrumming with the heavy charge of what I’d just done. Surreal.
Blood dripped from the bites in my neck as well as from my nose. Great. I’d never hear the end of this from Arys. I was afraid to look at him. Did he hate me for this? He had to understand that I couldn’t simply let Kale die.
White noise roared in my ears. I stared at the ground and concentrated on the earth. Sharing power and blood with Kale was nothing like my union with Arys. They were worlds apart. Arys was part of me, but Kale was mine.
I shook my head, hating myself for feeling that way. It didn’t matter now. Shya had made an agreement. He had to hold up his end. Kale was safe and that was what mattered right then.
The familiar touch of Arys was welcome when he picked me up off the ground. He held me upright until I was steady on my feet. Without saying a word, he smoothed the hair back from my face and swiped a gentle hand through the blood trickling from my nose. The dismay was heavy in his eyes.
Kale leaned back against a headstone, about as far as he could get from me without leaving the property. His eyes were wide and his pupils huge. Already most of his wounds from Falon’s beating had healed.
“Impressive,” Falon commented lazily.
I turned my attention to Shya. He was staring at Kale with interest. His gaze darted to me, and I knew by the intrigue on his face that my eyes were Arys’s startling blue.
Shya stepped up close with a sweep of wings. He peered into me as if searching for something specific. I glared hard, biting back the nasty remark dancing on the tip of my tongue.
“I’d hate to have another incident with the two of you. In all honesty, I’m fond of you both.” Shya referred to Kale with a dismissive gesture. “When you start being more trouble than you’re worth, things get ugly. I’ll consider this matter closed. However, I expect you will supply me with a dreamwalker, seeing as I am quite obviously still in need of one.”
Staring into the cold red eyes of a ruthless demon, I was left between a rock and a hard place. This wasn’t the time to argue his terms. It was ludicrous of him to demand that I find him a dreamwalker but refusal would get me killed.
Against my instinct, I nodded. “Fine. Whatever. Can I leave now?”
In a swift motion, Shya grabbed my hand, sealing the deal. His touch burned as flames rose up to engulf my arm. I shrieked. The pain was intense and unbearable. He released me quickly, and the fire vanished. Smoke rose from my arm. I stared in shock at the dragon burned into my skin. It wrapped around my wrist with its tail curled onto the back of my hand and its head rested on the inside of my forearm. It appeared to grip my arm with its clawed feet. Reptilian wings flared out from its back.
“What the friggin hell did you do to me?” I demanded, yelping again from the searing pain. It was leaps and bounds worse than Kale’s vicious bite.
Shya stepped back, his expression grim. “I merely sealed the deal with my sigil. Bring me a dreamwalker, and I’ll remove it. Try to cross me, and it allows me to find you and deliver justice. Don’t worry. It won’t burn for long.”
He turned his back on us all and returned to the sordid party taking place around the fire. Cloaked by his massive black wings, he looked more like a monster to me now than he ever had. Falon had disappeared in silence. Good riddance.