Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)

With an eye roll and a sigh, I shrugged and turned to lead the way to the back. Being back in Harley’s room so soon felt all kinds of wrong. I was nervous about doing this with Arys. Already it felt way too good to be ok.

By the time the door closed, our victim had already fallen under his spell. She perched on the edge of the bed, watching us both with apprehensive excitement. I took the drink from her hand and set it on the table, keeping my distance as Arys sat beside her.

He leaned in close to whisper something naughty in her ear. She laughed and blushed. I wanted to be annoyed, but I was drawn closer. Arys’s thrall was powerful, affecting me too.

His lips moved over her ear, down her neck. She visibly swooned, leaning into him with closed eyes and a soft sigh. She clutched at him, her fingers leaving indents on his arm. The atmosphere sang with her arousal. I itched to sink my fangs into her.

Arys held out a hand to me, and I moved toward him without thinking. I could feel him inside me and all around. Inescapable. Only he could strip away my defenses with just a gesture.

I wanted to resist. The frightened woman inside me wanted to flee down the hall and out of the building, holding tight to my many broken pieces. But without a word Arys promised to put them back together, and I found myself reaching for him.

I would never escape this man. I could run to the ends of the earth, and he would still be there within me. That realization both warmed and terrified me.

Words were not needed. Together we made this quaking human ours. He encouraged her lusty energy, and I swam in it. I sat beside her so she was between us. She held on to both of us, gripping my hand so hard it hurt. Arys barely touched her, and she was a mess of desire.

It was nothing like it had been with either Kale or Jenner. My control was tested no doubt. I wanted the kill, but in Arys’s presence, I found a strength I’d never had with the others. This inner control kept me focused on only taking what I’d come for.

Sliding a hand into her long, brown hair, I leaned in close, breathing in her delicious human scent. I felt it like a punch in the stomach, demanding that I taste the precious nectar that pumped through her.

I ran my tongue along her neck, feeling the beat of her pulse. Arys watched me, the intensity of his stare drawing my gaze to his. His eagerness taunted my hunger. He wanted to watch, and something about that excited me.

It wasn’t the first time I’d shared a victim with Arys. However, it was the first time since I’d turned. My hesitation at doing this had fled. Something about it felt natural. Comfortable.

Arys kissed his way down her arm, tracing the vein in the curve of her elbow with his tongue. He never took his eyes from me. Her arousal grew with every touch. She wasn’t the only one affected by him. Heat crept up my cheeks and between my legs. He was so damn good.

Closing my eyes, I pressed my mouth against her neck and sought out the pulse beating there. It throbbed against my lips, racing with her desire. I bared the small but deadly sharp vampire fangs I was still struggling to adjust to and bit deep.

With the slightest resistance, my fangs pierced her flesh. Then the blood hit my tongue. Combined with the heady rush of sensual energy, it was exhilarating, sweeping me away on a mental cloud of bliss.

I was keenly in tune with our victim. Her heartbeat reverberated in my ears. I was aware of the rise and fall of her chest with each breath. My energy aligned with hers, allowing me to feel her very essence in an intimate way. So when her heart tripped into a different rhythm, I knew it was time to stop.

Resisting it was hard. Damn hard. And yet, somehow satisfying. I didn’t want it any less, and stopping came with mild disappointment. But it was outweighed by the thrill of succeeding.

I looked to Arys, who licked a smear of blood from his lips. He set her bitten arm down gently on the bed. She didn’t react, having passed out at some point. Her breathing was steady and even. She’d be fine.

Arys and I stared at each other like the confused, divided, and smitten lovers we were. The longing that rolled off him matched my own. The room buzzed with the power we’d called.

We were staring at each other with mixed emotions, and then we were kissing. He pulled me over to the small bistro table in the corner where he fell into a chair, tugging me onto his lap. His kiss was hungry, voracious.

I wanted him. I did. Kissing him back with fierce longing, I fisted a handful of his hair. Damn how I’d missed him.

But then the memories played through my head: The way it felt to be in his strong embrace while he drained my life away. The deep satisfaction that filled him after finally getting what he’d waited so long for. The horror I experienced at the realization that he’d been counting down to my death even as he resisted it.

I shoved away from him. On my feet, I backed toward the door. A trembling hand went to my lips as if I could wipe the sensation of him from me. Impossible.