Page 62 of Revenant

“Territorial would’ve been me finishing on the shirt and making you walk out of here with the evidence plastered on the front,” I tell her, though the evidence stays between her legs.

“That was…” she starts, the orgasm haze still present in her eyes.

I smirk. “No, continue, stroke my ego a little more.” She giggles, sliding off the table on wobbly legs, putting her underwear and leggings back on.

“I’m not sure what’s more exhilarating. The sex or the fact I lit those candles without a thought.”

I press my hand to my chest as if offended. “Should we go again? I could make the decision pretty easy if given another opportunity.” Her cheeks flush, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’ve never…done magic before.” Her blush deepens. “But I guess I never really believed the whole witch thing. Or maybe I was just suppressing it.”

“Hate to break it to you, but this is just the beginning. The power can be…intoxicating.”

“My skin is still buzzing,” she admits.

“I have that effect; it should wear off in a day or two.” I wink, and the carefree laugh that escapes her is one I wouldn’t mind hearing on repeat for the rest of eternity. “Take the grimoire. Most of it’s in a lost language, one specific to your Calder bloodline, so it might take some time to get through. Just…” My words fall off, suddenly second-guessing letting her take it out of this room. “Just be careful. Don’t let any other students know you have it.”

She handles it carefully, cradling the book against herself. “Why would anyone be interested in an old book?”

“There’s a reason we kept it locked down here,” I warn, letting the ominous admission settle.

She nods, the post-sex haze starting to wear off. Her hand moves to cover one of the marks I’ve made, and the gaze that meets mine is filled with terror. “Will…will these turn me into a vampire?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Not in the slightest. It’s much more complicated than that. The semantics we can get into another time, but you don’t need to worry, you’re perfectly safe.” Even as the words leave me, I’m not sure that’s entirely the truth. She’s safe from turning, that part’s true, we would have to bury her behind the greenhouse. But safe in general? That’s always up for debate.

Alicent takes that for what it is, looking relieved to know she too won’t be a blood thirsty vampire. I clear my throat. “I’ll walk you back—”

“No need,” she interrupts. “I can find my own way.” And just like that, the defiant brat is back.

And I don’t mind at all.

“Do us both a favor,” I call out, just as she’s about to disappear into the tunnels. “Pay attention to your surroundings. You never know who’s sitting in the shadows.” She rolls her eyes like I’m being dramatic. But the truth is, if any of the guys stumbles upon her, there’s no telling what they’ll do when they realize what I’ve done.

Once she’s out of ear shot, I can’t help the smile that creeps across my face. “You can come out, brother.”

Eryx’s tattered form emerges from the far corner, looking a complete and utter disaster.

“Did you enjoy the show?” I gloat, relishing in every moment of this.

“Fuck off.”

“Oh, I did.” My eyes move down, spotting the wet spot he’s sporting on the front of his pants. “Apparently so did you.” I’ve never seen him this out of control. Sure, he might be a little psycho from time to time, but he’s always been in control.

“You need to feed,” I tell him.

“I fucking can’t. I’ve tried. Fresh blood bags, it all just tastes rancid.” His admission catches me off guard. I didn’t know he wasn’t feeding at all.

My finger swipes at the leftover blood running down the side of my lip. Collecting it all, I hold my finger out to him. “It’s not much, but maybe all you need is a taste.”

He laughs, cynically like this is a joke. “You and I both know that’s not even a fraction of enough.”

“No, but it’s better than starving yourself.” He takes it under advisement, and I see the moment he relinquishes whatever resolve he was holding onto. He wraps his lips around my finger, sucking it clean.

His pupils dilate to one of a predator, any color leaching from his eyes as one primal thought I know all too well, sinking into the forefront of his mind. His eyes dart to the entry, and suddenly I’m not so sure this was the best idea.

I press my hand against his chest. “Eryx, think about this.”

“Get your bloody hand off me.” He whacks it away, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m not going to do anything stupid,” he promises, but judging from the look that’s still very present in his eyes, I don’t believe him.