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Sweet velvety darkness beckoned, rising higher like a warm sea to swallow me. I managed to whisper in her bond. :Please.:

Her hands stroked over my chest. :What do you need?:

I couldn’t muster the words. So I simply held the image in my head.

Lying beside her. My head rising from the bliss of darkness rolling me under long enough to feel her feeding. Over and over and over.

Then the darkness swallowed me into bliss.

11

SHARA

Ididn’t know if it was the lingering taste of my mother in their blood, or simply the sheer amount of power I’d wielded to bring down House Valois and eliminate the thralls, but I couldn’t get enough.

Two Blood hadn’t even put a dent in my hunger. In fact, the need only sharpened, swelling with intensity. A devastating wave cresting higher with every passing moment.

The higher it rose… The more likely it became that I’d lose control and shift.

“We’ve got you, my queen.” Rik pressed his bleeding forearm to my mouth, tucking me back against the comfort of his big body, his thighs on either side of me. He still wore the kilt, which was somehow even more erotic than if he were nude.

He gave a nod to Nox. “There was a comment about power tools earlier. Show her what you’ve got.”

Every muscle in my body tightened with anticipation. Need. Hunger. Blurred together. My hair snaked out, wrapping around Nox as he moved closer to kneel between my thighs. Pulling him into a tangle of limbs and lust and need, even as I continued feeding on my alpha. Nox sank into me with a sigh, a groan, as if finally setting aside millions of pounds of luggage after a long trip away so he could simply revel in being home. Safe. Wrapped in my arms. My hair. My thighs locked around his waist.

I drank in the feel of his body against me. His scent was vaguely reptilian despite the giant bird I’d seen in his bond.

He rubbed his face against my throat, trailing his lips over my skin. “I’m not exactly a bird, my queen. I’m more of a dinosaur, though I’m not that ancient. Your mother always said I was a remnant from Land of the Lost.”

:I don’t know what that means,: I said in the bond.

Lifting his head, he gave me a sultry, slow grin. “There was a television show and movie about a lost island or hidden land through a portal where dinosaurs were left to breed and continue evolving despite their extinction elsewhere on the planet. At some point in my bloodline, goddess blood mixed with our unusual DNA. There aren’t very many of us left, so our DNA has evolved over generations to ensure our bloodlines continue. Which means we have some… interesting… genital adaptations.”

So far he felt normal inside me. Good but nothing extraordinary. He began to thrust and move in an easy, smooth glide that spread warmth through my groin. I stroked his supple skin, enjoying the flex of his muscles beneath my palms. The heat of his skin against mine, stoking my desire. His thick, short hair felt like luxurious fur beneath my palms. So many of my Blood had long hair—which I enjoyed, don’t get me wrong—but the texture of his shorter hair felt good between my fingers.

Especially when I tightened my grip in his hair, tugging his head back so I could see his face. Watch the intent focus in his eyes, the serious slant of his mouth as he moved inside me. The locked tightness of his jaws. Tendons and muscles beginning to strain with the effort of holding himself back.

Entirely too controlled.

His eyes flared, rattling him out of deep focus. “I don’t wish to hurt or alarm you, my queen.”

:You can’t hurt me.: I arched against him, bending his neck back more. Even with Rik’s forearm in my mouth, I wanted to sink my fangs into the strong bowed column of Nox’s throat. :I don’t want or need your control. If I need to rein you in, I will. Or Rik will. But I want your passion. Reckless. Hard. Out of control. I love it. I want it all. Let go, Nox. Fly for me. Take us both soaring.:

A faint shudder ricocheted through his body. He thrust a little harder, grinding his hips against mine. Working deeper. I dragged my nails down his back, raking thin scratches in his skin. Not enough to feed, but the tantalizing hint of blood mixed with his scent. Making it darker and richer, more complex like heating spices begins to release their flavor. I dug my nails teasingly into his buttocks. Gripping the firm globes of his ass in my palms. Resisting the urge to sink the tips deeper so I could taste him mixing with my alpha.

Nox drew a ragged breath and laughed. “Goddess, I want to feel you feeding on me almost as much as I want to—” He hesitated, his jaw clenching. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

I touched Rik’s bond. :You can move your arm.:

Not questioning me, my alpha immediately pulled his forearm away so he no longer held me against him. More importantly, so I could talk. And bite.

“As much as you want to fuck me?”

Nox jolted against me, his cheeks darkening. “Forgive me, my queen. I mean no disrespect.”

I let out a low chuckle and tightened my inner muscles on his cock. “I mean no respect to you either, my Blood, when I say I want you to fuck me into oblivion.”

NOX