Demon Moon

Beyond the plane of the wall, three nosferatu stared back at him. Wyrmwolves writhed and tore at each other. Chaos glowed silently around them.
    Her scent disappeared; so did the portal. The crimson symbols radiated heat, and dried dark against the paint.
    The Doyen unclenched his jaw. “That was…irresponsible,” he said with quiet anger.
    Colin glanced back at Savi. Her face was stricken, but her gaze rested on her bare fingers, not the symbols.
    And Colin replied, “I must confess I find it very difficult to care.”



CHAPTER 28

    Bald and brutish.
    His appearance suggested the latter, but Varney didn’t seem to mind that a woman who’d been a dog sat on his enormous lap. Nor that Colin asked him to turn his lantern-jawed chin to the side, so that he could better explain to Savi the best locations to bite, the expected blood output from each vein and artery, and the proper method of healing the punctures and of opening her shields to return the pleasure of it.
    Perhaps Colin had promised him hazard pay again? Or maybe he just had a very soft heart beneath that hard nosferatulike exterior.
    It was a heart that Savi couldn’t stop imagining. Her fangs ached and throbbed in unison with its pulsing, steady flow of lifeblood, until Colin’s voice faded beneath the incredible sound. God, she’d never been this hungry. Varney’s pale, thick neck seemed the most beautiful thing she’d ever—
    “Go on, Savi,” Colin said quietly, but she was already leaning forward, already pressing her mouth and teeth against his throat.
    It hit her tongue, raced through her. A flash of light behind her eyes, the heat and pleasure of willing blood in her mouth, her veins.
    Electric. Heaven. Wonderful and sweet and luscious as it slid into her and he was thick and hard beneath her, and she was squirming against him, squirming and he was so big and she was so wet and the blood wasn’t enough.
    I don’t want you .
    She didn’t want him, either.
    But she couldn’t stop. Her hands fumbled for her skirt. Oh god. Jeans, next time. Harder to get past. Wear jeans next time and shred them open at the crotch and just fuck fuck fuck—
    Stop, Savi. I don’t want you. Stop .
    “That’s enough, Savi,” Colin echoed hoarsely. “You’re taking too much.”
    Too much . She broke away and bit her tongue—more blood, her blood…and it tasted like blood. Varney’s wounds were almost half-closed when she bent her head.
    Practice, for when it wasn’t a vampire she had to heal.
    A flush of embarrassment spread over Varney’s skin. His penis was solid between her legs. Oh, god—and she could smell herself.
    Awkwardly, she scooted off. “Thanks.”
    I’ll call you tomorrow .
    She wouldn’t cry. Not right now. Not when Colin’s mouth was set and his gaze dark and he looked as if he’d just gone through seven agonies of hell.
    “I didn’t want him,” she said as she took his hand.
    “I know.” His voice was rough. She stood still beneath his perusal as he studied her face, her mouth. “You’ve a bit here. I would kiss it away but I daren’t.” He raised their linked hands and brushed his thumb against the corner of her lips.
    She stared at the smear of blood. Heard his heart quicken…could almost feel his hunger. He needed to feed.
    And it shouldn’t be animal blood—not after Ariphale had taken so much. Nor could it be half-vampire half-hellhound blood.
    “Will you drive me home?” She wasn’t going to cry. “To my place?”
    He closed his eyes. It was a long time before he said, “Yes.”

    Five minutes after she exited Colin’s car, with the painful silence that had stood between them still heavy in her stomach, he knocked at her door.
    His golden hair had been mussed beyond its usual state—beyond what it had been when she’d seen him last. His collar was askew. The scent of a woman’s expensive perfume eddied around him.
    The fragrance of a woman’s fear and arousal.
    The door frame splintered beneath Savi’s fingers.
    His throat worked before he said, “I didn’t.” His eyes searched hers, desperation in the gray depths. “I didn’t.”
    His face blurred in front of her. “I know.”
    “One more night, Savi. There’s no bloodlust now. And you’ve fed. Just one before you leave.” He came inside. No need to ask for an invitation. His mouth covered hers, sipping and tasting. His hands were at her waist, untying the belt of her robe. “Just one more.”
    A sound of protest rose in her