Moonshadows Ch. 06

"Now," he breathed, and I once again caught that coppery, disturbingly familiar odor, "I wish to experiment with something."

"Selene," he intoned, locking my eyes with his bottomless black ones. Like before, I had the helpless sensation of being gripped by a force altogether beyond my ability to resist, immobile and dreading the proclamation to come. "Kiss me."

I did. My head surged upwards as far as the restraints on my arms would allow, my lips parting in desire to allow the penetration of his chilled, slippery tongue. And not just allow. I kissed him back. Hungrily and wantonly, my arms pulling at the silk binding them, not to escape, but to wrap around his neck and pull him into me. Part of me reveled in that kiss, in the dark, metallic taste that was his mouth, and the alien passion that he had been so carefully sowing in my body, ignited into full flame by his lips on mine. My hips pumped against his hard body in fruitless need and I quivered, right on the edge of orgasm, mouth in fervid battle with his own, until I fell back into the pillows with a gasp and a sob. I burst into tears.

"Ah," he sighed. I turned my face away from him and into my arm, twisting as much as I could to escape his intent, hungry inspection of my misery.

"I think I will have you now," he told me, brushing my hair away from my tearstained face with something like tenderness. Only it was wrong, so wrong. This whole, nightmarish situation was horribly, unbelievably wrong.

"You will enjoy it, you know. You want me. Even now, in your distress, I can feel your delicious body taut with desire for me." His urbane voice was just a little breathless, but also thoughtful. He paused, then said, "And yet you fight me. Why is that?"

"Just leave me alone," I sobbed.

"You know I will not," he replied. "Answer the question."

I shook my head and cried harder. I was confused, terrified, turned on, and I wanted to go home. I wanted to be safe in my bed, curled up in my blankets. And I wanted Rafe. I wanted his arms around me, his lips on my hair, his warm, solid heartbeat under my ear to banish the bad things in the world. What was wrong with me, that I had been trying to convince myself to let him go? The only thing that had changed between us was my own cowardice. My heart twisted in a new agony of realization, because I recognized now what I had seen in his eyes when he'd left my apartment, along with the fear and loneliness and hurt. He loved me. And now he was gone and I was trapped in a nightmare, and it was at least in part my own doing.

Rafe, Rafe, Rafe...

I realized, after weeping for what seemed a very long time, that nothing had happened. I was still wearing my jeans, though they were unbuttoned, and Cassian was quiet and still, too still, above me. I couldn't quite bring myself to look at him, ashamed, and frightened of what I might see. But he heard my tears slow and he said, "It grows late. Perhaps we will save some of the... other activities for later."

A surge of hope made me careless. My eyes darted to his in shock and he smiled a wide, predatory smile, with just a hint of teeth that were white even against his pale skin.

"However, I am not so disciplined to be able to go the day without at least tasting you. You smell entirely too enticing."

He began to move again and I shook my head in horror. "No!"

"Yes," he purred then inhaled deeply. "Relax, my dear."

Right before his long fingers rested lightly on my jaw and tilted my face to the side with a relentless strength, I caught a glimpse of his smile widening. Turning into a feral, ravenous grin, then opening to reveal what I had always known would be there: long, sharp, white fangs...

As his teeth sank into the soft skin of my neck and my blood pumped hot and alive into his waiting mouth, I cried out in pain and instant, explosive ecstasy. My vision swam with colors as orgasm rolled through me, my clit pulsing in sympathy with the tugging draw of his mouth. The pleasure went on and on while he drained me and my limbs gradually grew weak on the bed. I realized, as my vision started to dim, that I might be dying, and a soft sigh of regret escaped my parted lips.

Rafe, I thought. I'm so sorry.

It was a relief when everything finally slipped into quiet darkness.