He brushed her damp hair from her face and lay beside her as he encircled her protectively. "It will be all right," he promised. "The worst is over."
She whimpered in response as another shudder racked through her, and she trembled within his grasp. "Hold on, Sera. It will be all right."
He continued to calm her with his words and gentle touch. It was after two in the morning before she finally drifted to sleep. He lay awake long after, fighting against waves of self-hatred and exultation. He had hurt her deeply. Even now, in her sleep, she whimpered and moaned every once in a while. But no matter how much he hated himself for it, she was his; she was finally all his. No one would ever take her from him. Ever.
Chapter Nineteen
Sera's lids fluttered open and then closed again. She felt so weak, so drained and exhausted. She inhaled deeply as she tried to gather the energy to move. A million different scents assailed her at once. Apple, vanilla, cinnamon, wood, sex, and blood permeated the room. Beyond the door, she could smell eggs, bacon, waffles, syrup, and butter. The smell of snow and something feral drifted in from outside.
She could hear the pots and pans in the kitchen, catch bits and pieces of the conversation out there. Outside, a squirrel yelled as it fled from its tree and crashed into another branch. Her eyes opened. She could make out every grain of wood on the door, and see the scratches on the brass handle.
She closed her eyes again; she was too tired to assimilate everything now. Liam lay beside her; his strong arms encircled her as his firm body spooned hers. She could smell herself on him, in him. She could hear the thumping of his heart and the blood pulsing through his veins.
"The world is different."
She didn't have to look at him to know he was awake. "Yes, it is. It will take a little while to get used to, but eventually, you'll adapt."
"It's so loud."
"That's the worst part. I'll teach you how to tune it out."
"Soon?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes. How do you feel?"
He pushed back strands of her hair. She turned slightly to look at him. His face was as magnificent as she recalled, but suddenly she could see every bristly hair on his cheek and jaw. She had thought his eyes a pure green, but there were flecks of gold within their depths. She frowned and closed her eyes again.
"I'm tired," she whispered as she stifled a yawn.
He dropped his head to her shoulder. "You need to feed."
A tremor of revulsion and delight racked through her. Suddenly, she was starving, but she knew food wouldn’t satisfy her. "Come here."
She opened her eyes as he pulled her into his arms and rolled her over. She looked down at him as her hair fell across his chest. He smiled as he pushed her hair over her shoulder. The marks on her neck were vivid against her creamy skin. He eased the bandage from her chest off. His eyes focused on the scratches marring her delicate skin, but they appeared to be healing well. Her gaze followed his, and she gasped.
"You'll heal faster now."
"I can see that!"
He stroked her cheek with his thumb. She turned into it, nuzzling him as her eyes drifted closed. "Are you hungry?"
Her eyes sprang open. Surprise, revulsion, and hunger radiated from their depths. "It's all right," he said. "You only need to feed from me, remember?"
Her gaze traveled down to his neck. A spark of something shot through her, something she didn't understand, but it rocked her body. She looked away, ashamed and frightened.
"It will be just like last night," he soothed.
He could feel the tension in her, the yearning to fight against him and what she was feeling. He remembered that feeling. He fought so relentlessly in the beginning, but in the end, the demon had given in to Beth's demands and its own urgent needs. He had been repulsed and frightened, but the feeling faded.
"I know how you feel; it will fade, Sera, I promise. But you must. The change isn't complete yet, not until you feed. You need the blood." That spark shot through her again. "I fed for the both of us yesterday."
Her body trembled from the turbulent battle she waged, and her eyes flashed from blue to violet, to a vivid red. Her elongated teeth caused blood to flow forward as she bit her bottom lip. She whimpered as she instantly released her lip.
Liam's eyes locked on that trickle of blood. He pulled her down to him, lightly licking her lip as he used his saliva to close the wound. Her teeth pressed against his lip as he stroked her mouth with his tongue. He pulled her away from him and guided her head down to his neck.
"Sera, you must," he urged.
Her mouth was warm and wet as her teeth pressed against his neck. He shuddered in anticipation as his hand dug into her skull. He wanted this so bad his entire body tensed with anticipation, and his breath froze in his lungs.
"Sera," he breathed.
Her teeth sank deep. Liam's hands convulsed on her as a wave of pure ecstasy shot through him. Her mind opened to his. In the beginning, her hunger was the only thing he could sense, but it started to ease as she filled herself on him. Then, other emotions began to come through. He could sense her revulsion, but beneath that was pure pleasure. Possessiveness radiated from her, and he smiled as he recognized the feeling.
A sense of completeness began to steal through him as he caressed her hair and
