“How will I—"
“Carefully.”
Benedict had nothing else to say as we approached Kieran slowly and carefully. I could tell the moment Kieran caught my scent. His entire body froze.
“Can you wait outside?” I asked Benedict.
He opened his mouth to argue, and I gestured to Kieran. “He can hardly stand, let alone attack me.” I gestured to Kieran and tried to appeal to Benedict’s sense of decency. “I think he would appreciate privacy while he’s like this.”
The anger drained out of Benedict, and again he showed me that tired, weary face.
“I’ll be outside. Call if you need me.”
He left, and I turned back to Kieran—the first person who had shown me any kindness in my pathetic, miserable existence. The first person who had taken my hand, answered my questions, and showed me that a man’s touch wasn’t always full of pain and scorn. He ceased groaning as I approached, his starved eyes riveted to me. I was reasonably sure he wouldn’t hurt me, but if he did, it could be easily healed. Benedict was right outside.
I slowly reached towards his left hand, releasing the manacles around it. He lunged for me, the other chains immediately holding him back. He snarled, flecked of foam flying from his mouth as the other manacle caught him, jerking his body back.
“Stop it,” I hissed, letting my anger surround him. “If you want me to release you, you need to calm down.”
His struggling didn’t subside—not even a little. I cautiously moved forward again, his pupils completely dilated as he watched me, the familiar green color lost to black. I released the manacle on his right hand, then I sliced my wrist open carefully, holding it out to him. His mouth bit deeply into my arm, missing my cut and tearing his own access to the pumped that pumped hotly just underneath my skin. I held in my scream, only letting him take several deep pulls before I yanked my hand away, pulling out of reach of the manacles on his legs. I watched as his pupils shrunk, the green in his eyes becoming more pronounced as the black faded. My arm hurt like hell, blood running freely down my side and to the stone floor. I grit my teeth and bared it.
Kieran’s head tilted, and then he finally saw me. His face transformed, going from wild to shocked in one precious moment. He was still weak, but at least he was aware.
“Wren?” He whispered. I walked into his arms as he reached out to me, even as I kept a hand clamped down on my injured arm. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if I passed out too quickly from blood loss.
“I thought you were dead, Wren! Ronan went mad, even Benedict was out of his mind—” His hands were all over me, trying to cover every inch of my skin at once. He took a deep sniff of my neck his eyes widened in horror at the mess of skin and muscle that was now my left forearm. Before he could protest, I pulled him close, nestling into the hollow between my throat and my collarbone.
“I’m here now.”
I didn’t think he’d ever let me go as he continued to hold me in an unbreakable grip, breathing heavily and with effort. Before I could say another word, he was kissing me—on my neck, my shoulders, the corners of my lips and my cheeks. His large hands spanned the length of my stomach, as if it weren’t food that had starved him all this time, but a lack of me, and he wouldn’t recover until I was devoured.
“This form is more to your liking, I bet,” I joked, giving my wings a twitch. He shook his head vehemently.
“You are perfect, no matter what shape you hold.” Something in my heart caught, and I pushed back tears. Kieran’s love was unconditional, and it left me weak in the knees. I tugged his head to mine and we kissed, our tongues tangling as his hands tugged at the band on my breasts, blood dripping onto both of us.
“You do choose me then?” He whispered against me, his voice cracking with hope and desire. I pressed my body against his in response.
“Of course I do. I told you back in Dark Haven—you were and are at the top of the list.”
He clutched me tighter to him, laughing and sobbing in utter relief.
“You gave me my first gift of protection and offered to teach me. You were the one to answer my questions with a smile instead of sarcasm, and you treated me with kindness when I was terrified out of my mind. I’ll forever love you for that.”
My hand inched lower down his body, and the feel of his scales against mine was pure bliss. My hands wrapped around his length, finding him ready for me. I spread my wings above me, noticing how his eyes traced the painted purpled edges.
“I wonder what color you’ll paint them with.”
He lost his battle with control, pinning me the ground with a determined growl. We kissed again, but it was possessive, dominating, and I let him have me. His teeth grazed my breasts, and I shifted my chest to bring them closer to his mouth. He seized a nipple with his teeth, teasing me with delicious sensations even as I felt his hardness poised at my entrance. His fangs bit down right above my breast, moaning at the taste of my blood at the exact moment he thrust into me.
I screamed in surprise and pleasure, the dual sensations of being fucked while he drank
