A Crown of Blood

Chapter 17

Damon responded with equal fervor.

The electric thread that pulled us together quivered, turning our kisses desperate and hungry. The need for his taste was frightening and compelling—sweet and bitter like wine and honey. No blood to tarnish the taste, and it drove me crazy.

"You," he groaned. His mouth and tongue roamed my mouth, rough and possessive, as his hands explored the contours of my hips and spine, gripping and pulling to relish in every part of me. "You."

I swallowed his words with a growl and our teeth clashed as we fought to get closer. This was different from the last time we kissed. There would be no one to stop us. There would be no return if we lost ourselves. It was weeks of mounting frustration on both of our parts like two burning stars colliding on their descent to earth. When I hooked my arms around his neck tight, he cupped my ass and hitch me against his hardness, and I nearly tore his shirt right off with my claws.

"Me," I whispered against his lips. He took it as an opportunity to suck on the sweet spot beneath my ear, and I forced my claws to retract. "What about me?"

"You're infuriating," he hissed when I wrapped my legs around his waist and ground into him. "Every look. Every sentence that comes out of your mouth."

"Good." I practically whined the word.

"The things I could do to that mouth, Little Wolf," he said, and then he bounced me against his hips. The motion sent a bolt of pleasure straight through me. Damon caught my gasp with his mouth and sank his teeth into my bottom lip. Another crack of thunder rocked the landscape, and Damon rocked against me as if to assuage my angst.

It only magnified it.

"Easy, Little Wolf," he groaned against my mouth. "No storms this time."

I slipped from his grasp, unable to help myself. The feel of the ground beneath my feet was the thin line holding me to reality. "Then get a hold of yourself, Damon..."

He tugged me into him and ran his tongue from my collar to my jaw, sending stars dancing in my vision. "I don't know if I want to do that, Halina. That night... after I got a taste of you..."

"There you go with the compliments..."

Damon bit the soft flesh beneath my ear in retaliation. When I growled, Damon laughed, and I was certain I would spontaneously combust for other reasons now. We sank into the dirt. The weight of Damon's body on top of mine coaxed whimpers of pleasure from my lips, and he captured the soft sounds with slow, delicate kisses, his hands absently moving to hitch my legs over his hips, pulling us closer.

Not close enough...

The alpha let out another possessive growl. Pulling away, his eyes glowed in the hazy light when he looked at my unblemished collar, utterly hypnotized. I saw his wolf strain inside of me. Unmarked. Unmated. Irresistible. Instinct fixated on the spot, and I knew his wolf strained for contact the same way my wolf panted with need.

I pulled my shirt over my head. Damon lowered his mouth to the valley of my breasts, coaxing another pleasure-filled gasp at the deliciously vicious sensation. Damn him. When he scraped his teeth against my skin, I nearly kicked him off.

"Easy, Little Wolf," he warned, his eyes locking with mine. "Getting carried away?"

A tremor of desire wracked my body when his hot breath tickled my skin. More than you know. I gritted my teeth. "Are you going to make me beg for it?"

She whined between the heated thumping of my pulse, flickering my vision dim and bright, the sensation of our mate beneath us sending her feral under my skin. If she had her way, there would be no teasing kisses or cheeky words. It would be rough and hot and primal the moment we exposed the bond.