His hand bunched her hair, tipping her head back to give him better access for exploration. He took his time, kissing her thoroughly, savoring the taste of her. “You are the amazing one,” he corrected, finding her pulse with his tongue. “The way you trust me. The way you have thrown yourself into our world and embraced it with your arms wide open. You have required little aid even when you feed.”
She raised her head. “I thought I was doing that all by myself. I admit I was shocked at myself. If I think about it, the idea repulses me, but when we’re together…” She trailed off, leaning her body into his.
“I enhance your need and desire to feed,” he admitted. “I do not want you to be uncomfortable. Over the centuries I have been in a few situations where the illusion of eating was not enough and I was forced to consume human food. Vegetables were not so bad, although my body immediately rejected them, but the flesh of animals that had been killed was wholly repugnant to me. I know you feel this way about taking blood. To our people, it is sacred and very natural.”
Dayan groaned suddenly, caught her face in his hands and brought his mouth down once more on hers. He could hear Corinne’s silent laughter echoing warmly in his mind. Her hearing was acute now, and she had picked up Shea’s deliberate noise as she approached the chamber.
‘It was nice of her to warn us.’
‘It was necessary, but not nice. We have wasted our time alone here.’ There was another groan, his breath hot on her neck. ‘Stop laughing, I might have to walk all bent over.’ He allowed her to feel the painful fullness, the little jackhammers tripping in his head. Deliberately he groaned again, just for good measure.
Corinne laughed out loud, the sound carefree and happy. “Poor baby. Welcome to real life.”
He wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I do not want real life. I want sex.” He leaned close to her. “Hot sex, scorching sex.” His voice was wicked in her ear, his breath stirring tendrils of hair and sending shivers along her spine.
“Now I really don’t feel sorry for you at all.” She pushed at the wall of his chest to put distance between them. She was laughing, her eyes dancing as she teased him. “You’re a wicked man and you deserve to be hurting.” He knew very well what he was doing to her body – the rush of heat, the spread of fire. He was totally unrepentant.
Shea moved into the chamber, still making noise to warn them of her coming. She could hear them laughing together, could smell the age-old call to mate with her heightened senses. She grinned at them as they broke guiltily apart. “I’ll watch over Jennifer while she sleeps. Are you visiting Cullen and Lisa today? I checked on Cullen while they were sleeping just to make sure he was healing nicely. He’s already wanting to get up. Gregori went twice too, just to make certain.”
Dayan’s hand slipped down Corinne’s arm, his fingers shackling her wrist to his side. “That sounds like Cullen.”
“Lisa has been very anxious to see Corinne,” Shea admitted. “Cullen doesn’t want her to be worried, so he’s decided to get up and find you both.”
“That is where we are going now,” Dayan assured the healer.
Corinne nodded. “I’ve been worried about Lisa, but Dayan thought it would be too soon for Lisa to think I could travel after all that’s happened.”
Shea shrugged as she bent over the incubator. “I think at this point, Lisa will be so glad to see you she won’t question anything. She prefers not to confront anything that doesn’t fit her view of the world.”
Corinne tugged at Dayan. “Come on. I really want to see her. Jennifer’s asleep – now is our chance.” She suddenly grinned at him, her teeth very white and her eyes dancing with excitement. “We can fly. You can teach me to fly. Hurry, Dayan, I can’t wait.” She was dragging him toward the entrance to the chamber.
Dayan couldn’t help catching her exuberance. She was bringing back memories of his childhood when he had first experienced his abilities as a boy. He stopped her. “See that chimney going up the vent? It is far faster to go up that way.”