There was a heartbeat of frozen silence. Then he dropped to the floor in front of Layla again. As he leaned forward, the woman lifted her sleeve and laid her arm down on her thigh. The veins on the inside of her wrist were pale blue underneath white skin.
Rhage reached for Mary's hand as he opened his mouth. His fangs elongated, growing three times as long as usual. With a slight hissing sound, he bent down and put his mouth on Layla. The woman jerked and then relaxed.
Rhage's thumb stroked over Mary's wrist, his hand warm against hers. She couldn't see exactly what he was doing, but the subtle movement of his head suggested sucking. When he squeezed her palm, she returned the gesture weakly. The whole experience was too foreign, and he was right: There was a shocking intimacy to it.
"Stroke him," Layla whispered. "He's about to stop, and it's too soon. He hasn't taken enough."
Numbly, Mary reached out and put her free hand on his head. "It's all right. I'm fine."
When Rhage made a movement to sit back, as if he knew she was lying, she thought of everything he was willing to go through for her, everything he'd been through for her.
Mary held his head in place, pushing down. "Take your time. Really, everything's okay."
As she squeezed his palm, his shoulders eased up and he moved closer to her, shifting his body around. She parted her legs so that he could settle between them, his chest resting on her thigh, his broad back dwarfing her. She ran her hand through his blond hair, its thick, smooth waves sinking in between her fingers.
And all of a sudden, the whole thing wasn't that weird.
Even though she could feel the pulls he was taking on Layla's vein, Rhage's body against her own was familiar, and the rubbing on her wrist told her he was thinking of her while he was feeding. She looked over at Layla. The woman was watching him, but the concentration on her face was clinical.
Mary remembered what he'd said about the drinking: that if he bit her, she would feel his pleasure. Clearly there was none being exchanged between him and the Chosen. Both of their bodies were still, calm. Not in the throes of any kind of passion.
Layla's eyes shifted up and she smiled. "He's doing well. Just another minute or so."
Then it was done. Rhage lifted his head slightly and turned to Mary's body, easing into the cradle of her hips, putting his arms around her. He rested his face on her thigh, and though she couldn't see his expression, his muscles were slack, his breathing deep and even.
She glanced at Layla's wrist. There were two puncture wounds and a red blush, only a little trickle of blood.
"He'll need a little time to collect himself," Layla said as she licked herself and then rolled down her sleeve. She got to her feet.
Mary rubbed Rhage's back while looking at the woman. "Thank you."
"You are so very welcome."
"Will you come again when he needs you?"
"The two of you would want me? Me, specifically?"
Mary steeled herself against the woman's thrill. "Yes, I, ah, I think we would."
Layla absolutely glowed, her eyes alive with happiness.
"Mistress, it would be my honor." She bowed. "He knows how to summon me. Call upon me at any time."
The woman left the room with a spring in her step.
As the door shut, Mary bent down and kissed Rhage's shoulder. He stirred. Lifted his head a little. Then he rubbed his mouth with his palm, as if he didn't want her to see any blood that might be on him.
When he looked up at her, his eyelids were low, his bright teal gaze a little fuzzy.
"Hi," she said, stroking his hair back.
He smiled that special smile of his, the one that made him look like an angel. "Hi."
She touched his lower lip with her thumb. "Did she taste good?" When he hesitated, she said, "Be honest with me."
"She did. But I would rather it have been you, and I thought of you the entire time. I imagined it was you."
Mary leaned down and licked his mouth. As his eyes flared in surprise, she slid her tongue inside of him and caught a hint of the lingering flavor, a sweet red wine.
"Good," she murmured against his lips. "I want you to think of me when you do that."