I reached down to pinch my thigh, needing to wake myself up, and shot upward in the bed with the sheets twisted around me.
What the hell?
I took in my naked form, noted my need for a shower, and listened for Ryder. The suite was silent.
How much time had passed? The moon appeared a little higher now, the midnight hour fast approaching.
Frowning, I slid from the bed and went into the empty bathroom to turn on the shower. When had Ryder left? Why couldn’t I remember?
Shaking my head, I stepped beneath the hot spray and allowed it to wash away my nightmares. Maybe I’d dreamt of him between my legs this morning. That wouldn’t surprise me with how intimate we’d been lately.
I thought of him as I cleansed my breasts, my nipples hardening as though begging for his mouth. He’d bitten me there a few days ago. It’d stirred a fire inside me that he’d stoked with a second bite to my femoral artery. Then he’d devoured me once more, shooting me to the stars with ecstasy.
Being kept as a harem member had its benefits. Yet today I felt a little caged, like I wanted to be outside in the fresh air. An odd desire, considering I spent most of my life inside.
After completing my shower ritual, I wrapped myself in a towel and ventured through the suite to the balcony doors. The moon taunted my senses again, making me tremble with a foreign energy I didn’t understand. My knees nearly gave out, my limbs shaking so violently I had to step back inside.
I swallowed.
Maybe Ryder had taken too much blood.
Deciding that had to be it, I wandered into the kitchen to find a hot plate waiting for me with eggs and some sort of meat beside it, as well as a healthy portion of greens. The note beside it read, See you soon, pet.
The first time Ryder left me a message, I’d wondered at the purpose. Why would he bother to tell me anything? I still didn’t quite understand, but every time he did, a warm and fuzzy sensation tickled my insides.
I rather liked that he communicated with me.
Another dangerous activity that left me bemused by our situation.
In fact, everything Ryder did bewildered me.
I removed the covering over my food and used a pair of oven mitts to carry the plate over to the counter with the stools. This kind of food suited my taste buds, yet the first bite didn’t quite satisfy me the way it should. It actually came across rather dull. I tried another, my lips curling down at the odd quality of my meal.
My third bite barely went down my throat, my gag reflex kicking into high gear and refusing to allow me to eat any more.
I slid off the stool, feeling increasingly nauseated with each passing second. I barely made it to the toilet before puking everything up, including food from last night.
“Ugh,” I muttered, curling into a ball on the floor, the cool tile beneath my cheek my only reprieve. I’m just going to lie here for a minute, I thought, my eyes drooping closed.
Only, those green irises flared to life once more, causing me to hurl all over again.
Fuck, I felt like I was dying.
A clammy sheen covered my hands and arms, my stomach rioting against every minor movement.
Tears blurred my vision, my lungs seizing in a tormented wave of discomfort.
What’s happening to me?
I was lost between a heat wave and an iceberg, my senses either blazing hot or dangerously cold.
A memory of laughing hit me in the gut, the sound astoundingly cruel. Please don’t. Please! my mental voice begged, but I didn’t understand the purpose or whom I was talking to.
Until those eyes came back to haunt me once more.
They were framed by tan skin and long dark hair. Evil personified. A grin stretching over feral teeth.
I shook my head back and forth, begging him not to penetrate me again, too exhausted and sore from hours of his relentless torture.
Except he had something new in mind. I could see it in the malicious intent darkening his eyes. He revealed his razor-sharp teeth, drawing them down my body to my abdomen. I writhed beneath him, crying, imploring him not to do it.
But it was too late.
His jaw elongated in a partial shift, lowering over my belly, and slicing into—
“Willow!” My name vibrated through my thoughts, my world dancing in a hypnotic wave