moved inside her, sent her soaring higher. Hunger shone in his violet irises, echoed that need that beat within her. His lips parted, revealing a hint of fang, and a sharp thrill bolted through her, tinged with the barest trickle of fear. She stared at his mouth as she worked her body against his, as she stretched for another release that seemed just beyond her reach.
A release she felt sure would never come, not unless she satisfied the more primal part of her, the side of her that was aching now she had seen his fangs were down, was ravenous with a need of his bite.
With a hunger to stake a claim on him.
Hartt’s gaze fell to her throat, his lips parting further as he panted, as his eyes grew laser sharp. She swore she could feel the need in him—his dark need to claim her too.
His chest heaved with every panted breath, strained as he tensed in her arms, as his thrusts grew more frantic and his eyebrows drew down, knitting into a hard frown. She could sense the fight in him, a battle he waged for her sake, when there was really no need. She wanted this, had been prepared for it before she had kissed him.
She had known where that kiss would lead them.
He edged his head forwards, and then reared back, his gaze leaping to collide with hers.
“Last chance,” he croaked, disappointment and desperation lacing his deep voice.
He thought she would use this out he had kindly given her, and at the same time he was desperate for her not to take it.
He didn’t have to worry.
She palmed his nape and drew him towards her, angled her head up to the other side and shivered as he dropped his lips to her throat and kissed it. He wasn’t the only one who wanted this. Needed it. She needed it more than he would ever know.
She moaned as his fangs lightly scraped over her skin, braced herself and waited.
Wanted to growl all over again when rather than biting her as he wanted, taking what she had offered to him, he lifted his head and pressed his cheek to hers. He began thrusting again, each delicious plunge of his length into her sending heat curling through her veins, fire that tried to turn her thoughts to ashes.
Only it couldn’t.
A stronger fire consumed her, born of his refusal to take her blood, of the awareness of how his instincts had to be ripping him apart now, paining him as he denied himself the claim he wanted to make on her.
Instincts that tore her apart too.
Unlike Hartt, she wasn’t strong enough to deny them, couldn’t hold back the primal part of herself that was aware of what he was to her and craved her mate, ached for him and wanted to be his—body and soul.
Her claws sharpened as that need stole control of her, filling her with an urge to sink them into him and never let him go. She needed to know he belonged to her. She needed to claim him.
Mackenzie surrendered to that need.
She swept her claws over his neck, distantly heard his shocked hiss as her gaze zeroed in on the bright red line that marked the left side of his throat, stark against his pale skin.
As she watched tiny beads of blood blooming along the length of it.
Hunger ignited inside her and she obeyed it.
She swooped on that blood that offered everything she wanted before he could stop her. She moaned as it hit her tongue, as her first taste of him flooded her senses with a rich, earthy scent laced with spice, and trembled as she swallowed it. Heat flowed through her, seemed to transform every molecule in her body as she took more blood from him, as he growled in her ear and clutched her to him. Her body cried out for more, a wild and demanding thing that she wasn’t sure would ever be satisfied. She needed to satisfy it. She needed more.
She rocked against him, riding him hard as she stole his blood, sucked on the wound and it opened for her, flooding her mouth with warm liquid. She swallowed it down, relished his grunt and the following growl as he dug short claws into her backside and drove forwards, pinning her to the wall of his room.
He pounded into her, drove her higher until she swore she could almost reach the release she badly needed. It remained beyond her reach though,