Succubus Unchained - Heather Long Page 0,47

apparently, King Asshole woke up, and I was the first thing on the menu. I wasn’t given a choice about turning.”

“Fiona…”

I glared at Fin. “If you say he did ask me and I finally said yes, I want you to recall how many times I said no. How many times I said I didn’t want this life. How many times I told you I wasn’t a vampire.” He opened his mouth, but snapped it shut abruptly, a scowl that looked halfway to a sulk settling on his angelic face.

“Kitten,” Maddox murmured, jerking my attention back to him. “If you wanted to leave, all you had to do was tell me. I would have taken you anywhere.”

Would have?

“I’ll still take you anywhere you want to go.”

I groaned internally.

“I know you didn’t want to be a vampire, but I didn’t want you to die. You are not like the others, any more than we are.”

Right. Hybrid.

“Maddox, you’re missing the point.”

“No, I’m making my point.” He held his hand up toward me, palm facing me. While he made no move to touch me, the look in his eyes was a dare. He wanted me to take his hand. Why? What did he think it would prove? Not that I gave voice to the questions, instead, I pressed my right hand to his left.

The surge that went through my system had me tingling from head to toe. His eyes damn near glowed as he stared at me.

“You feel that.” It wasn’t a question.

“You’re hot,” I told him, without an ounce of shame or regret. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear I enjoy you.”

“This isn’t about sex, Kitten.” The hint of gravel in his tone made him just the tiniest bit of a liar on that one, but I let it go because it was also kind of adorable.

Dammit.

“No?” It was my turn to dare him as I pulled my hand away, but the buzzing sensation remained and then redoubled when I pressed it against his and threaded our fingers together.

“No.” Then Maddox lifted his chin, baring his throat to me and the mark there just over the pulse point stared back at me like an accusation.

“Is that Alfred’s mark on you?” Mouth dry, I knew the answer without even asking the question. I just asked it to buy myself some time. He hadn’t had that mark when we’d been in the cell. He hadn’t had it when we first got back to the keep or the first dozen or so times he bedded me.

“No,” he answered me simply, then dipped his chin as he tugged my hand to his throat and pressed my fingers to the mark. The tingle of our hands touching had nothing on this. A bolt of lust streaked through me, but it wasn’t just heat and wanton desire. No, it was a vicious kind of need and affection. “You claimed me.”

“I…”

“I know you didn’t understand it.” His voice was a delicious rumble. “But you did claim me, Kitten.”

I closed my eyes and dipped my head. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.”

“Maddox, I shouldn’t have done that.”

He kept my hand pressed over the mark. “I wanted you to do it.”

The library. When he’d asked me to bite him. Fuck.

“Maddox.” I glared at him. “Why would you do that?” Then. “Fuck, you didn’t claim me, right?”

“No,” he said softly, his voice a croon that chased away the jagged bits of my irritation. “I would in a heartbeat, but I won’t take that choice from you in the heat of the moment.” Now, he cupped my cheek and smiled at me. “Are you truly well, Kitten? Fin told me of the incident at the club. He also told me you were fierce in his defense.”

I tried to shrug it off. “I was fine, I stayed with a friend. I was trying to figure out my next steps.” Though that had been my first night out since I’d escaped, and that had just gone swimmingly.

“Well, you were my hero,” Fin drawled as he came to lean against the railing, a faint smirk on his lips. “You saved me from the big bad demon trying to dominate my passion.”

I rolled my eyes. “Daevas are neither big nor bad.”

“But they are demons,” he teased. “And she snuck in when I was trying to protect you.” Distaste settled in his expression. “She wanted me to hurt you.”

“But you didn’t.” Fuck, why was I offering him comfort? Maybe it was the forlorn look on his face.

“No, I would have tried