Captured (The Captive #1)(47)
“Arianna.” His voice was a low pain filled moan as he dropped his head into her shoulder. His shoulders shook beneath her; the tension in him was almost palpable. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“Yes I do, I’m asking for you.” His shaking increased; his hands no longer ran over her as he froze, his hand cradling the back of her head. Her heart swelled with love, with need. He was fighting so hard against himself, restraining himself because he was afraid that he might hurt her, when she was willingly offering him the one thing he needed most. “It’s ok.”
She grasped hold of the back of his head, gently turning it toward the hollow of her neck. His muscles were shaking as he pressed his long fangs against her rapid pulse. “It’s yours Braith, I’m yours. Take it. Take me. I want to be the one that satisfies you, not them.”
He groaned loudly, and then his arms seized tightly around her. She felt the snapping in him, the point where he lost control and his hunger and desire took over. He reared back slightly before striking. Arianna gasped, her fingers dug sharply into his back as his teeth punctured through her skin and struck deep into her vein. For a moment the entire world blurred, she could think of nothing, and see nothing except for him. He was everywhere, over her, in her, a part of her as he bit deeper, his teeth sinking into her completely.
And then, slowly, they became separate entities again. She could make out his hunger, his thirst, his need as he consumed her, drinking deeper than he had ever drank from anyone before. And somehow, though he did not say it, she knew that was true as his thoughts seemed to mingle at the edges of her conscious. He had never drunk like this before. Had never swallowed and consumed and wanted more than this before. He wanted all of her, could not get enough of her, he would never get enough of her. And she did not want him to.
He pushed against her, shoving her harder into the mattress as he bit down sharply. She heard cartilage snap, her cartilage, but she didn’t care. It did not hurt; she didn’t feel anything above the sucking greediness of blood being pulled eagerly from her. She knew she should be afraid, knew that this was going far beyond her control, or his, but she wasn’t scared. As long as she was in his arms, she knew that she would never be scared again. If he killed her now she would not know a moment of fear, even though she could feel her blood being gulped eagerly into him. She could feel it running down her neck to stain the mattress and her slip, but she still did not feel one moment of fear. Instead, her heart swelled with love, her body boiled and swelled with it until it was overflowing from her.
It wasn’t until he growled low, and bit down even harder, that she realized the words I love you were spilling from her in a monotonous chorus that she could not stop until a wave of blackness washed up to ensnare her. She drifted in and out of consciousness, pleasant memories washing up to engulf her, before slipping ever so slowly away again. Dreams came and went, shadows spun throughout her mind. Braith was holding her, cradling her, whispering for her not to leave him, but she felt he should know that she would never leave him, and she told him so repeatedly.
He offered her something, it was on his wrist. But she pushed him away, telling him that she had all she wanted, she had him, but he made her take his wrist into her mouth, made her swallow whatever was on it. It was sweet, and it tasted like him, and though she hadn’t wanted it at first, she found herself taking more of it into her, clinging to him as she consumed what it was that he was offering. She thought she heard him whispering I love you as she drank greedily until she drifted slowly back into a profound bliss that she knew could never be pierced.
CHAPTER 13
“Aria! Aria! Arianna!” She groaned softly as she tried to roll away from the incessant hands shaking her, but they were clinging to her, refusing to let go as they shook her again. This time harder. “Arianna!”
She batted at the hands, trying to break free, but she was so tired and they just wouldn’t let her go. “Stop!” she protested.
“Get up Aria, you have to get up!” It was the urgency of the voice that finally pierced through the haze of bliss and exhaustion that clung to her. She cracked open an eye, frowning at the blurry face before her. It was too much effort to concentrate on the face, instead her eye drifted back shut and she snuggled deeper into the delightful bed beneath her. The voice swore loudly, then, before she knew what was happening, she was heaved up out of the bed and tossed over someone’s shoulder. She sputtered in disbelief as she was spun around in a circle and then dumped on the bed once more. “Get up Aria or I’m going to throw you in the tub.”
She blinked in surprise, trying to clear her blurry vision. Eventually her eyes began to focus; she frowned in surprise and disbelief as Jack came into focus. She gaped in horror, bolting upright in the bed as she pulled the comforter tight against her chest. “Jack!”
She was completely disoriented, out of sorts, and lost. She was in Braith’s bed, wasn’t she? But where the hell was Braith and what the hell was Jack doing here? “Where’s Braith?”
Jack had turned away from her, he was searching for something, but she didn’t know what it was until a pile of clothes was dropped in her lap. She stared at the pants and cotton shirt in disbelief. They were similar to the clothes she had worn in the woods, except these were pitch black instead of brown or light green. “He was called to a council meeting with our father. Get dressed. We have to go quickly, before he gets back.”