A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(14)

I seemed to have an effect on him strangely similar to the effect he had on me, but the way he experienced feelings was much more intense, as if he was hypersensitive by nature.

I made a mental note to look for some encyclopedia on Druids downstairs and read up on his species. I still had questions about his memories, but this would have to wait until we were calm and alone again. We had a long day ahead of us before that.

Where is he?

His absence made me groan. I sat up and nearly jumped out of bed at the sight of him quietly sitting in the armchair.

“Sheesh. You startled me!” I snapped, running a hand through my hair as I recovered my breath.

He was fully dressed, with his legs crossed. Tousled hair framed his face.

“I was waiting for you to wake up,” he said.

“Ah, well, I’m up,” I replied with an ounce of sarcasm and got out of bed.

I stretched my arms out and reveled in the sound of my spine crackling, relieving days’ worth of pressure and stress.

“Let me just wash my face,” I said and dashed into the bathroom.

I welcomed the cold water splashing against my face and neck, but I still felt weak and hungry—the kind of hunger that I could only soothe by syphoning. It hit me then that I hadn’t fed since we first got to the mansion. No wonder I was so mellow. I hoped that Jovi or Field were at full operating capacity that morning. I needed some nourishment, and they were the strongest ones in our pack.

The Druid’s energy oozed off him deliciously. I immediately sensed it once I got out of the bathroom. I’d been successful at tuning it out, but I was hungry. I craved his energy the most, but I wasn’t sure whether he’d want me to feed off him.

Draven stood up, and I moved in front of him, close enough to take his hand and place it on my shoulder for guidance. I opened the bedroom door and took a step toward the corridor. His touch sent flickers of electricity through my limbs.

His fingers tightened their grip on me and pulled me back, turning me around in the process. I didn’t have any time to react to his move. I stilled as his lips came down on mine in a gentle kiss.

It was completely unexpected. My raw instincts simmered to the surface, and I opened my mouth to take everything he had to offer. Fire burned in my stomach as he deepened the kiss, our tongues caressing each other.

He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me into his marble-like body, and I softened against him. Pressure built up between us, setting off a rain of sparks. Our kiss reached a new peak of intensity as we devoured each other.

His fingers vanished beneath my shirt, cool against my skin and sending shivers down my spine. I gasped in response and snaked my arms around his neck. His thumbs moved lightly over my ribs, dangerously close to my breasts.

He let out a raspy moan and took me even deeper into the kiss, pushing me against the door frame and using the weight of his body to hold me there. I ran one hand through his hair, while the other hooked around his neck for support. My legs had given up. My core trembled, and my heart pumped incandescent blood through my veins.

I was so hungry for him, I felt my primal side clawing at the inside of my skin begging to claim and consume him. I pushed back into his kiss, biting into his lower lip to send him a message—I wanted him as badly as he wanted me, and I could no longer fight that. He grunted and stilled. His lips parted, and his hot breath fluttered over my face. He captured my mouth again, his fingers digging into my hips, my flesh tender under his touch.

Heat spread through the lower half of my body, and his thigh pushed its way between my legs, further anchoring me to the door frame. I held on for dear life. My mind was devoid of everything but him. I felt his heady, vibrant energy glaze over me, warming my skin like sunshine.

It was right there within my reach, and I nearly gave in and allowed myself to syphon off him without bothering to ask for permission. He was so hot and delicious and consuming like a wild forest fire. Any closer, and I would burn up like a moth in the flame.

The sound of footsteps coming downstairs crashed through our heady bubble. Jovi and Field spoke as they went into the banquet room, and the double doors thudded behind them.

Everything stopped.

Draven pulled away, leaving my lips swollen, raw, and wanting more.

His hand pushed against the doorframe just above my head, as he leaned into it for support. He panted, slowly recovering his breath. I was even worse, gasping for air and unsteady on my feet. My whole body trembled, so close, yet too far from his.

We spent several minutes like that, quietly breathing in and out in a peculiar unison as we struggled to regain some kind of composure. I needed to focus on something other than his lips, glistening red from our kiss.

Coffee. I need coffee. Focus on coffee.

I cleared my throat and straightened my back, then took his hand in mine. His palm was warm, and his fingertips brushed against mine, tickling my senses.

“Okay, let’s um…let’s get some breakfast,” I managed to say.

A smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he nodded.

I would have dragged him back into the bedroom in that moment, to do more of what we’d just stopped doing, to find refuge in his arms, and to satisfy the yearning he’d nurtured in my heart, but reality came back with an unpleasant thud. We had work to do.

We reached the banquet hall, and I placed his hand on my shoulder. I didn’t want everyone to see us holding hands. It would have prompted the girls to question me—not that I had a problem with that, but I would have to explain something that I didn’t fully understand myself.