Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(45)

Looking into Kale’s drowning orbs was like falling into an abyss, so deep and so endless. He leaned in too close for my comfort, inhaling my scent.

“Are you sure you want the answer to that question?” His lips lightly brushed my ear, and I trembled. “I want to explore what it is that draws me to you. I want to discover why it binds me, why everything in me longs to be yours. I want to be able to look at Arys and not die inside with envy. I want to bring you to your knees and make you scream. And, sometimes, I just want to be free of you altogether.”

So much for a simple answer. A storm of thoughts and emotions pummeled me. I was at a loss for words. A wall deep inside me began to crumble and with it, my own resolve.

He jerked away from me so fast I jumped, startled by the sudden motion. Kale paced a few feet away before whirling to fix me with a deadly stare.

“Perhaps the real question isn’t what I want from you, Alexa, but what do you want from me? You’re pretty back and forth on that. You beg me to bleed you one day but tell me to back off the next. I’m starting to think you’re trying to drive me mad.”

My heart raced. Kale’s energy was erratic, pained and tempting. It called to me, and I felt the wild vampire power rise up inside me with intrigue.

“I don’t know what I want from you! Is that what you want to hear? I don’t f**king know.” That was as close to the truth as I had for him. “Sometimes, I want to devour you, just take all you have to give until there’s nothing left. And sometimes, I want to f**k you senseless while doing it. Then there are the times I want to wrap myself in the comfort I find in you and just … be.”

My words hung between us, heavy and honest. It felt good to get it out, but I still didn’t know what it all meant. I’d never felt as confused over anyone as I did with Kale. Was it wrong? Or, was it just circumstance?

The silence was thick with tension. The power crackled around us, creating sparks in the rain. Rain had soaked my hair, and I pushed it out of my face. I waited for Kale’s response. The hard glint in his gaze was unnerving. I was afraid of him right then; I couldn’t judge his state of mind.

I sensed his inner turmoil, his struggle. He quickly closed the distance he had put between us, and I braced myself for anything. Sliding a hand into my wet hair, he vibrated with pent-up energy. His hand was even warm, despite the cold rain that poured down, and I caught myself leaning into his touch.

“I can’t go on like this much longer. One of us is going to end up killing the other. I fear that might be the only way you can set me free.”

“Shut up, Kale. Don’t talk like that.”

His hand tightened in my hair, just enough to become painful. “God, I want to hurt you right now. Anything to make you stop saying my name like that.”

The shock of fear that slammed through me was paired with excitement. Part of me was eager to see what he would do. It was ludicrous. We were both so far gone.

“Can you do it? Make me a victim? Kale?” I taunted as his sweet energy rolled over me. It would be so easy to give in, and I was so tired of resisting.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” With a sudden pressure, he pushed power into me. It burned just enough to blur the line between pain and pleasure.

The pain increased as Kale forced me back against the building. The stone was cold and wet against my back. I gazed up at him, and he reached to stroke a finger beneath my chin as he contemplated me. I wanted him to do it, to give in to whatever he was feeling. Something inside me was waiting for that second when he went too far.

I gasped, a smile tugging at my lips. Grasping his power, I drew it in to me, making it mine. Five centuries of undead energy was a heady intoxicant. The rush that spilled over me was enough to make me dizzy. Kale was like a fine wine, stronger and better with age.

“I’d like to see you try.” I was like a kid playing with matches. The very real possibility of how badly I could get burned didn’t seem like a good enough reason to play safe.

“I know what you’re doing. Taunting me isn’t the way to make me back off. You are just pouring gasoline on the flames. I can’t resist you, and I’m done trying.”

He claimed my lips in a kiss that was wild with untamed need. At the same time, he released his hold on the energy within him so that it sought to get to me. It crashed over me like a wave, and I was left struggling to stay afloat in a sea of power and desire.

I delighted in the taste of blood on his tongue as he delved into my mouth. I breathed him in like his kiss was air. The boundary line was suddenly so far away it couldn’t be seen for dust. I fell into Kale, and I fell hard. Kissing him back with total abandon was so liberating that it was dizzying.

When Kale realized I wasn’t fighting him off, a sense of urgency overcame him. He kissed me hungrily, as if he feared that at any moment I would come to my senses and throw him another punch. I was too far gone to climb up out of the abyss I’d fallen into. The scent of rain mixed with Kale’s leather kept me buried under a veil of desire that would no longer be denied.

I tasted blood as his fangs scraped my lower lip, just another sensation to add to the rest. The fading warmth of his body against mine contrasted with the cold rain pelting us, and I pressed closer to him. Slipping my arms around his neck, I clung to him with a desperation I hadn’t known that I possessed for him. It could shock me later. Right then, it was freedom.