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  Only I can’t take care of myself, she remembered suddenly. I can’t so much as touch my own nipples without a damn alarm going off. Oh God—what am I going to do?

  She had no idea.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Where have you been?” Terex grabbed her by the shoulders and glared at her the moment Elaina let herself into the suite. “Do you know how worried I was? I had no idea where you were and no one else seemed to know either! I was just going out to comb the palace for you!”

  “I…I’m sorry—” she began. “I got lost and—”

  “Sorry isn’t good enough!” He shook her once and then pulled her close for a tight, almost desperate hug. “Gods, Elaina, don’t do that to me,” he murmured, pressing his face to the side of her neck, his breath warm on her skin. “Don’t just disappear like that! I was so fucking worried.”

  Elaina was surprised and touched at the emotion he was displaying for her—she didn’t think she’d seen the big Kindred this worked up since their disastrous second meeting on the Mother Ship. God, his arms felt so good around her—like flexible steel bands. But then he shifted and the broad plane of his chest dragged against her sensitive left nipple.

  “Ouch!” Elaina pulled away, looking down at herself reflexively. “Damn, that really hurts.”

  “Let me see that—I should have tended it long ago.”

  Terex drew her over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. He stood Elaina between his muscular thighs and rumbled, “Take off your top. I need to see your breasts without all those ridiculous fringes in the way.”

  Though she’d been walking around exposed for hours now and though Terex had already touched and sucked her nipples earlier that evening, Elaina still found herself shy about removing her top.

  “Um…” She plucked uncertainly at the black and white fringes which were all that stood between her and nudity.

  “Elaina?” The big Kindred frowned at her sternly. “Did you hear me? I said I need to examine you.”

  The command in his deep voice seemed to do strange things to her insides. She felt a rush of heat that seemed to sweep from the tips of her toes all the way up to the top of her head.

  “Yes, Master,” she murmured without thinking, unfastening the top. “As you wish.”

  “Don’t call me that.” Terex snapped. “You don’t have to, you know. We’re in private here.”

  Elaina bit her lip. “I know,” she said. “I…don’t know why I called you that. It just…felt right.”

  “Well it doesn’t feel right to me. It reminds me too much of—”

  “Of what?” Elaina asked curious, because he had broken off abruptly.

  “Nothing. Never mind.” He shook his head as he took her by the waist and turned her so that he could get a better view of her injured nipple. “Hmm…this isn’t good.”

  “What? What’s wrong with it?” Elaina looked down at herself anxiously. Her left nipple did look more swollen and pink than her right, she thought. Although both nipples seemed a shade darker than her normal coloring.

  Must be from the way he bit me, she thought. Although if it was her left nipple he’d bitten, why was her right one pink too? Maybe that damn Krispy Kreme-tasting syrup, she guessed. Hadn’t Zerana said it could mimic the symptoms of the Need disease?

  Speaking of that, being so close to the big Kindred with her breasts bared to him while she smelled his spicy, masculine scent was doing strange things to her. Her pussy felt hot and swollen between her legs and her nipples were throbbing—not just with pain either.

  “Why did you make me bite you?” Terex asked, looking up at her. “I was trying to be so careful not to scratch your tender flesh. I didn’t want to hurt you—only bring you pleasure.”

  “I know.” Elaina lifted her hands helplessly. “But Jessa was signing to me that Krumf doesn’t like to lose bets—that we’d be in trouble if you won.”

  “So you were trying to save me when you impaled yourself on my fangs?” He sighed. “I should have guessed as much. Unfortunately, you forced an uncontrolled bite, which caused me to inject you with my essence.”

  “Your what?” she frowned.

  “Look.” He opened his mouth and pointed at his incredibly sharp fangs. Clinging to their tips, were pale blue droplets like nothing Elaina had ever seen before.

  “What is that? I mean, what is essence?” she asked.

  “A Blood Kindred’s body makes it when he becomes especially attuned to a female,” Terex told her.

  “You…you’re attuned to me?” Elaina whispered, biting her lip.

  “How can I help it?” he asked simply. “When you’re so beautiful, so incredibly arousing? I’ve been attuned to you from the moment I first met you, Elaina.” He sighed. “I know we’re only supposed to be working together and I’m sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable…”

  “No.” She shifted a little, pressing her thighs together to try and control her growing desire. “No, I…I don’t mind.”

  “Thank you.” Terex sighed. “I know it’s not very professional and I swear I’m trying not to take advantage of the situation we’re in but—”

  “But it’s really hard when Krumf and his cronies are demanding that you lick my nipples and I suck your…” Elaina trailed off, blushing. She couldn’t help remembering how eager she’d been to go down on him, how willing she’d been to swallow every last drop of his come. God, what must he think of me?

  “About that…” It was Terex’s turn to shift uncomfortably. “I shouldn’t have let you do that. We should have tried to fake it or at the very least I should have pulled away before I spilled my seed in your mouth.”

  Now was her chance to act shocked and shy and swear she never would have done such a naughty thing if she hadn’t been forced into it. If Elaina had been younger, she might have considered it. But she was on the edge of forty, not twenty and she’d gotten tired of trying to pretend she wasn’t interested in sex a long time ago. It was one of the reasons she and her ex husband had broken up in the first place—the fact that her ex was boring in the bedroom and never wanted to try anything new.

  So instead of demurring, she told the truth.

  “I…I honestly didn’t mind,” she murmured, looking at the big Kindred.

  Terex frowned. “You didn’t?”

  “No.” She sighed. “Sorry if that makes me sound like some kind of…I don’t know what. But the fact is, I’m not a blushing virgin anymore. I was married for quite a while so that wasn’t exactly the first blow job I’ve ever given.” She cleared her throat. “It was the first one I enjoyed giving, though.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You did?”

  Wow, Elaina, way to make yourself sound like you’ve really been around the block! But she went on telling the truth anyway.

  “Yes,” she said simply. “I didn’t like it with my ex because he considered it one of my ‘wifely duties’ and he never exactly reciprocated, if you know what I mean.”

  “You mean he never tasted you?” Terex looked like he could scarcely believe it.

  “Um…no, he never did.” She could feel her cheeks getting hotter and hotter. “Not only that but he used to grab my head and drag me down. You didn’t do that—in fact, you tried to pull me off.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you or choke you,” he murmured. “Or take advantage of you.”

  “You didn’t,” Elaina said firmly. “We’re just…doing what we have to in order to get through this and find what we’re looking for. Speaking of that…” She cleared her throat, wanting to change the subject. “Did you learn anything new at the Council meeting?”

  He scowled. “Nothing. It was a lot of bureaucratic nonsense. A waste of time. And when I came back here and found you missing, I feared the worst—that Krumf had used the excuse to separate us and hide you away somewhere.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done that,” Elaina said seriously. She told him about Zerana and how she’d purposefully been infected with the Nee