bChapter /bb168 /b

    ra

    +29

    I am exhausted. That is the first thing I think when I open my eyes in the morning, and immediately after I feel something heavy on top of me. I lower my gaze to Cassian, who has me surrounded with his whole body. His leg is between mine, one of his arms is across my hips, and his head has somehow ended up resting on my stomach. I can’t hide the small smile tugging at my lips. It is the first time I have truly slept with him, the first time I see his features so rxed. He looks like a child lying on me, so delicate and peaceful…

    I stroke his forehead with my fingers, brushing away the thick ck of his hair. An invisible hand squeezes my heart at the sight. I think bit /bwould be impossible to wipe the happiness from my face in this moment. I feel life radiating from every ione /iof my pores, warmth flooding every cell, even though it is really the opposite and my whole body is frozen for eternity. This is the effect he has on me–maybe it was strong before, but resignation had been a coat I couldn’t take off. The meaning of living had been lost somewhere between my birth and mying of age, and although I still don’t know what my purpose in this life will be, I know I don’t want to leave it without wringing it dry. And now it seems I will have many, many years to do so.

    b“/bIf you keep looking at me like that, I think I’m going to get jealous of myself.”

    My naked body reacts instantly to the rough sound of his voice. I never imagined a sleepy voice could be so erotic.

    “Your eyes are closed, how do you know I’m looking at you?”

    He tightens his hold on my waist and buries his face even deeper into my stomachb, /bbrushing my skin with his lips and the tip of his nose.

    “Let’s just say I felt a bit of warmth on my face.”

    I manage to give him a little smack on the shoulder in reproach. He presses a kiss above my navel and, in the blink of an eye, is on top of me, his arms braced on either side of my head. His eyes are now a dark, intense blue.

    “How are you feeling?” he asks, just a breath away from my mouth.

    “Like I was run over by a horse–drawn cart.”

    “More like I tortured you with my p-”

    “Overpowering personality?i” /i

    Heughs against my mouth before kissing me deeply. I can’t resist his lips, and I moan into him. That seems to please him, as he lets out a deep groan in the middle of the kiss. Neither of us has had enough–our eager caresses and the friction of our bodies make that clear. Before we realize it, he is buried deep inside me, moving his hips against mine until he finds the perfect rhythm. I rake my nails down his back and he kisses my neck, delivering small bites that fan the fire in my stomach. Unlike the night before, our movements are more frantic, wild, and rushed. We are in a’race to push each other to the climax, one neither of us is willing to lose. He thrusts deep enough to hit the furthest point inside me, almost painfully, and then I shatter, a cry of his name spilling from my lips.

    Immediately, while Tam still falling from the peak, I feel him follow me, his release spilling between my thighs. He licks at the corners of my mouth, leaving a faint metallic taste there.

    “I want to show you something,” he says.

    “Now?”

    “Well, as soon as you put some clothes on and get something to eat.” I can still feel him half–hard when he pulls out of me. “Call me a bad personb, /bbut I n on depriving the world of this view.”

    I roll my eyes as he stretches off of me. He shows me his magnificent form–he almost looks like a fallen angel, a work carved in marble, a

    14:16 Sat, 9 bAug /b

    man touched by divine hands. Any word of grandeur feels too small. He helps me to my feet and leads me to a bathtub steaming with heat.

    b“/bWhen did they prepare the bath?”

    b“/bbI /bthink Ank knows we need it.”

    He winks at me and helps me sink into the hot water. I wish I could say the water dulls my need for him, but the truth is we end up tangled together again. We are like animals, unable to resist the most carnal call of nature.

    Cassian gets out of the water before I do, and after a few minutes I follow, wrapping my body in a robe. I find him by a table I hadn’t noticedst night, buttoning his shirt with precision.

    “I gave Naida and rissa some time off, so there’s new staff who will take care of whatever you need for now.”

    I nod, and at that moment, as if she had been waiting for some kind of signal, a young red–haired woman appears. She approaches in silence, pushing a cart. She sets a te covered with a cloche on the table, along with a chalice full of blood and a small bottle of brown liquid: The girl seems nervous, avoiding looking at either of us until I deliberately seek her gaze. For a brief moment I can see her eyes are green, and her face is so covered in freckles it’s as if someone had shaken a paintbrush over her skin.

    “Do you need anything else, sir?”

    “That’s all for now.b” /b

    Cassian sits at the head of the table, and I take the seat to his left. I uncover what I assume is my te and find eggsb, /bbacon, and cubes of

    cheese among other things. The sound of the bottle being uncorked catches my attention.

    “To prevent more Vitalle bastards from wandering around here,” he says upon seeing my curious expression.

    “It doesn’t look pleasant.”

    “I assure you it tastes even worse.” He brings it to his lips and downs it in one go. “In fact, I think it gets more disgusting every day.”

    I wrinkle my nose just thinking of its possible taste. I pick up my utensils and begin cutting into breakfast, and when I take a bite, I realize I am

    hungrier than I thought.

    “Last night you said my tears are dangerous. Did you mean because seeing me sad is your weakness?” I ask with a smug smile.

    He falls silent, watching me intently, though I know he’s really thinking, weighing his words.

    “I suppose it’s only fair you know,” he replies. “Now part of you is like us–maybe what I’m about to say isn’t really a threat, but it won’t hurt for you to know it. Have you ever been told how to kill a Pure?” I shake my head, though he doesn’t really need my answer. The weakness of the Pures has always been a well–kept secret. “What gave us life can take it away.”

    “I don’t think I follow…”

    “Lilith.” He runs the tip of his fingers along the rim of the chalice in front of him. “Her tears are like poison to us.”

    “But Lilith isn’t here.”

    “No, but several times throughout history, humans have managed to make pacts with demonsb, /band they’ve taken care of stealing them. Your mother is in the Pits, I know that now. And in a ce like that, I doubt it would be hard to make her cry–especially if she’s constantly being tortured.” He lifts his gaze to meet mine. “I think your tears could have the same effect.”