Unlike his other kisses, not only heat greeted her. There was also the subtle undertone of smokiness. She slid her tongue into his mouth, tentatively touched it to his. Sebastian made a low noise and pulled her closer, deepening their connection. His mouth opened wider against hers, and she breathed in his scent. His taste.
The press of his erection against her belly was a sensual distraction. Her hands rested against the firm walls of his chest, but as his arm squeezed her closer, the urge to slide them down past the muscled planes of his abdomen teased her mind.
Sebastian nipped at her bottom lip, the sting bringing her back to this kiss. He fed her his heat, the warmth spreading through her.
She sipped at his lips, growing bolder. “I think you’re feeling better,” she muttered against his lips.
The sound of flapping wings filled the night air, a gentle reminder of the current situation. She reached around his back, gently sliding her hand over the small of his back. Up until she met the base of his wing. Sebastian gave a small shudder, and Alice smiled.
He pulled away almost immediately, anguish in his next words. “How can you touch me like this? Why aren’t you scared?”
She was scared. Not of him, not when he could kiss and touch her like this. She was scared of what this meant for him and his future.
A response teetered on the tip of her tongue, but then she paused. This wasn’t about her fear. It was about his. She turned her face away from Sebastian, exposing her jugular. “You said you were hungry. Drink if you think it’ll help.”
His grip tightened. “You’re not ready.”
“That’s not important. I’m food, remember? Take what you want.”
Strong hands dropped to her shoulders, holding her at a distance. His eyes blazed red. “Is that what you think? That I see you as nothing more than fucking food?”
“Isn’t that what you told me, Sebastian? Humans are food. I’m just a human. You’re a vampire who’s hungry. And you know what? You’re not even that. You’re something more. Something bigger and stronger than what I met yesterday. Hell, your eyes haven’t stayed the same color for more than five minutes at a time.”
Those wings twitched irritably. “You are more than that to me and you know it. Human or not. My eyes, what I am, can’t be helped.”
“Then what of the things you’ve promised me? Did you mean them?”
“Of course.”
“That you would protect me...did you mean that as well?”
“Yes.”
She poked him in the shoulder. “Then why should I be scared of you?”
The world spun as Sebastian turned her around so quickly she almost didn’t recognize what had happened. His breath was hot against her ear when he whispered harsh words. “Just because I will protect you with my life doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t hurt you. Even accidentally.” His mouth traveled the back of her ear, brushing over the skin of her neck. Hot kisses touching down in unpredictable patterns. “Hurt can sometimes be so wonderful, you don’t realize it’s slowly killing you.”
His teeth scraped over her flesh, the sensation finding a nerve that went straight to her sex. And it hurt so good. The pulse of her body. The craving.
He stood flush against her, his erection nestled in the curve of her ass. Hands strong enough to inflict damage worked with delicate precision to rip a gap in her shirt, the ragged line going between her breasts.
“Bast,” she gasped. It was both admonition and encouragement.
“Did you feel the slice of my nail against your skin?”
He’d begun to peel away the shirt from her body, letting it fall until nothing blocked his skin from hers but the brisk night air. Her nipples beaded to hard tips. Alice swallowed, then nodded. “Yes.”
His nails, sharper than she remembered them, slid down her back. A tug of movement at her waist made her draw in a sharp breath. “I am dangerous,” he murmured.
The loose-fitting pants fell to the ground after a quick tug. She felt movement behind her, heard the sound of his bulk drop closer to the ground. “A fire burns in my veins from here—” he ran the edge of his nails up the length of her calves then thighs, stopping beneath the curve of her buttocks, “—and the burning is excruciating here.” He stood behind her again, the hot length of him like a brand. His hands spanned her back, holding her in the same location his wings now resided on his anatomy.