His words stir something deep within me, and as I lean into him, it’s easy to let my eyes flutter closed. To live in his touch.
But I can’t. Not right now. If I do, I might lose myself completely, and the memories I’m trying to capture will fall through my fingers, never to be seen again.
So, I take a deep breath and move out of his arms, forcing myself to focus. Surprisingly, it helps.
Aerix bristles—apparently displeased that he’s not holding me anymore—but steadies himself quickly.
“You have questions,” he says simply.
“Yes, I havequestions.”I glare at him, even though it’s not him I’m mad at. It’s myself, for not remembering what I obviously should. “Like…” I pause, grasping at the simplest thread I can find. “How did I get here?”
He takes a steady breath, although if the harshness of my words hurts him in any way, he doesn’t let it show. Instead, his fingers trail along my arm, leaving delicate frost patterns in their wake. The cold feels sharper than I remember, but it doesn’t sting like it used to.
“You were with Sapphire,” he finally says. “She was looking for her own answers, and you followed her, loyal to the end.”
“And you took me,” I say, the memory sharper now. Thrashing around as I tried and failed to swim, his black wings gleaming against the sky, the terrifying flight to the forest, and riding on Nyx’s back to the Night Court.
“I brought you home.” He pulls me closer, as if he’s afraid I might try to run away from him if he lets go for even a second. “So you could be where you belong—withme.”
I gaze up into his eyes again, those mesmerizing silver flecks shining softly in the candlelight. As I do, something flares to life between us. An intense, primal tether to what feels like the core of his existence—one I feel in my pulse, in every breath, and in every heartbeat.
“I feel you everywhere,” I say in amazement, touching his chest as if I might feel the physical link inside.
“Because I sired you, Zoey. Icreatedyou.” He leans into my touch, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment—like they do when I touch the base of his wings and he’s trying to stop himself from unraveling. “We’re linked forever.”
His words trigger another rush of memories. His fangs breaking my skin, pleasure mingling with pain, and his venom flooding my veins. He stayed with me through the final moment when my heart stopped beating, when the darkness claimed me completely.
“I remember now. Your bite… your venom.” I reach for my neck, finding the skin smooth and unscarred. “It burned me. Consumed me. It felt like I was dying.”
“Youdiddie.” His eyes travel along my body, like he’s making sure every part of it survived the transformation. “And then you rose again, reborn. Stronger, perfect, and mine in a way you never were before.”
My hands find his face, tracing the sharp angles of his perfect features with new sensitivity. I can feel the subtle texture of his skin, and the pulse beneath it as the bond thrums between us, a living current of energy that grows stronger with each touch.
“When you turned me, it wasn’t just venom,” I tell him, my voice dazed as my mind continues to sort through the memories. “It felt like you poured your soul into me.”
“When I turned you, the two of us…” He pauses, his pupils dilated so much that they nearly cover all the silver flecks. “I was part of you in every single way. Mind, body, and soul.”
Another wave of memories crashes over me, searing and overwhelming. The sensation of his body pressed against mine, our movements fierce and desperate as his fangs pierced my neck.
“I felt you.” My breath hitches as my gaze drifts down his naked, beautifully sculpted body. Heat pulses through me, matching the vivid recollection of him moving inside me, consuming me as completely as his venom did. “All of you.”
“Yes.” Dark satisfaction drips from his tone. “Every single part of me.”
He doesn’t elaborate. He doesn’t need to. Instead, his wings envelop us, creating a cocoon of shadows and frost as his lips find mine. It’s like he’s breathing himself into me, fusing us further with every heartbeat. But as our kiss deepens, that unyielding thirst claws at my throat again, demanding more than his lips can offer.
Blood.
I break the kiss, my hands flying to my throat, as if pressing there can cool the inferno raging beneath my skin.
Luckily, as delicious as Aerix’s blood smells, I know not to take it. Not just because I might never be able to stop, but because of something primal that roars through the sire bond,screaming at me that if I took from him without permission, it would be a violation on a deeper level than I could comprehend.
“You’re thirsty.” He traces his finger across my cheek, soothing and steady. “But you don’t have to worry. You’ll feed soon. Tomorrow at midnight, I’ll bring Laura to you. She’s the pet you chose at the barns. Remember?”
My eyes widen as the memory emerges through the fog.
The barns. The towering structure of cells, stretching impossibly high, each cage holding a human awaiting their fate at the hands of the night fae.
Aerix and I walked those halls together.
