All of a sudden, the only thing I could think about was Luna’s blood. Black edged my vision, and the shadows begged to be released from my hold on them as her blood called to me.
The marking on my wrist burned and my stomach felt like someone was dragging a knife through the center of it. Hunger pulsed through me until it was the only thing I could think about. The sound of Luna’s steady heartbeat in her chest, pumping that vital liquid all through her body, was the only thing I could hear. I wanted to taste that crimson elixir so badly, my fangs hurt.
My head lowered of its own volition, and my hand raised, brushing aside her hair to expose the tanned skin of her neck.
Luna stiffened beneath my touch, drawing in a sharp breath. “Sebastian, what are you—”
“Shhhh,” I whispered, staring at the beauty mark just below her ear. I dreamed about this neck. The softness of her skin. The sweet smell of her soap mixed with the honeyed scent of her blood.
Every day, I wanted her more and more. My fangs ached as I ran my finger over the pulse of her artery. It would be so easy to take what I wanted. Every part of me urged me to close the distance between us and taste her blood once more, putting an end to my hunger.
The only thing stopping me washer.
Luna wouldn’t forgive me if I drank from her like this. I knew it in the depths of my soul. I wanted her blood. I needed it. But more than that, I wanted her to not hate me.
“Sebastian?” she whispered.
“Hold on,” I rasped.
I needed to pull myself together. This was not the time or the place for me to fall apart. Despite the ache in my jaw and the twisting pain in my stomach, I pulled my hand away from Luna’s neck. Stepping away from her, I stumbled back and leaned against the wall with a groan.
Gods, I was acting like a newly Made vampire before his first Feeding. It was as if I hadn’t already existed for more than three centuries.
I knew better than to let hunger get the better of me. Staring at the stone wall on the other side of the room, I forced the raging desire to feed away. Pushing it to the depths of my consciousness, I barricaded it behind a brick wall. I needed to be strong.
When I was certain I could keep my fangs to myself, I moved even further away from Luna.
She turned, her brown eyes wide as they swept over me analytically. “Are you…”
“I’ll be fine,” I said hoarsely, lying through my teeth.
She stared at me. Her gaze was heavy, as though she was looking straight into my soul. I forced myself to remain still, to push the ache in my fangs away, until she dipped her head.
“All right,” she said. “If you’re fine, let’s get started. We need a clue.”
“Yes.” My voice was rough, and I cleared my throat. “Good idea. A clue.”
I needed to remember why we were here.
She continued to stare at me. “Why don’t you look in the bathing room, Sebastian?”
Grateful for the opportunity to put space between us, I grunted a response and shadowed into the adjoining room. The moment my feet landed on the floor, I stumbled forward and leaned against the closed door.
Breathe.
In and out.
My wings flexed behind me, and I forced my lungs to expand and retract. I needed to focus on something—anything—other than Luna’s presence in the other room. Even from here, I could hear her heart pounding. The swooshing of her blood leaving her heart to move around her body was a siren’s call to my starving body.
In the back of my mind, I knew this fixation on Luna’s blood was not a good thing. The longer I let it go on, the worse it would become. The best thing I could do was to keep putting as much space between Luna and me as possible.
Unfortunately, thanks to the gods-damned Tether, I didn’t have many options. Or really, any options.
Every single curse word available beneath the moon left my lips as I rubbed my temples. My stomach churned, and my fangs ached. Even with the door between us, her scent wafted over to me.
I could always smell her. It didn’t matter what I was doing or who I was speaking with. When my spies reported their findings about the war in the south, I could smell her. When I wrote letters at my desk, her scent pervaded my thoughts.
I needed her more than I’d needed anyone else in my entire life.