Covet the Night, page 41
The brush of his lips over her soulmark was a mere whisper, but it was enough to ignite a spark inside her. She gasped raggedly as her vision came back to focus and brilliant pain warred with bursting pleasure. Her next breath was a whimper. The quiet, plaintive whine marred the sound of William's voice, but it didn't matter.
His uttered words cast a spell over her body, staking their claim. They sank into her. Wrapped around her aching heart and half-soul, acting both as balm and stimulus. Light banished the grizzly darkness feeding off her body and aroused her senses. Heat, deft and seductive, wound through her body, drawing each muscle lax.
"Gwen?"
Her lashes fluttered open—when had she closed them?—and gazed at William through heavy-lidded eyes.
"Is that it?"
"Not quite, sweet." He straightened. Currents of pleasure continued to coast through her body, keeping her in a dreamlike state. William shifted, and in doing so, Gwen realized that he'd pressed her more fully against the door to keep her upright. One hand rested casually over her soulmark while the other arm remained around her. "I'm going to do the marking now."
"Okay."
He smiled at her fondly, but it dimmed with his next words. "I'll have to bite you in order to complete the marking. It will hurt at first, but then only pleasure. From that point on, there will only ever be pleasure between us. Do you understand?"
Gwen nodded. Her eyes slipped closed as a delicious shiver nipped and stroked her body into smoldering desire.
"Gwen?" She hummed an acknowledgment, mesmerized by the soulmark's abilities to wash away her pain and every other concern plaguing her. "You need to hold your skirts up for me."
Her breath caught audibly as William sank to a knee. Gwen wasn't short by any means, but he towered over her.
"Lift them for me, sweet. Good girl. I need to be able to keep one hand on your soulmark while I mark you—that's it."
The delicate fabric cowed to her fists as she gathered the material. Gwen couldn't decide if she was on the precipice of fainting or turning into a puddle of euphoric bliss as the influence of the soulmark grew.
"Whoa now." William chuckled, sliding closer and hiking one of her legs up over his shoulder in one smooth motion. His shoulders and head dipped low, then came the caress of his facial hair tickling her inner thigh. He inhaled deeply. She felt the press of his cheek and nose against her flesh, and goose bumps pebbled her skin. "Steady now," he murmured, a light kiss punctuating his words.
Gwen continued to stare down at him, ensnared by his every move. Heat was building inside her, but there was something else too. Something more.
William glanced up, his gaze hungry yet tempered, and caught her staring. Gwen's gut clenched—her heart too.
"I love you."
The words tumbled out of her before she could stop them, one after the other on a choked breath. Staring into William's widened eyes, she felt like she was free-falling. She'd expected the same sentiment in return, but he surprised her by turning his face into her thigh. A tremor danced over him, shaking his shoulders. Shortly thereafter, a cool wetness dotted her thigh.
"William?" Gwen whispered.
He jerked his misty eyes back to her. "I love ya too, sweet." He bowed his head, digging his fingers into her thigh. "You're all I've ever wanted. I swear to do right by you, Gwen. No matter what it takes." He placed a soft kiss on her pale flesh before continuing on. His voice filled with purpose. "And now I lay my mark for all to see. By blood, be one."
The earnest delivery of his words struck her heart as his fangs sank into her skin. Gwen let out a whine. Her forehead creased as a multitude of feelings crashed into her. First pain—the sting of the bite was not to be ignored—but it soothed almost instantly with the first pull of his mouth.
And then it was magic.
"Oh, God."
Gwen's eyes screwed shut as an invisible force latched onto a part of her that was everywhere and nowhere at once. A piece so integral and ingrained in her, she'd never noticed it before. And now it was on fire. Her soul was on fire. She could feel it being forged anew into something larger, yet not quite whole.
The final lash was that of unbound pleasure. It evoked a maelstrom of sensation, bringing Gwen to heights she'd never know. Her body quivered as she hovered on the edge of climax.
"Oh, God," she whimpered again, breathing labored.
"No, sweet." William's roughened voice hit her skin in a hot gasp, the spill of blood coasting to the underside of her thigh stemmed by his hand. "It's just me. Say my name."
There was no warning before his next assault. Mouth and tongue, and gently scraping teeth, attacked her dewy folds with a passion that undid her. Gwen cried his name as the rush of her orgasm hit in a burst of heat and stars. Pinpricks dotted over her oversensitive skin, and she sank into William's care.
"Hold on now.” With a grunt, he readjusted carefully to remove his hand from her soulmark.
Gwen whimpered piteously, still limp and doused in pleasure from her peak. A brittle moan broke from her lips as he tentatively brushed his lips over her glistening center.
"I can't," she panted weakly.
"You can." His grip on her tightened. There would be bruises. She was sure of it. "And you will."
Gwen bit down on a fist to stifle her cry, the volume of her skirts fluttering down to conceal him. William growled in response, the vibrations of his primal retort stealing through her as he feasted on her. His lips and tongue left no skin untouched as he took the sounds she made as direction, heeding her every whimper and moan with gentle strokes or insistent attentions.
"I can't. I can't," she chanted, swinging her head side to side.
But she could, and she did.
Her cry rattled the shelves, or perhaps it was merely her hand groping for purchase. She slid to the floor, William's gentle rasp of endearments cradling her as securely as his arms as he settled her on the ground.
"That was…." She licked her lips, watching in dim fascination as he ripped off a strip from one of the underlayers of her skirt. "What are you doing?"
Her skirts lay in upheaval around her, but the mess of them proved no hindrance to William. With the cloth he'd stolen, he wrapped the puncture wound on her thigh.
"I don't have any medicine on me," he explained as he knotted the cloth tightly. His eyes darted between Gwen's face and his concealed bite mark. As he did, a strange tightness stretched her skin.
She blinked owlishly. "I'll take care of it." She tilted her head to the side as his eyes flitted up. "What's wrong?"
His features drew down. "What do you mean?
"I feel—" She cut herself off with a frown. She didn't know how to describe it. Instead, her hand ghosted across her soulmark. "I feel… you? You're anxious? Nervous?" she guessed.
"Suppose I am," he admitted, drawing his hands back. He was still kneeling and was having difficulty meeting her eyes. "Did you mean it?" he asked.
She nodded shyly and marveled as his nervousness fled in favor of joy. The tension across her skin released as well. A boyish grin lit up his face, but he winced a second later.
"Are you all right?" Gwen was surprised when he glared back at her in reprimand.
"I didn't realize you were in such pain. I wish you'd told me sooner." He sighed, his glare dissolving into a soft-edged scowl. "How do you feel?"
She paused, sifting past the lethargic pleasure to the wreckage of her cancerous body. Her eyes widened. "I feel like it's night four." Gwen gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth as a joyous laugh leapt out of her.
William smiled back timidly. "You'll have to explain that one to me."
Gwen's hand fell to her lap as she calmed her giddy eruption. "The tincture, in theory, held off my cancer for seven nights. Typically, between the fourth and fifth night, my AML symptoms would crop up." She settled back against the door, the worst of her pain throbbing happily on the inside of her thigh. "It worked." They shared a small smile, but her skin was tightening again, just as before—foreign but intimately familiar.
She frowned at him. "What is it now?"
"I… I wanted to apologize to you."
Gwen blinked back at him. "For what? It worked, William. I have more time—"
"I want to apologize for the way I acted in the Styx… and before that." His eyes were filled with regret. "I went on and on about you being able to live life on your terms and harping on about the Roux, but the entire time, I was trying to push you to live the life I wanted you to live. I'm sorry. I got so wrapped up in the idea of you being human and thinking of the life we could have had if we both were alive."
Gwen's throat tightened. "What was it like?"
William cocked his head like a puppy dog. "What was what like, sweet?"
"Us, alive."
A serene smile slid across his lips as his gaze grew distant. His voice lowered to a tender rumble. "If I'd had my way, we'd have had a handful of babes: four rambunctious boys and a darling girl to steal her da's heart. We'd have been surrounded by my pack. Everyone would be in our business, and we'd never have a moment’s peace, but we'd be dreadfully happy. And anyone who saw us would be struck with such jealousy they'd stop and stare all day long if they could."
The pretty picture stole her heart, and Gwen gave a short, doleful laugh. "No kids, remember? Cool aunt."
William's smile grew wider. Far wider than she'd ever seen as he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. "Oh, there'd be children regardless, sweet. The pack takes care of each other through thick and thin. You'd be an aunt to dozens of kids. Would that satisfy ya?"
She squeezed his hand, holding back the words she wished to say, knowing they'd only bring about another round of tears. He returned the gesture, his other hand going to his heart in silent understanding. Gwen exhaled in a long, steady breath, gathering her composure. She wanted to stay in this moment forever but knew time still wasn't on their side. Someone would come looking for her, sooner rather than later.
She couldn't leave without voicing her other concerns. "What if, even after all of this, I'm not strong enough to turn? I don't want to die, William." A shiver racked her body, and he pulled her, so she was nestled against his chest and sitting on his knee.
"Hush now, sweet. Whatever happens, know that where you go, I go."
Gwen stiffened gradually and stared up at him in disbelief.
"What?" William asked, brushing back her hair. "What is it?"
"You would—" She shook her head from side to side. "You would kill yourself?"
He grew somber. "Soulmarks, once bound, don't generally survive without the other for long."
"What?" She gasped. The color rushed from her face. "Why didn't you tell me that? Why would you agree to tie yourself to me if you knew I could still die—that you could die?"
"I meant what I said before, Gwen. I've waited centuries for you: you and nobody else. Life, undead or not, wouldn't be worth living without you not now that I've gotten to know you. Taste you. Love you."
William didn't try to stop her as she hurtled to her feet, one hand clasped over her mouth, the other over her heart as she took in deep, rasping breaths. He rose carefully, inching toward her like he would a doe.
"Gwen—"
Her deep sorrow struck him through the bond created by their soulmark, then a burst of unconditional love. He could only stand and stare at her in wonder.
"Gwen, please. Talk to me, sweet."
It was clear she was overwhelmed. Her hands balled into fists as she curled her arms fitfully around her body. "It's not fair," she said at last.
William swooped in, holding her close as he rested his forehead against hers. "You're going to live, Gwen. I swear it. There's nothing that can—"
"Gwen?"
They jerked their heads back to stare at the closet door.
"Gwen, are you out here?"
Antonia, Gwen realized with horror.
A simmering growl erupted from William. He groped for the light bulb's string, tugging it off with a click as Antonia's approach sounded closer.
Gwen stood arrested in William's arms.
"I'm not fucking around, Gwen. If you're out here, come out. Please."
Gwen frowned. She'd never heard Antonia use that tone of voice. Desperation clung on the end of each word.
More footsteps. "Gwen? It's Becca, Gwen. Please. Please don't leave me alone."
All the warmth left Gwen's body.
"Don't go," William whispered hoarsely as she began to fidget. "You're safe here. I won't let anything hurt you. Someone will come and fetch her soon, or she'll find her way back to the sisterhood."
"I can't. I can't just leave her thinking I vanished too. And what about Becca? I have to help find her."
His pregnant pause gnawed at her.
"Fine." He dropped his arms with great reluctance. "But you find your way to me tomorrow, Gwen. If the Roux or my household won't turn you, I'm taking you to Jakob. He won't refuse my request."
She agreed in a rush, but before she could slip out the door, his hands were on her face, his mouth sealing over hers in a savage kiss that left her breathless. "I love you," he breathed hotly.
"I love you too," she replied, heart pounding painfully against her chest.
She slipped out the door, eyes adjusting to the moonlit hall with a flutter of her lashes. Gwen peered down the hall, spotting Antonia much farther down than she anticipated, still whispering her name harshly.
"Antonia," she called in a whisper-shout.
The younger girl turned around in a flash, her face falling in relief as she laid eyes on Gwen. "I was calling for you," she accused. "Why didn't you answer?"
Gwen hurried to meet her, running her hands furiously over her skirts in a lame attempt to right them and dispense the dust and dirt. "I'm sorry, I just needed a moment to myself."
Antonia's gaze ran over Gwen's disheveled form, her lips pressing to a thin line. The severity of her expression could crack glass.
"We're to return to the suites immediately."
Gwen opened her mouth to question Becca's disappearance, but Antonia spun on her heel and walked the opposite direction from which they'd come, leaving her baffled.
Gwen glanced over her shoulder, her eyes searching for William briefly before settling on the door she'd come through. "Shouldn't we be going the other way?"
"We needn't parade through the Lunarium to go back to our rooms." Antonia shot her a scathing look, eyes once more perusing her rumpled form. "Especially with the way you look."
Color suffused the tops of Gwen's cheeks. "Where's Becca?"
The other woman faltered, then stiffened. "We don't know," she said tersely, releasing an audibly shaken breath. "One minute she was there watching the magic show, and then she was gone."
Antonia flew down the narrow spiral stairwell they came to at the end of the hall. Gwen struggled to keep up, bunching her skirts in one hand while the other used the wall as a guide.
"Maybe she stepped out to get some fresh air like me," Gwen attempted to reason as they wound down another flight. Antonia snorted. "Laurel said extra precautions were taken tonight to ensure our safety," Gwen continued in a huff, nearly tripping over her feet at the well-worn stairs’ slant. "Would you slow down?"
"No."
Antonia defiantly picked up her skirts and sped off, leaving Gwen to stop and gape at her retreating figure. A second later, she was hot on the younger girl’s heels. Gwen's breath came in staccato pants that echoed over the old, blemished wall. The stairwell was peppered with windows, but they provided little in the way of light, covered in grime.
Reaching the stairwell's end, Gwen released a growl of frustration as Antonia took off down the hall in a near run. Panic skirted through Gwen's veins. She couldn't afford to waste her newfound energy, but Antonia's behavior was as concerning as it was perplexing. Gwen slipped out of her shoes and ran after her.
"What are you doing?" she fumed, latching on to Antonia's upper arm and yanking her back. The other girl yelped as she spun before using her momentum to gain her freedom.
"I'm getting you back, you lovesick fool," Antonia snarled at her.
Gwen stumbled backward in surprise. "Getting me back? Getting me back for what?"
Antonia scowled, her chest still heaving. "Getting you back to the suites." She gestured to the Roux's mahogany door a few yards away.
"You made me chase you to get me back to the suites? Couldn't we have just walked?" Gwen's head spun at the ridiculous explanation.
Antonia glanced at the door, shuffling toward it. "We should—"
The door creaked open. "Antonia?" Becca's head popped out of the frame. "Gwen? Hurry, you've got to get changed!"
Becca disappeared inside, leaving the door open for them to follow.
Gwen stared at the empty space Becca had occupied before dragging her gaze to Antonia's quavering, haughty expression. "Peony ordered all initiates back to the suites to—"
"I don't care," Gwen cut in. A fury was building in her, vibrant and branding.
"She's Madame—"
"I said I don't care!" Antonia's body went rigid. "You made me believe something had happened to Becca. The same kind of thing that happened to Liv and Brit—"
"You're not supposed to say their names—"
"I'm not finished!" Gwen sucked in a ragged breath. She was hot all over. A delicate pressure nudged at her, stirring her heartstrings. Concern, both foreign and intimate, seemed to question her. Unable to stand the conflict of emotions raging inside her, she shoved his concern away. "You made me believe she was hurt. Why? Why would you lie like that?"
"Because you're being an idiot!" Antonia shouted. "We've survived their tests and proved to them that we belong. We're going to be vampyré royalty, Gwen, but you're ready to throw it all away for a man who'll tell you he loves you so he can get between your legs."
Gwen's hand met Antonia's face.
