Desires of the Otherworld 2: Darkest Hunger by Aline Hunter Page B

meet his gaze.
    “You’ll tell me, or I won’t give you anything at all.”
    He started to pull away from her, placing distance between their bodies. She scrambled to pull him closer, clinging to him.
    “You said you wanted to continue where we left off.”
    He grinned, taunting her. “I did, didn’t I?”
    “Damn it.” She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t do this to me.”
    “I’m not doing anything to you,” he corrected, pulling her closer. “I’m just waiting for you to tell me what you want.”
    “I’ve told you what I want.”
    “And I’ve told you what I want in turn.”
    Her claws raked his shoulders, and he continued staring into her face. She smelled even better up close—wind, rain, and forest, with a trace of the lavender soap he’d purchased just for her. It wasn’t necessary to repeat his request. He simply waited, allowing her to make the decision for herself.
    “Bridon?”
    He arched a brow mockingly. “Yes?”
    “You’re really going to make me ask?”
    He felt her trembling, could see the need etched all over her face. “Aye, I am.”
    "You're a real bastard, you know that?"
    “I’ve heard it said a time or two.”
    For a moment, he thought she’d refuse. She frowned as she internalized the information, going tense in his arms. Determined to keep her mind with him—then and there—he leaned in and nipped her bottom lip, biting down hard enough to get her attention. Her lips parted as he pulled away.
    Lust appeared in her eyes, something he didn’t dare imagine was possible so soon, and she did something he didn’t expect. She lurched upward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and twined her legs around his waist. He kept her balanced against him via the hands around her neck and ass. Then she kissed him, hard and rough, her tongue snaking into his mouth as she moaned.
    Mindless and wild, he carried her to the sleeping bags and lowered her to the padded surface. To Hades with being a gentleman. Willow was nothing like Aislynn. She was wild and uninhibited, untamed and brazen as she met each thrust of his tongue. He realized then that the traits she exhibited excited him far more than a demure smile, a wine-colored blush, and whispers of love he’d known so long ago. This was his true Fated. The past was just a means to bring them to this point—now, together.
    He released her ass, grasped her face in both hands, and peered into her face. “Say it. Tell me.”
    She looked at him with desire-glossed eyes, her breathing frantic. “Do I have to?”
    “Tell me.”
    He didn’t smile as he pressed his cock firmly between her legs, so that she was unable to lift her hips or move. She went limp beneath him and lowered her hands, until they rested at his waist. Her entire body was quaking, her limbs shivering so hard, it almost made him cave in and give her what she wanted despite her unwillingness to say the words.
    “B-Bridon,” she stammered.
    He brought his head down and spoke softly into her ear. “Tell me, Willow. No more games. I want to hear you say it.”
    Turning her head and baring her neck, she did as he asked. “Drink from me.”
    “Again,” he growled, nuzzling her throat. Her pulse throbbed against his lips, drawing him in as his canines elongated.
    “Please,” she whimpered, grasping his hips. “Drink from me.”
    His fangs hammered painfully, and he embraced the ache. It had been centuries since he’d yearned for this, since he’d felt the hunger that only his Fated could bring to the table.
    Once he’d tasted Willow for the first time, she’d always crave his bite. Even if he’d never known the intimacies of sampling his Fated’s flesh in the past, he had taken Aislynn’s blood. Each time they’d met she’d never failed to fall apart in his arms, or beg for another sample. Even if they didn’t merge their bodies, claiming Willow in such a manner would create a bond that she would never be able to deny. No matter what occurred between them, she would