Oh Goddess of Mercy, what have I let myself in for? This is going to hurt—I know it is!
No sooner had the thought entered her mind than she felt a brief, sharp pain as the long, sharp fangs drove into the delicate bracelet of veins. She gave a little gasp and might have yanked her arm away by instinct…except that Bound held her firmly in place.
After a tense moment, Lexi realized that it didn’t hurt anymore. The fangs had been withdrawn and there was just suction now as the big Kindred drank from her wrist.
All right—this is all right, she told herself. Everything is going to be fine.
Then she turned her head and saw Gaze watching them. The hunger in his pale, changeable eyes was unmistakable but he looked away quickly when he saw Lexi notice him.
“You…you need to drink too, don’t you?” she asked softly.
“I can wait until we get home.” But his voice was hoarse with need and Lexi felt unwilling pity tugging at her heart. Why did she feel so much for these two males who were complete strangers to her? What was it about them that drew her?
She didn’t have an answer, but she couldn’t deny what she was feeling—or that she wanted to give both of them what they needed.
“Here.” She held out her left wrist to Gaze, who was still sitting on the floor beside her.
He looked up at her, his eyes filled with hunger.
“Are you certain? It seems too much to ask.”
“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” Lexi said firmly. “Go on.”
She offered her wrist again and this time the light Kindred took it.
“Thank you,” he said hoarsely, and—baring his fangs—he sank them quickly and neatly into her wrist.
Lexi bit her lip, but she was prepared for the pain this time. It was over quickly and there was nothing but suction…at first, anyway.
And then the strange sensations started.
At first, it felt as though the sucking of their mouths was pulling something from deep within her—some long-buried emotion she had never felt before. Then her nipples began to tighten and the place between her legs began to tingle.
These were strange, unfamiliar sensations to Lexi. Living as she had on a planet full of women and not being attracted to any of them, she had nothing to fantasize about and so had never experienced the urge to touch or pleasure herself. Of course, there was a thriving trade in vibrating pleasure wands on Zetta Prime, and Lexi had tried one once or twice out of curiosity, but she’d never found them very interesting.
Now, for the first time, she felt as though parts of her body were awakening—coming to life in a way that was both inconvenient and embarrassing…but oh, so pleasurable.
What’s wrong with me? Why am I reacting this way just to letting them drink from me?
She shifted uncomfortably, squeezing her thighs together tightly. The area between her thighs felt slick and hot with need and her nipples were so tight they hurt. What was going on?
Gaze seemed to notice something strange was going on too, because he finished drinking and sealed the slight wounds he’d made with a leisurely swipe of his tongue. Then he looked up at Lexi.
“Mistress?” he murmured. “Are you well?” His pale eyes were half-lidded and his nostrils flared, as though he was scenting something delicious.
“I…I’m just fine,” Lexi said breathlessly. “And I asked you not to call me that.”
“My apologies, Alexa,” he murmured. “I was just…concerned that maybe we’d taken too much blood.”
“I feel fine,” Lexi insisted. And in fact, she was beginning to feel better—if better was the word for it. At any rate, she felt less of the strange tingling and pulling sensations at the tips of her breasts and between her legs now that only Bound was drinking from her.
“Still, you’ve given enough.” Gaze reached over and shook his brother’s shoulder. “Bound, stop—you’ve taken enough. Stop now!” he said sternly.
Bound’s forest green eyes fluttered open again and he finally seemed to understand. He stopped sucking and swiped his tongue over the underside of Lexi’s right wrist, which seemed to heal the small wounds from his fangs immediately. It must be some compound in his saliva that did it, she thought distractedly.
“Are…are you feeling better?” she asked the big Kindred. His face had more color now, she thought. As did Gaze’s. Before the two of them had been white as chalk—now their natural tan color had returned and there was even some pinkness in their cheeks.
“Much…better,” Bound growled in a deep, rumbling voice that seemed to shake her whole body. “Thank you…Angel.”
“I’m not—” Lexi began but his eyes had already shut again and it was clear he was either sleeping or resting so deeply he couldn’t hear her.
“Thank you.” Gaze echoed his brother’s words. “I don’t know why you’re so kind to us—I know that your people think males are beneath you and there’s no reason for you to be so generous. But thank you for saving our lives.” He looked at Lexi earnestly. “I don’t know how, but some day…some way, we will repay you.”