Devoted to Her Heart: The Vampires' Illuminant Book 4 by Mara Leigh

Author:Mara Leigh [Leigh, Mara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989318164
Publisher: Half Dome Press
Published: 2022-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Axe

The three of us enter the house together, Ember showing obvious signs of fatigue, and I sit, helping her curl into my lap on the sofa, seeming like she might drift off to sleep at any moment.

Zuben, per usual, paces across the room, clearly agitated, conflicted about this. And I feel conflicted too.

After she feeds, she’s going to feel amorous, and based on what Zuben has said it will be that much stronger after she feeds from one of us, versus taking that human vein last night.

“We should try human blood.” If she doesn’t have the strength to walk to the village, I will carry her.

Zuben shakes his head. “Tonight she requires the vein of a vampire.”

“How can you be so fucking sure about everything?” Used to being alpha, I haven’t been in such a dependent position since I was a cub. Although I have to admit that I’m grateful for Zuben’s never-ending flow of information. Without it, I’d be clueless when it comes to being a vampire.

“Vampires need human blood for food,” he continues as he paces, “but they gain and renew their strength through feeding on other vampires. Currently, Ember is significantly weakened and depleted, and I suspect that trying to use her magic has greatly diminished her energy.”

“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here,” Ember says, not even raising her head from my shoulder.

I stroke her back to offer what support I can. I fully remember how I felt when I took Ember’s blood, back when she was human. Heat rises in my body. “Are vampire to vampire feedings always followed by sex?”

Zuben clears his throat. “Always is not a word I would ever choose to use, but yes, it is typical for such feedings to arouse a sexual hunger in both vampires.” He glances away. “And this is amplified if there are strong emotional ties between the vampires in question.”

I try to ignore my already stiffening cock, and I shift her position on my lap so it’s not pressing directly against her. I yearn to make love to Ember properly, but I can’t. And I will not fuck her like a sow again, like I did last night. Everything about that felt wrong.

She’s fallen asleep, so I lay her on the cushions and gesture for Zuben to follow me into the kitchen.

“What is troubling you?” Zuben asks.

“I… You need to understand. I can’t be the one to have sex with her.”

“Why ever not?” Zuben’s eyes widen, almost like he’s afraid.

“I have very strong beliefs when it comes to the act of sex outside of marriage.”

Zuben’s back stiffens. “But last night. You already took that step. I heard…” His cheeks darken, as if embarrassed, and he takes a step back from me. Was he eavesdropping—or watching?—when I fucked Ember?

Shame races through me, and I drag my fingers through my hair, trying to figure out how to articulate my strongly held beliefs to this man. My reasons are all about faith and he’s all about facts.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.