She closed her eyes, ashamed at how she’d treated him in the past. But it had been so hard to trust anybody, even Cain. “I had to protect myself. And it was painful to be around you, thinking I meant nothing to you.”

Cain pressed small kisses on her face. “So that’s why you were so cold to me?”

“I wasn’t cold,” Faye protested.

“You were. I think I’m going to have to punish you for it. After all, nobody treats the king badly and gets away with it.”

“How?” She nearly swallowed the word, when Cain’s hips drew back and his cock plunged deep into her, repeating the same motion again and again.

“That’s the punishment,” he announced, his breath bouncing against her lips.

“If that’s punishment, then you’re not doing it right.”

“Wrong answer, my love,” he replied before he captured her lips and drowned her in a passionate kiss that robbed her not only of her breath but also of the ability to think.

All she could do was respond to him the way her body dictated. Her hands slid to his firm ass, where her fingernails dug into his flesh to force him deeper into her, while her legs wrapped around his upper thighs. Cain moaned and released her mouth only to bring his lips to her neck to kiss her where her pulse beat like a violent drum.

A fang scraped against her skin, and she shivered involuntarily.

“Oh God, Faye, I need you.” His words vibrated against her heated flesh.

His mouth opened wider, and she knew what he wanted. Her blood. Despite the fact that the blood of a vampire provided no nourishment; only human blood did. But the bite would heighten their pleasure, his as well as hers. She knew that, though she’d never experienced it. Cain had always held back until now, but today he was different. As if having confessed that he’d loved her all this time had brought them closer.

“Bite me,” she whispered her consent. “Drink my blood.”

A deep growl came from his chest, a sound more like that of a beast than that of a man. His vampire side was breaking through now. For a moment, he lifted his head and stared at her. His eyes glowed red and his fangs were fully extended. Long and sharp. Deadly. He’d never looked more regal than now.

A thrill shot through her body. The most powerful vampire near and far loved her and wanted to make her his.

“You’re everything to me,” Cain said and lowered his lips to her pulse.

His fangs pierced her skin, sending a bolt of adrenaline through her body. As he lodged them deep in her neck and drew on the vein, she shuddered, unprepared for the sensations that overtook her body.

Cain’s hips moved relentlessly, his cock filling her tight channel and stretching her, his pelvis rubbing against her clit with each thrust. Those actions alone would bring her to a monumental climax, but feeling his fangs in her neck made everything even more electrifying. Her entire body seemed to burn, the flames inside her threatening to incinerate her, yet she couldn’t stop, didn’t have the will to douse the fire inside her.

She felt Cain’s power in her. She sensed him wanting to share himself with her, to prove his love to her. They moved in synch as if they’d made love for centuries when they’d only been lovers for a few short weeks. Everything was new, yet familiar. The scent of Cain’s clean sweat filled her nostrils and made her womb clench. She’d never wanted a man as much as she wanted Cain. Never dared hope that she would find such happiness after all she’d endured.

“I love you,” she murmured.

The words seemed to spur him on, because his movements became more frantic, faster and harder, as he pounded into her with such force that had she still been human, he would have killed her. But her vampire body greeted his ferocity with a wildness of its own.

Her fingers turned to claws, drawing blood where they were digging into his flesh. The scent filled the room and combined with the smell of her own blood. Mingling with the perfume of their lovemaking, it was a powerful aphrodisiac that she couldn’t fight against any longer. Her body exploded, waves of pleasure rolling over her, when she felt Cain’s cock spasm inside her.

He pulled his fangs from her neck and groaned as he came, shooting his seed into her. “Fuck!”

Again and again, he drove his steel-hard cock into her, until he finally stilled and brought his lips back to her neck. She felt his tongue lick over the spot where he’d drawn blood. The tenderness with which he kissed her skin now seemed to be contrary to the wild man who’d made love to her only moments earlier.

Cain lifted his head and looked into her eyes. The golden brown color was back in his irises. “I love you, Faye. Don’t make me wait much longer.”