Page 23 of Clarity

And if he knew what I expected already… even better.

Still, it was taking too long.

As much as I appreciated that they were taking their time, putting care into it, Ineeded to—oh.

Wait.

Was this thelien de sangalready working?

I didn’t want to be hasty with laying the blame on the tattoo when I’d already been so embarrassingly turned on by Parris, but thisdidfeel… different.

It wasn’t purely lust. There were butterflies in my chest from the way he was looking at me.

Ew.

In my head, Parris laughed.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?”he asked. “This feeling of being smitten?”

“Yeah, but still. Not sure how I feel about it.”

“Fine. How do you feel aboutme?”

I considered the question for a moment before answering. “I feel like… I want to know how your day was and if you had anything to eat.”

Double ew.

Still in my head, Parris laughed again.

Like, truly cracked the fuck up.

“It’s not funny!”

“Yes the hell it is,” he countered. “You’re hating on me so bad that you’re annoyed that the blood magic is doing what it’s supposed to do.”

I started to lie and say Iwasn’tannoyed, but that wouldn’t serve any purpose.

Instead, I rolled my eyes at him and said nothing, going back to watching the process. I soon realized that my artist was actually going slower, to stay on pace with the artist who was working on Parris.

Larivyehad more letters, so in theory should take longer. However, they made a point of finishing at the same time before washing them with some solution from an unlabeled bottle.

Finally, we were done.

I gave Parris alook, and he wasted no time with the social graces of getting the people paid and getting us out of there. I didn’t even question where we were going. I was just along for the ride, which ended with us in the middle of a hotel suite in the Quarter.

No time wasted on talking, either.

No, it was straight to his tongue in my mouth, fingers in my pussy, priming me for whatever was next.

Clothes stripped and scattered, legs splayed wide across the bed while he licked and slurped me up, his tongue taking a meandering path from my belly button to the small of my back, feasting on everything in between.

His heavy, long dick sinking into me—stretching, filling,pounding.

His tongue in my mouth again, swallowing my screams of pleasure as he fucked me fast, slow, hard, deep, turned us over so I was riding him, fucking him back.

And then… his fangs sinking into my neck as I came.

Right where his name was.