“Sophie—”
“I’ve been so busy dwelling on the past, I haven’t allowed myself to enjoy the present or look forward to the future,” Sophia continued. “And I haven’t let myself love because loving someone means pain.”
“That’s doubly true in this case,” Olivia sent dryly. “Remember Sylvan’s fangs.”
“I remember,” Sophia sent calmly. “They’re out right now. But you know what? I’m not afraid of them anymore. I’m not afraid of him or of letting myself love him. I want him, Liv. And I don’t care if it hurts.”
“Sophie, you’ve just been through a lot. Maybe you should take some time to consider—”
“Do you remember when you told me you had to get to the place where you were more afraid of losing Baird than of letting him bond you?”
There was a long silence and then Olivia said, “Yes. Yes, I remember.”
“Well I’m at that point with Sylvan now,” Sophie told her. “I want him and I know he wants me. Only he’s afraid to do anything about it—afraid he’ll hurt me.”
“I’m a little afraid of that myself,” Liv sent. “I’ve never seen him look so scary as when you called on the viewscreen a little while ago. Those red eyes. And his fangs look so sharp.”
“That’s because he needs me,” Sophie sent simply. “As badly as I need him. I just have to convince him to…to take me.”
Olivia sent a mental sigh. “All right—I trust your judgment. So what do you want me to do?”
“Stall him. Meet us at the suite and tell him you’re out of glucose on this side of the ship and you’ll have to send for some more. Or better yet, offer to go get some yourself. Just say anything that will keep him in the suite with me while you ‘locate’ another supply.”
“My, my, my. Aren’t we devious?” Liv’s mental voice was filled with admiration. “Okay, I can do that.”
“Thanks, Liv. I owe you one.”
“I’ll be sure you pay up later. Because you know Kat and I are going to want all the juicy details.”
“How is Kat? Sylvan said she went back to Deep and Lock in order to locate me. Is she all right?”
“I haven’t talked to her. According to Lock she’s resting in her suite. Apparently she left him and Deep as soon as she was able to, after they, uh, located you. Of course the minute she wakes up we’ll want to talk. We should get together later on tonight.”
“We’ll see.” Sophie cast a sidelong look at Sylvan who was currently busy landing the ship. Besides the obvious signs of rage—the red eyes and extended fangs—there was a strained look on his face. She remembered what he had said to her before…My blood was burning. And I had no way to quench the flames. His blood was burning now, she was certain of it. He was on edge from wanting her—needing her. There would never be a better time to convince him to bond her to him. She just hoped she could manage it.
“What do you mean, ‘We’ll see?’” Liv demanded.
“I mean this might take a while. I think you know what I mean—or you should, anyway.”
“Oh.” Liv laughed. “Of course, what was I thinking? Especially if you, uh, succeed in your little mission.”
“I’ll succeed, all right,” Sophie promised her. “I’m not letting him out of that suite until he bites me. And does…everything else he has to in order to bond us together.”
Liv laughed again. “Okay, forget tonight. Kat and I will see you next week.” Her voice was suddenly sober. “Just be careful, Sophie. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do. For the first time since Burke hurt me, I know what I want—what I need—and I’m not backing down now. I’m not missing another chance to be with the man I love,” she told her sister.
“Okay, okay—you’ve convinced me. I’m behind you one hundred percent.”
“Thank you,” Sophie sent.
She just hoped she could convince Sylvan as well.
Chapter Thirty-six
Sylvan frowned as they walked into his suite. “I can’t understand how we could run out of glucose solution. Whoever has been doing the ordering at the main med station must be completely incompetent.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Sophia said, closing the door behind them. “Liv said she can get some from the other side of the ship in an hour or two.”
Sylvan tried to repress a sigh. An hour or two sounded like an eternity at the moment. Especially when he wanted Sophia so badly he could almost taste the salty-sweet flavor of her skin. When all he wanted to do was take her to bed and part her thighs while she offered him her throat. Stop it, he ordered himself. Stop thinking that way. You’re only making it worse!
Sophia shivered. “I’m chilled to the bone. Do you mind if I take a quick bath?”
“Of course not. Be my guest.” Sylvan was relieved. Maybe she would spend the next few hours soaking in the bathing pool. And though the thought of her naked and wet would be a torment, at least she wouldn’t be in the same room with him, where he could see her beautiful body under the thin tharp and smell her devastatingly feminine scent.
Sophia headed for the bathroom but then she hesitated and turned back. “You could join me, if you want. You look really tense. I could, ah, rub your back.”
Sylvan raised an eyebrow at her. “Join you naked in the bathing pool?”
“Well…” Her cheeks were suddenly pink again. “Yes. Why not?”
Because I want you. Because even the thought of you slippery and wet and naked makes me feel like I’m losing my mind with desire. “It’s a bad idea,” he said shortly, frowning. “A very, very bad idea.”
“Oh.” Her face fell. “I just thought…never mind. I’ll just be a minute.” Quickly she went to the bathroom and shut herself in.
Sylvan felt terrible for turning her down so abruptly but it was obvious she didn’t understand. He was right on the edge of reason, his blood burning for her as it never had before, even after the second time he’d tasted her. If he allowed himself to get too close…I have to keep my distance from her until I can get to the sacred grove. Have to keep her at an arm’s length until the priestess can cool my blood. Otherwise I’ll do something we’ll both regret for the rest of our lives.
* * * * *
“Okay,” Sophie muttered to herself, shedding the tharp and draping it carefully across a shelf. “This is not working. Time for plan B.”
The only trouble was, she had no plan B. She’d never tried to seduce anyone before and she had no idea how to go about it. Obviously just offering herself wasn’t going to work. Sylvan was on his guard against her. He was so certain that he would hurt her that he wasn’t about to touch her with a ten foot pole. And that’s what I need, she thought as she dipped her foot in the bathing pool. His hands on me. And his mouth. If I could get him to go that far, I’m pretty sure I could get him to take me all the way. But how could she get past the wall he’d erected between them and get him to touch her?
The bathing pool was beautifully hot and having no answers, Sophie decided to take a soak and think about it. Liv had promised to stall for as long as she could, so Sophie figured she had a good two or three hours to work on Sylvan before he finally got fed up with the situation and went to fetch the glucose himself. In the mean time, she had to think up some kind of plan for the seduction—even though she had no idea what she was doing.
She hissed as she lowered herself into the pool. The hot water felt wonderful on the rest of her body but it stung the small wound Xairn had made on the inside of her knee fiercely. Ouch! Wish I’d had Sylvan heal that before I got into the pool. I should’ve asked him but—Wait a minute! Suddenly, it clicked. She’d been wondering how to get his hands and mouth on her—asking him to heal her knee was an excellent start. But only a start, she thought. I’ll have to get him to go further. But how? An answer popped into her brain. Of course! That should work. It’ll take a little subtlety but I think I can pull it off…
Sophie spent a little more time in the bath working out the details an
d then stepped out, feeling both refreshed and extremely nervous. Her plan seemed workable but how did she know if it would do the trick? She wasn’t exactly a legendary seductress. I don’t even have anything sexy to wear, she thought ruefully as she toweled off. I should’ve asked Liv to loan me a set of her naughty underwear. Of course then it would be really obvious I was trying to seduce him and this would never work. Still, if I had anything at all to wear…Her eyes fell on moss green tharp and she frowned. Maybe she did have something sexy to wear after all.
“Listen, MM2,” she murmured, taking the tharp off the shelf. “I know I said I’d never wear you again but we’re friends now, right? And you owe me one for that scene at the feast—you know you do.” She couldn’t be sure but she thought she felt a sense of agreement from the tharp. It was making a soft humming sound that seemed to indicate that it understood what she was saying and agreed with her. “Good,” she said. “So here’s what I want you to do…”
* * * * *
She came out of the bathroom much sooner than Sylvan had hoped she would. And she looked, if possible, even more lovely and desirable than when she’d gone in. The steam had given her fair skin a rosy glow and turned the little wisps of hair that framed her face into delicate ringlets. Even worse, the heat from the bath had brought out her scent—it drifted to his nose like an enticing perfume, warm and sweet and utterly desirable. It made him instantly hard, his cock aching for release. Sylvan shifted, hoping she wouldn’t notice the sudden bulge in his flight pants. But he was almost too busy looking at her to notice if she was looking at him.
Sophia was wearing the moss green tharp as a dress again and what a dress! It had a deep V neckline that showed the inside curves of her creamy breasts and outlined the tight points of her nipples clearly. The bottom was a long straight fall of soft green to her ankles, but there was a slit up the center that went to the middle of her thighs and showed her shapely legs quite clearly with each step she took.
Sylvan tried not to look after his initial assessment but it was difficult—almost impossible. Especially when she came and sat right on the couch beside him, so close their legs were touching.
“Mmm, I feel so much better.” Her voice was low and throaty—as contented as a cat’s purr. The soft, feminine growl seemed to go directly to Sylvan’s groin, making him harder than ever.
He shifted uncomfortably, trying to move his leg away from hers as unobtrusively as possible. “I’m glad.” His own voice sounded stiff and wooden in his ears—forced. But it was difficult to sound relaxed when he was more tense and agitated than he could ever remember being in his entire life.
‘Thank you.” She shifted toward him again, her knee brushing his and suddenly one of her sleeves slipped down her shoulder, baring most of her right breast. In fact, if her nipple hadn’t been erect, it might have slithered all the way down to her waist. As it was, though, the edge of the tharp caught on the tight point so that only the upper curve of her areola was revealed.
“Oh!” Sophia gasped, fumbling with the tharp. “I’m so sorry. This stupid thing…” She got the sleeve up and her breast mostly covered…and the other side promptly fell down. She grabbed for the tharp again, trying to get it to cover her but it was apparent it didn’t want to cooperate.
Instead of going back to its original shape, the front of the tharp formed indecently small triangles that clung tightly to her breasts. The upper points of the triangles started just above her nipples and barely covered the bottom curves of her ripe mounds. The final configuration outlined her jutting peaks and left most of the rest of her breasts bare in a way that was distractingly erotic—and so tempting Sylvan thought he might explode at any minute.
“There.” Sophia looked down at her chest uncertainly. “I think it’ll stay now. It certainly has a mind of its own.”
“You…you have to be firm with them,” Sylvan finally heard himself say in a hoarse voice. He forced himself to look away as Sophia spoke again.
“Sylvan, there’s just one thing…” She hesitated so long he was forced to turn and look at her again.
“Yes?” he asked, trying desperately to keep his eyes above her neck.
“The place where he—the Scourge commander—cut me to take out the tracking device. It still hurts…a lot.” She bit her lip, her lovely eyes filled with pain. “And well… if you don’t mind I was wondering if you could heal it for me. The way you healed my other injuries at the cabin.”
Kneeling on the floor in front of her, tasting her skin. I would start at her knee and run my tongue up the inner part of her thigh. Then I would part her legs so I could see her wet, ripe pussy. Her cunt lips would be swollen and sensitive, hot and wet with desire…No! Sylvan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get control of himself. I can’t think that way. She’s asking me to heal her and that’s what I need to do. All I need to do.
“Sylvan?” she whispered. “Did…did I ask too much? Did I offend you?”
“Of course not,” he said in a strangled voice. “It’s fine. I’m fine. And certainly I can…can heal you.”
“If you really wouldn’t mind…”
“Not at all. I never want you to be in pain—especially when I can help ease that pain.” He slid off the couch and positioned himself stiffly in front of her. “Where is the wound again?”
“Here,” she murmured, pointing. “On the inside of my knee.”
Sylvan had been meaning to lean over and heal her from the side but Sophia spread her legs, beckoning him in. Somehow he ended up between her thighs, which were thankfully mostly covered—at least from mid-thigh and up—by the tharp.
Struggling to keep his composure, Sylvan bent his head to the small wound and lapped gently, laving it tenderly with his tongue as he savored the delicious taste of her skin.
Sophie hissed at first, in apparent pain, and then moaned softly as he continued to lick her.
Sylvan looked up. “Did…did I hurt you?”
“No.” She ran one hand gently through his hair, sending shivers of pleasure down his back. “It…actually, it felt good. But I am having pain somewhere el—oh!” Her words ended in a gasp because the slit in her tharp had suddenly opened up, exposing her all the way to the waist.
Sylvan tried not to look but he couldn’t help catching a glimpse of her soft little pussy with its neatly trimmed thatch of dark brown curls. Her scent was suddenly much stronger and even more enticing, making his cock and fangs ache with the need to sink deep in her flesh. He pushed the need away roughly and forced himself to look away.
“I’m so sorry,” Sophie was saying as she tried to get the tharp back together again. “Naughty MM2!” she scolded it. “You should know better than that!”
“It’s all right.” Sylvan rose stiffly and sat beside her on the couch again. “I’m, uh, fairly certain you’re healed now. But…” He cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject. “You were saying you had pain someplace else?”
* * * * *
“Well, yes…” Sophia blushed as she spoke. It really was embarrassing to be exposed this way, even though MM2 was only following orders. But it was kind of hot too—especially since she could tell she was affecting him. “My, uh…” She looked at Sylvan uncertainly. “My nipples and my…between my legs. I’m so sensitive there it’s almost painful. And they’ve turned dark red—at least my nipples have.”
Sylvan shifted beside her and she couldn’t help noticing the hard ridge of his cock outlined against the fabric of his black pants. “I told you that was a symptom of Blood Fever,” he reminded her hoarsely. “The deeper coloration and sensitivity should go away as soon as you take the antidote.”
“I know but it really hurts,” Sophia said, trying to look pitiful. “I just wonder if it’s normal for it to hurt this much. I mean my nipples are so tight and achy and the inside of my…well, it just feels really sensitive and swollen.”
Sylvan frowned. “I suppose it’s possible the fever is progressing faster in you because you�
�re human.”
She bit her lip and looked down. “Do you think you could examine me? Just to make sure everything’s all right? I’m kind of worried.”
He hesitated for so long she was afraid she’d overplayed it. But finally he nodded. “Yes, I suppose,” he said in a low voice. “As long as we keep it completely professional…”
“Of course,” Sophie murmured. However, pealing down the tiny bikini-type top her tharp had formed turned out to be a little more difficult than she’d anticipated. Not because MM2 wasn’t cooperating—actually the tharp was doing its part beautifully. But because she really was nervous to be exposing herself so blatantly.
Her uncertainty must have shown on her face because Sylvan stroked her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s all right, Sophia, I’m just going to examine you. And I have seen you undressed before.”
“I know,” she whispered as she let the tharp fall to her waist. “I’m just…I guess I’m still just a little shy.”
“You have no need to be embarrassed,” he murmured, cupping her cheek. “You have the most beautiful body I’ve ever seen.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, feeling her cheeks get warm with the compliment. “That’s so sweet of you. Do…do you think my nipples are too red? I mean…” She nodded down at her jutting peaks which were a dark crimson. “Is that normal?”
Leaning down, Sylvan examined her closely—so closely she could feel his warm breath on the valley between her breasts. “You say they’re extremely sensitive?” he murmured.
“Extremely.” Sophie nodded and it was no lie. Even feeling his breath on her skin was enough to make her hot and bothered.
“Does this hurt?” Gently, Sylvan ran the tip of one finger around her right areola.
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