Then again, she was destined to be with no one. Her ancestors had seen to that by defying the Heavens. Their punishment? Being relegated to the feeding tools for the warriors and the fiestreigh. Not much of a life, really, but on a positive note, Acadia was free, to a degree. At least within the walls of this mansion.
Because she wished not to be a burden upon the Alpha, Acadia got to her feet when she heard his footsteps, felt his presence growing stronger. She had been in the sunroom—an odd name for a room that never saw the sun—waiting for Obsidian to give her the go-ahead to visit Penelope and Ari’el. It was the highlight of her nights to spend time with the new mother and the blessed child. Had she known Kaj was coming for a visit, she would’ve remained in her chambers until she was called upon.
Anything to avoid running into him.
Unfortunately, molecular drifting wasn’t an option because she had been putting off feeding for days. She was now too weak to do anything more than the most basic of daily functions. And even those were becoming tedious.
Kaj appeared before she could make her way down the few steps to the kitchen. Their eyes met, held, and in that brief moment, she felt an echo of what they’d shared many moons ago, back when he’d been injured and she’d been at his side, nursing him back to health. Seemed like a lifetime, though it had been not quite two years.
Ducking her head, Acadia intended to hurry down the steps and through the kitchen, but her efforts were thwarted when her legs weakened, sending her tumbling headlong toward the floor.
“Acadia!”
Kaj moved faster than the speed of light, materializing directly in front of her, saving her from what could’ve been a nasty fall down the stairs.
The very instant her skin came in contact with his, she felt the fire bloom in her veins, the heat she’d been suppressing for as long as she could remember. It never failed—his touch lit her up from the inside out, no matter how much she pretended otherwise.
“When’s the last time you fed?” he insisted, his voice like thunder rolling far off in the distance.
She attempted to push him away, she really did. Or that had been her intention. Acadia wasn’t sure if he was simply too strong or she too weak, but Kaj didn’t budge. Instead, he shifted his weight, then lifted her off her feet.
“Kaj, please,” she whispered, not wanting to cause a scene. There were heurosp in the kitchen, the evening meal being prepared well in advance of nightfall as well as the standard daily chores getting underway.
His response was a grunt.
The trip from the sunroom up to the second floor felt like a millennium, though it had taken Kaj only a couple of minutes to traverse the distance. He didn’t ask her where to take her, and she didn’t ask where they were going. She had a feeling she knew, and when he paused outside her bedchamber, she realized she was right.
Part of her wanted to tell him she’d send for a male to take care of her, but she could see from his expression that would be a bad idea. According to what she’d heard, there was only so much a bonded male vampire could tolerate. And though Kaj seemed to be fighting this mating as much as she was, Acadia was not about to push her luck.
“Open the door, Acadia.”
His gruff words were spoken low and ripe with demand. Enough that she pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze in defiance.
Of course, the door still opened behind her, pushed wide by his will.
Those beautiful eyes remained locked on her face as he strolled over the threshold, making his way deeper into the room, over to her bed.
“Thank you,” she said kindly when he delivered her into her room, setting her gently on the edge of the bed.
Kaj didn’t say a word, but his eyes spoke volumes.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw so many emotions flitter across his handsome face. He was, by far, the most impressive male she’d ever laid eyes on. Didn’t matter the species, Kaj superseded them all. His black hair, those light green eyes, the hard angles of his face, high cheekbones, the perfect arch of his upper lip … it all came together to form a devastatingly handsome male. Not to mention the air of danger that surrounded him, which only added to his sex appeal.
And truth was, she’d been infatuated with him since their first meeting, the night Obsidian had removed the bullets that had riddled Kaj’s chest. He’d been in so much pain that night, so Acadia had remained at his side, watching over him while he healed. That night and the many that followed. As those minutes had ticked by, her love for him had been established, growing stronger and stronger until he’d shattered her heart into a million tiny pieces when he’d walked away.
For a brief moment, she wanted to tell him how much she missed him, how her heart physically ached whenever he fed from another, how she wished she could have him in her bed for one more night. She would tell him none of those things, though, because Acadia knew, in the end, none of it mattered. They were simply not meant to be. The vampire Alpha and the lowly Fae did not a love story make.
“You must feed,” he said softly, still holding her stare.
“I will.”
He shook his head. “Now.”
She nodded because she was in agreement. As soon as he left, she would call upon someone to come to her. It didn’t make sense for her to ignore her health, and despite her black mood, she knew she had to pull herself together, move forward. After all, that was what Kaj was doing.
Kaj didn’t turn away. Instead, he reached behind his head, grabbed the neck of the black T-shirt he wore, and pulled it off. He neatly set it on the bed beside her.
“Use me, Acadia.”
Her eyes instinctively dropped to his massive chest, to the thick muscles that padded his shoulders and arms, across his pectorals. She visually traveled downward, her gaze caressing every ripple of his abdomen, then onward to the stretched muscles that formed a V and dipped down into the dark jeans he wore. There were many scars that dotted his body, but they only added to his appeal. He was not a male who sat on the sidelines. He was in the trenches, fighting for the things he believed in, for what mattered most. It was one of the many things she loved about him.
“It’s not a request,” he stated firmly.
She met his stare, saw the same heat burning in his eyes that she felt igniting deep within her core. There was no denying the physical connection they shared. It had been almost immediate, from the very day Obsidian brought the injured male back. Acadia still couldn’t go back to where it had all happened, the Lair as they referred to it now, the very residence Kaj now called home.
“I swear to you, I will not take anything in return.”
The deep rumble of his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
And wasn’t that the real issue here? Acadia knew if she put her hands on him, if she drew from his energy, there would be no stopping for her.
“I can’t, Kaj.”
“You must.”
Acadia shook her head, and Heaven help her, a tear fell.
It was all too much.
The sight of that single glittering tear sliding down her smooth cheek was enough to rip Kaj’s insides clean in two. Made him want to drop to his knees, pledge his love and loyalty to this female for all of eternity. He wasn’t the only one who’d been hurting as of late, and it pained him to know she was feeling it, too.