Cade's hand slipped into mine. He stepped closer to block me from everyone in the room as I fought to retain control of myself. I took a deep breath as my fingers clenched around his.
"There's no rush," Arlene said.
Cade nudged me toward the doorway. Neither of us was eager to stay in there and listen to what else was being said. He led me down the tunnel and into the smaller hall that housed the separated rooms. "Would you prefer to stay down here?" I whispered when we arrived at our sleeping area.
He took a deep breath as his fingers wrapped around my wrist. His thumb brushed over the mark the knife had left there as he pressed closer to me. Memories of him within me last night, touching my body and soul, came rushing back as I swayed toward him. I was suddenly frantic to have him enshroud and embrace me once more.
"It does seem safer," he said as his hand slid up my arm.
I had to force myself to pay attention to the conversation as his fingers trailed over my cheek. "They'll come here eventually. We can't stay hidden underground forever. Cade..."
"Not forever Bethany, but winter is coming and we have nowhere safe to stay right now."
He was right, I knew he was right, but I couldn't quell the panic rising up in me. "I want to go up with them."
His hand stilled on my cheek; I knew he didn't like the idea of me going, but I couldn't stay here when others were going to crawl to freedom in a week. I shuddered at the reminder that I would have to crawl through a vent, but I had gone through worse things before.
"We'll see..."
"I'm going Cade. I'll be fine," I added when he looked like he was getting ready to argue with me.
"Don't you think you're in enough danger with me around without throwing yourself into even more?"
I was taken aback by the question. "You're not a danger."
He rested his hands on either side of my head as he leaned closer to me. "I know what happened, Bethany. I know what I did. Do you honestly think I wouldn't know that I tasted a part of your soul?"
My heart raced as chills swept up and down my spine. I could barely breathe I was so spellbound and excited. "I'm fine."
His lips almost brushed against mine as he leaned closer to me. "You know what I did and yet you show no fear."
"There is nothing to fear, I wanted you to take a piece of my soul Cade. I offered myself to you and I wanted to know what it felt like."
He frowned severely at me as he moved back a little further. "I could kill you Bethany. I could drain you dry and there is nothing that you could do to stop me."
My hands fisted as I glared up at him. "You haven't hurt me Cade; it was nothing like when Ian had hold of me." I wrapped my arms around myself as I attempted to ease the sudden chill that crept through my bones at the memory.
I was so swamped with my own memories that I didn't notice the wrath that had crept over Cade until I felt the edges of it against my skin. I took an involuntary step back as my gaze landed on him. The veins in his face stood out starkly as they filled with black. It seeped down his neck and disappeared beneath his shirt only to reappear on his arms and the backs of his hands.
"That never should have happened to you. He never should have been able to touch you in such a way."
The snarled words caused the hair on the nape of my neck to stand up. "Cade..."
A gasp escaped me as he clutched my waist and lifted me against him. I barely had time to take a breath before his mouth claimed mine and whatever it was inside of him slipped into me. I arched against him as he filled my cells and seemed to pulsate through my blood. Warmth pooled through me and my toes curled as I felt part of him slither through my muscles and heat every atom it came in contact with. I drifted into him as I lost myself to his possession of me and the pleasure that came with the swirling combination of our souls.
His breathing was ragged as he pulled away and dropped his forehead against mine. "No survival instinct," he groaned.
My fingers drifted over his beloved face as I traced the contours I knew so well. "You didn't hurt me, you wouldn't."
"Bethany..."
"You didn't even take anything from me Cade."
His head shot up. "How do you know that?"
"I felt it when you did last night, here." I pressed his hand against my breast bone and held it near my heart. "I could feel that small bit you took..."
"I didn't mean to," his fingers curled in my hair as his lips brushed over mine.
"I was happy you did. Why doesn't it hurt with you when it did so badly with Ian?"
His muscles tensed at the reminder of Ian. "Because you're so damn willing to let me inside of you," he grated. "You don't fight me."
I shuddered, not from dread but from a burst of pure excitement. I took pleasure in the scent and feel of him as his arms slid possessively around me. "You're so easy to let in," I breathed.
I melted against him as I lost myself to the miracle that was everything about him, even the darkness that lured me forth like a clear pool on a hot summer day.
***
I couldn't see anything when I woke later, it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the little bit of light filling the tunnel. I shifted and reached for Cade but my hand came up empty. Bolting upright, I clutched the blanket against me as I rapidly searched the shadows.
Cade was sitting on his heels by the doorway. If it wasn't for the gleam of his eyes I never would have been able to pinpoint him amongst the gloom. There was something feral about him that caused me to grasp the blanket more firmly against me as he watched me through the shadows.
"Cade?" I was ashamed by the small squeak of my voice.
His mouth parted as he leaned closer to me before quickly moving backward. "I can't," he croaked.
"Can't what?"
His head bowed, his shoulders trembled and though I didn't understand why or how, he seemed to be in pain. "So tempting," he whispered.
Realization hit me like a knockout punch and I almost laughed but the sight of his hunched shoulders froze the sound in my throat. I pushed the blanket aside as I moved toward him. "Then take more. It's fine, I'm fine. You haven't hurt me and I don't feel any different."
"No!" I couldn't stop myself from recoiling as his head snapped toward me and an inhuman snarl curved his mouth. "No more, I can't take anymore from you without taking the chance of hurting you. Stay away!"
I opened my mouth to protest but before I could even inhale to start speaking he shoved aside the blankets, lurched to his feet, and bolted out of the room so fast that I wasn't entirely certain he'd been there to begin with. I sat, speechless and immobile as I gaped at the spot where he'd been.