CHAPTER 96: BLOOD AND BONDS

Ariana’s lips parted in surprise as she stared at the red liquid rolling down his hand, dripping onto the floor. Her eyes widened as the scent wrapped around her senses. She was sure she had never reacted to blood like this before—she was the kind who hated the sight of it. Normally, her head would spin, but now... it didn’t. Her eyes widened even more as Zavren lifted his wrist to his lips and began to drink from it, and while he did that h..his blood-red eyes locked on her.

Her heart skipped, her face warming in an instant. She hadn’t expected that. Why was he drinking it now? Was it because she hadn’t?

She knew she had to if they were to form a mind link. She knew she had to, especially since she truly wanted to speak with Zavren..maybe even to tell him everything she had been thinking

Her heart skipped again as his gaze remained fixed on her. Her knees weakened slightly when he finally pulled his hand away, and her eyes trailed to his wrist—the wound was gone, like it had never been there. No mark. Her eyes lifted back to him, but before she could process anything more, his hand was at the back of her neck, and he pulled her in. Ariana’s eyes narrowed in shock as his lips crashed into hers, and then she felt it—a warm liquid pouring into her mouth...

H... his blood.

Her body froze as it slid down her throat, and she swallowed it gently. Her eyes widened even more as he pulled away gently. She could still taste his blood—and it was sweet. It was like she wanted to taste more of it. Was it because she was his mate? Was that why it tasted so good?

Her eyes fell to his mouth, noticing the blood still on his teeth. To her surprise, his tongue flicked out as he licked the remaining blood clean. Ariana didn’t know why, but her inner thigh reacted to the sight of him licking his own blood—his sharp canines made him look dangerously different... and undeniably sexy.

Zavren’s eyes dropped to her lips, and he noticed a drop of blood trailing down her chin. The way the red liquid trickled over her pale skin made something in him stir. He moved swiftly, gripping her throat gently as he leaned in and licked the blood from her chin. Ariana’s body stiffened as she felt his warm wet tongue on her, her knees began to give away—but Zavren was faster. He caught her and scooped her up into his arms.

He moved gently, placing her on the bed. As Ariana lay there, her vision blurred slightly, and her head began to spin. Her hand moved to her forehead as she scrunched her face in pain—but just as suddenly, the pain vanished. Her lips parted open in quiet surprise.. she hadn’t expected that.

’No more pain..’

Zavren stood back, pulling off his shirt in one smooth motion and tossing it aside. Then, he lay down beside her, spooning her into his embrace.

He held her tight—not too tight, but carefully.

"Can you hear my voice, sweetheart?" he asked as Ariana shook her head. Then he spoke, his eyes resting on her golden-blonde hair before their gaze locked. Her back was pressed lightly to his chest.

"We would have to wait till tomorrow and see, and if it does not work..." his words trailed off, and for some unknown reason, Ariana’s heart began to thump in her chest. Then he continued in a husky whisper.

"You will have to drink more of my blood," he spoke, and he felt her body stiffen under him. His lips curled up into a slow, teasing smile.

Ariana closed her eyes. She was glad he was back, and just him at her back made a slow smile curl up her lips. The worry in her heart was replaced with joy, which surprised her more than she could admit. And now, she could sleep with ease. Yet she wondered...what was this feeling? She needed to get used to him leaving, as she could not imagine it if he did not return today or came a week later. Her body shivered slightly she could not even imagine that.

’Sleep, Ariana,’ her inner thought screamed at her as she finally calmed her thoughts. But her body stilled when she felt Zavren’s hand on her knee. His hand brushed gently over it, and her eyes grew wide.

"I want to touch you," Zavren spoke, and Ariana’s hands flew to her mouth. The way he said it—with no filter, made her body shiver lightly in both disbelief and shock.

"Relax your body and enjoy my little tour," he spoke in a wickedly husky tone, his lips curling into a smirk.

Ariana’s breath trembled slightly in surprise.

T... Tour?

Was this man serious? Right now?

His hand began to move upwards slowly as it rested on her thigh, his thumb moving expertly as he brushed her thigh, bringing some tingling sensation coursing through her. Her body was already reacting to his touch. His hand continued to move upwards, finally stopping atop her inner thigh, where her panties now acted like a barrier.

His pinky moved as it slowly rested on her clit area through the fabric, and the fact that he did this while spooning her.

Maddening..

She was not facing him, yet he knew her face must already be burning with shock, and Ariana to her own suprise parted hegs open unknowingly.

"Oh sweetheart, patience is key," she heard Zavren’s faint voice. Embarrassment slipped into her as she clambered it shut, his pinky still stuck lightly. Then she opened it again for him to remove his hand. Her breath came out rapid. She was glad her back was facing him—she didn’t know how it would have been if she had been facing him and seeing that annoying teasing glint in his eyes.

To her surprise, his pinky remained where it was—at her clit.

Her face burned to her ears and neck. She could not quite believe this man. And to her surprise, he pushed into her—through her—and that earned a soft gasp from her lips, shocking Ariana at the sudden impact. And again, to her surprise, he pulled away as she moved his hands, closing her legs gently.

"I would not want to tire you, sweetheart," he spoke as Ariana’s lips parted. He moved his hand and rested it on her tummy, and just as his hand made contact with her stomach, both of their bodies froze in sync—Ariana’s, because she did not expect Zavren to touch her tummy, and Zavren’s, because he noticed a baby bump.

His eyes dilated slightly as a slow curl rested on his lips unknowingly, then he spoke.

"Looks like he is already growing, huh," she heard Zavren’s voice. Her stomach flipped as she felt him caress her tummy. Did this mean the baby accepted him? And how was he so sure the baby was a boy?

’What if she is a girl?’ Ariana said to herself as she clicked her tongue softly, which Zavren heard—but he decided to stay silent. His hand caressed her again, and Ariana didn’t know why her body fluttered so sweetly. The way his large hand moved ever so slowly made her body flutter in a way she could not ignore, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t love this feeling.

Just as she was beginning to close her eyes and sleep, Zavren’s hand moved.

Her eyes flew open as her breath caught in her throat—he had pinched her nipple hard.

"Aria, I can’t wait for you to start producing milk... here," his thumb flicked over her hardened nipple, making her heart rate spike. She hadn’t expected that at all. The once calm and soothing feeling was replaced by a shocking wave of desire as his hand squeezed lightly on her breast.

"Because I’ll be the first to taste them, sweetheart. I’ll be the first to suck on your milk and drink your f*cking milk."

Ariana gasped as she turned to him, her body pulling away in shock. Zavren’s hand slowly withdrew as she stared at him, eyes wide. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. But just as she turned, she realized she must have made a sinful mistake—because he looked so drop-dead gorgeous.

His hair fell over his face, partly covering his stormy grey eyes. His pink lips seemed even more attractive, his muscles taut, his eight-pack showing, and Lord... his perfect V-line. She stared so long she forgot why she turned in the first place.

She didn’t even realize that her nightgown had slipped to her stomach area and that her black see-through panties were in Zavren’s view—not to mention the way she sat, her legs folded, making her inner thighs more visible.

She felt those grey eyes sip through her soul.

Her face turned beet red, and she noticed the smirk on his lips. His eyes were no longer on her face. She followed his gaze, and her body stilled. Quickly, she grabbed the duvet and covered herself.

’Bad man,’ she said to herself, eyeing him.

Her heart rate was already thudding. The way his hands had touched her there still lingered. She could not deny the sweet chills that ran through her spine.

She moved, giving him a glare a sharp one at that as if warning him not to say such sinfully tempting things again.

Only if she knew... the way she thought she glared at him was not how she actually looked. At that moment, she looked even more adorable—like a little kitten refusing to take its milk.

She lay down, her back facing him, making sure to leave a reasonable amount of space. She knew that if they continued like this, it would be sunrise before they even thought of sleeping.

Her shoulders stiffened as she felt herself being gently pulled toward him. Her back brushed against his chest, and he spooned her even closer.

"You know I like giving reminders... I wouldn’t want to catch you off-guard when I do it," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. "You just need to know the naughty things I’ll be doing once you have your mil—"

His words trailed off, allowing her to complete the thought in her head, a slow smirk forming on his lips.

"Very, very bad man," Ariana mumbled inwardly as she closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

Zavren’s eyes flickered to her neck—her slender, exposed neck. His gaze shifted, and his expression turned neutral. He raised his hand slightly, and his claws extended before retreating back in.

Would anything have changed if I hadn’t killed Vrazen’s wife? he wondered and then his gaze darkened deeply. His lips moved into a frown as he murmured,

"Ariana... you heard my thoughts, didn’t you?"

But her body remained frozen—and that alone told him she had.