The moment I stepped into our room all that melted away at the sheer sight of Eli asleep in bed, his bare back to me and black satin sheet over his hips to show his freshly tanned and muscular upper body. His long black hair fanned out over the pillows like a halo of the purest obsidian. My chest tightened with desire and urge to be held and touched and loved. I hated to feel this needy, but I couldn’t help it.

I climbed onto the bed. My fingers traced the ruined tattoo on his back. Two years ago a psychic vampire had tortured him to the point he had nearly died. Eli had fought back and survived, but his body and mind were riddled with scars, the worse was the damage to his back. I traced each scar, from the one just above his rear to across his right shoulder. He shuddered under my touch, but didn’t wake up. I smiled and moved to trace his ear lobe. I brushed a stray lock of hair aside and ran my tongue along the sensitive skin.

He murmured under me and rolled onto his back. Tri-blue eyes gazed up at me through long black lashes, a sleepy smile adorned his full lips. His hand came up to cup my cheek. “Hi, baby,” he whispered, sleep heavy in his voice.

“Hi to you, too,” I breathed and dipped to kiss him.

Magick raced through us. All the fear and anger that had filled me only moments ago vanished completely in that instant. It was replaced with longing and desire, a need so desperate that I could cry.

His hands tugged on my shirt and pulled it over my head, and off in one swift movement. I sat back as his hand cupped my breasts through my bra. His lips moved over the soft mounds. My hands held his elbows, silently encouraged him. I knew better than to push him, his mind was still recovering from being raped by the former Queen of the Unseelie Court. Push him too hard and his mind will flash back to that awful night. We had to take things slow.

However, Eli didn’t want to take it slow. He wrapped an arm around my waist and rolled me onto the bed, then rolled on top of me. Our clothes were gone in a matter of seconds—our hands touched and caressed one another in a flurry of movement. Our tongues warred with one another and I wrapped my legs around his narrow hips. His erection pushed against my belly.

“Please,” I breathed as I broke the kiss to gaze up at him through half closed eyes. I could see the fear and anger that lingered in me within his eyes, but also the need to know that there was still hope, that somehow we, together, would find Aaron. I knew what he meant, what he pleaded we do, and it terrified me, but I nodded nonetheless.