Page 9 of Sweet Surrender
“And I need protection,” the human finished. “Just until they leave me alone. For good.” That last bit seemed tacked on.
Something about his shifty eyes and stance told Knight he wasn’t being given the entire story, but the thought of a contract—a tether to the human world for however long it might last, was too tempting to resist.
“Why not just get rid of them?” Knight paused for emphasis. “Permanently.”
“No,” the human said a little too quickly, his hands clenching into fists. Curiously, his scent had sharpened at the suggestion,his heart racing, but not with fear. “I don’t want to hurt anybody. I just want to be left alone.”
Despite himself, Knight felt his heart clench. He wished he knew who this stalker was right now so he could teach them a lesson for making his human sound so beat down.
Fuck. Nothis.
He glanced around. “You haven’t brought a sacrifice.”
The human jerked. “Awhat?”
“A sacrifice,” Knight said, lips quirking again. “To seal the deal. Did I not mention that when I was telling you about contracts?”
The human blushed, possibly because he’d definitely been pretending to be asleep when Knight had explained it in the dreamscape. Fuck, and Knight couldsmellhis blush, the scent nearly making him sway forward like he was being magnetised.
The human slowly grew pale. “Wait. W-What kind of sacrifice?”
Your immortal soul, Knight immediately wanted to say, but he held the words back. Yeah, owning his soul—the phrase alone had him swallowing repeatedly—would be ideal, but Knight didn’t want to trick or coerce it out of him.
The thought—even though it was brief and wild and entirely impossible—of the humanwillinglygiving it up made Knightburn.
“An animal is customary,” Knight said, managing to sound calm.
The human jerked backward, looking sickened. “No. I’m not—no. Is there something else?”
Knight stared at him. The human stared back, then eventually looked away. Then he kept glancing at Knight from the corner of his eyes. It was quick, so quick Knight wasn’t sure he’d imagined it, but he saw the human’s eyes drop to his lips.
It felt like he’d been struck by lightning. Knight’s lips tingled. His lower belly buzzed, his hands twitching. Now that he’d thought it, hehadto have it.
“Shall I suggest something, then?” he asked huskily.
The human’s pulse was thundering now. His scent was also doing despicably delicious things. Fuck, was it normal for humans to smell this mouthwatering? Or was it just this human in particular?
“Depends on what it is,” the human said, as if he wasn’t eager. Sweet little rabbit.
Knight smiled, slowly, the buzzing in his lower belly tripling when, this time, hesawthe human’s eyes drop to his mouth.
“A kiss.”
His mouth dropped open like he couldn’t believe Knight’s audacity, even as his scent bloomed once more, betraying his desire.
“I—you want—”
“A kiss,” Knight repeated. He tapped a finger against his lips, enjoying the way the human’s eyes were drawn to the motion. Until their contract was finalised, Knight was bound to the perimeters of his circle. But if the human agreed to his suggestion, he’d be able to move into his circle and touch him. Almighty, he wanted badly to touch him.
“You—really? Just a kiss?” Knight didn’t think the human realised how breathy his voice was. Or how intently—howhungrily—he was staring at Knight’s mouth. When he licked his own lips, full and pale and pink, Knight felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach.
“A kiss, yes,” Knight said. His gaze darkened. “But there won’t be anything “just” about it.”
The human’s heart skipped a beat. The syrupy sweet scent in the air that must’ve been his arousal made Knight wish he could taste it. Perhaps once he kissed him, he’d taste it in his mouth.
Like the human was thinking along the same lines, the sweetness in his scent sharpened, and he was squaring his shoulders again.
“Okay,” he said, the word more air than sound. His pupils were blown so wide they’d nearly swallowed the hypnotic dark brown of his iris. “Okay. I-I want it.”
