She couldn't kiss him. She couldn't make him hers.
And anger flooded through her once again.
Nereti had taken everything – but this, this , she would not let her take.
She would fight.
She would kill.
She would win.
Chapter 12
K alina felt the rush of blood through her veins like a tidal wave. It wasn't the ordinary beating of her heart – the solemn and straightforward rhythm, like that of a drum beat by marchers off to war. This was something utterly different – utterly profound. Her heart was not merely thumping, not merely pounding, no. In fact, she couldn't even hear the beat at all, so quick was it to pump blood through her veins. It was like a tsunami of blood, a storm of energy coursing through her so quickly that the beating of the heart almost seemed irrelevant – she was beating everywhere; everywhere, she was pulsing with new strength. Everywhere, she was alive.
Seeing Octavius awakened something new in her, something violent. She was overcome with emotion, physical, palpable. She gazed upon his form – shirtless, he glistened, his muscles rippling in the vague and shadowy light of the catacombs. She could make out every single one of his muscles, each abdominal bulge perfectly formed. Against herself, she found herself licking her lips, shocked by her own desire. Her Life's Blood was acting up now – that much she knew. It was making her more susceptible than ever to that profound erotic need that took hold of her body, of her mind, of her senses. Even watching him there with Nereti, there loving the woman she despised, she could not bring herself to feel angry with him. Instead, she felt an imperious and triumphant jealousy – she would bring Octavius back to life, back to sense, back to her. Not even Nereti, wicked and cruel, would be able to stop the force of her love.
Her mind was racing. Her body was shuddering. Even now, all she wanted was for Octavius to rush to her, to take her into his powerful and sinewy arms, to kiss her so violently that she screamed. She wanted to feel him inside her, moving between her thighs, splitting her in two with the irascible force of his need. Even now, all she could think about was having him. She had had him before, of course – possessing Nereti's body, she had felt every move of his flesh against her flesh, every little moment of fire and electricity that passed between them. But now, as she caught Octavius out of the corner of her eye, she knew that all that she had experienced in her mind's eye was nothing, absolutely nothing, in comparison with the real thing. She didn't simply want to make love to Octavius telepathically. She wanted to make love to him in the flesh, to give him everything. At that moment she felt, despite herself, that she would sacrifice all the power of her Life's Blood if it meant holding him in her arms again.
But there was only one way to do that. There was only one way to bring Octavius back from the brink, to shock him back into consciousness. She would have to defeat Nereti. She would have to destroy her power, once and for all.
She could not even feel fear. Her adrenaline coursing through her had seen to that. She could not worry about her own life, her own body, whether or not Nereti would break her, drain her, destroy her as she had done to so many other Carriers throughout the years. She had to believe – she had to let her Life's Blood make her believe – that she was a power as palpable, as invulnerable, as her nemesis. She had to let herself believe that she, too, might be Queen.
“You fool,” Nereti's voice was sweet and sticky, like honey spilled upon a marble floor. “You think he wants you, now? He has seen the error of his ways. He knows what a real woman can offer him – a real
And anger flooded through her once again.
Nereti had taken everything – but this, this , she would not let her take.
She would fight.
She would kill.
She would win.
Chapter 12
K alina felt the rush of blood through her veins like a tidal wave. It wasn't the ordinary beating of her heart – the solemn and straightforward rhythm, like that of a drum beat by marchers off to war. This was something utterly different – utterly profound. Her heart was not merely thumping, not merely pounding, no. In fact, she couldn't even hear the beat at all, so quick was it to pump blood through her veins. It was like a tsunami of blood, a storm of energy coursing through her so quickly that the beating of the heart almost seemed irrelevant – she was beating everywhere; everywhere, she was pulsing with new strength. Everywhere, she was alive.
Seeing Octavius awakened something new in her, something violent. She was overcome with emotion, physical, palpable. She gazed upon his form – shirtless, he glistened, his muscles rippling in the vague and shadowy light of the catacombs. She could make out every single one of his muscles, each abdominal bulge perfectly formed. Against herself, she found herself licking her lips, shocked by her own desire. Her Life's Blood was acting up now – that much she knew. It was making her more susceptible than ever to that profound erotic need that took hold of her body, of her mind, of her senses. Even watching him there with Nereti, there loving the woman she despised, she could not bring herself to feel angry with him. Instead, she felt an imperious and triumphant jealousy – she would bring Octavius back to life, back to sense, back to her. Not even Nereti, wicked and cruel, would be able to stop the force of her love.
Her mind was racing. Her body was shuddering. Even now, all she wanted was for Octavius to rush to her, to take her into his powerful and sinewy arms, to kiss her so violently that she screamed. She wanted to feel him inside her, moving between her thighs, splitting her in two with the irascible force of his need. Even now, all she could think about was having him. She had had him before, of course – possessing Nereti's body, she had felt every move of his flesh against her flesh, every little moment of fire and electricity that passed between them. But now, as she caught Octavius out of the corner of her eye, she knew that all that she had experienced in her mind's eye was nothing, absolutely nothing, in comparison with the real thing. She didn't simply want to make love to Octavius telepathically. She wanted to make love to him in the flesh, to give him everything. At that moment she felt, despite herself, that she would sacrifice all the power of her Life's Blood if it meant holding him in her arms again.
But there was only one way to do that. There was only one way to bring Octavius back from the brink, to shock him back into consciousness. She would have to defeat Nereti. She would have to destroy her power, once and for all.
She could not even feel fear. Her adrenaline coursing through her had seen to that. She could not worry about her own life, her own body, whether or not Nereti would break her, drain her, destroy her as she had done to so many other Carriers throughout the years. She had to believe – she had to let her Life's Blood make her believe – that she was a power as palpable, as invulnerable, as her nemesis. She had to let herself believe that she, too, might be Queen.
“You fool,” Nereti's voice was sweet and sticky, like honey spilled upon a marble floor. “You think he wants you, now? He has seen the error of his ways. He knows what a real woman can offer him – a real
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