How awesome.

I pulled on a long t-shirt and headed straight for the bathroom. While I was standing in front of the mirror, checking my irises for signs of any changes, Butch came up behind me. I met his gaze in the mirror and smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey, baby.” His bare chest pressed against my back as he curled his arms around me.

I snuggled into his warm hold. “There’s no change to my irises.”

“Lena said your body’s state was frozen again now.”

“I know, but she also said there are all kinds of symbols in my DNA that she doesn’t understand.”

He nuzzled my neck. “You don’t look so tired tonight. How do you feel?”

“Better.”

“Still queasy?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I feel fine. Really.”

“Good.” He sucked on my pulse as his hand slid under my t-shirt and closed around my breast. “Because I want to fuck what belongs to me.”

I was totally down with that. He whipped off my t-shirt one-handed, and I arched into the possessive hold on my breast, hooking my arms around his neck. It felt like months since he’d touched me like this—the sex we had during the transition didn’t count as I barely remembered it—and I’d missed it. Missed him.

His fingers danced down my navel to my slick folds. He gently squeezed them together, teasing my clit. I gasped. Damn, that felt good. He did it again. And again. And again, driving me freaking insane. I moaned when he rubbed them from side to side. “Butch…”

“You have no idea how important you are to me.” Raking his teeth over my pulse, he thrust a finger inside me and swirled it around. “Sometimes I wake up and can’t quite believe you’re there.”

I swallowed hard at the emotion in his voice. “I’m here, and I’d really like to come.” But he withdrew his finger, the bastard.

“I want in you.” There was the sound of a zipper lowering, and then his cock bumped my folds. I tilted my hips back for him. “Good girl.” He thrust hard, burying himself balls-deep inside me in one smooth stroke. My muscles clamped around him, and a growl rumbled up his chest.

The burn of his cock stretching and filling me was heavenly. I needed more. “Move.”

One hand gripped my hip while the other moved up to span my throat. “All mine.”

He rode me hard, fingers biting into my skin. Savage possession glittered in the dark eyes that met mine through the mirror. Every merciless slam of his cock built the friction until I could feel my climax creeping up on me.

He splayed one hand over my lower stomach. “I can feel me moving in and out of you. Owning you.” The words made my body clench. “That’s it, baby, squeeze me. Play with your clit, Imani, make yourself come.”

“That’s your job.”

He flashed me a crooked, bad-boy grin and then took my hand. “Is that right?” He used my finger to work my clit; alternating between circling it, flicking it, and rubbing the side of it over and over. “I can feel you getting hotter. You ready to come for me, baby?”

“Yes.”

He upped his pace, grunting into my neck. “I haven’t tasted you for almost five nights.” He licked my throat. “Not going without it any longer.” His teeth sank down. My body tightened, and my climax slammed into me. He roughly jammed his cock deep and exploded with a growl.

“I seriously needed that,” I panted as I leaned back against him.

His arms looped around me once more. “Your blood tastes different. Not in a bad way. It just has a slight fizz to it...like sparkling champagne.” He kissed my neck. “I like you this way. All soft and relaxed with sex-drunk eyes.”

I chuckled. “I’m more buzzed than relaxed. I’m also hungry.”

“Then I’ll feed you.”

We both cleaned up and pulled on some clothes before heading to the kitchen.

“I need you to try something.” He took an NST out of the refrigerator, opened it, and held it out to me.

I recoiled at the smell. “No thanks.”

He resealed it and set it aside. “Hmm.” Leaning toward me, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and then kissed me. “What about that?”

I licked my lips, tasting him, and smiled. “I’ll never turn down your blood.”

“So it’s just human blood you have an aversion to,” he mused. Both our cell phones beeped at the same time.

“That’s probably a message from Fletcher telling us he’s ready for our meeting with Marco.”

Butch’s smile faded. “Probably. You can change your mind, you know.”

“I know, but I won’t.”

“I know you won’t, you’re too damn stubborn.” He curled his arm around me and drew me against him. “First, you need to feed.”

It was oh so very tempting but…“I fed from you for three nights straight during the transition.”

“Then you went twenty-four hours without any blood or food, which I’m going to note is totally unnatural and worrying the shit out of me. In that time, I drank plenty of NSTs. I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. Whatever you need, you’ll have.” He kissed me. “Feed.”

I lapped at his pulse, and his arm contracted around me. I bit down and moaned as the taste of him filled my mouth. No blood or NST had ever tasted this good. When I pulled back, I sealed the bite closed and smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” He patted my ass and disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he was back, cell phone in hand. “It was Fletcher. He’s ready.”

“Tell him we’ll meet him at the entrance to the cells.” As Butch typed the message, I followed him to the door. Just as his hand reached for the knob, a knock sounded. Keeping me behind him, he opened it wearing the scowl from hell.

Alora’s smile was somewhat animated. “Hi, Butch. It’s nice to see you.” He grunted.

Maya cleared her throat. “We’d like to see Imani.” She peered around him and grinned at me. “I expected you to look like shit. You look…well fucked.”

Ava chuckled. “It works on you.”

In a rush, Paige charged past Butch and clamped her arms around me. “I’m so sorry I was an unsupportive bitch. I was so worried about him letting you down that I didn’t realise I was the one letting you down. And then you got hurt and…and…”