Chapter 9: The Feeding
1041 Words
The waltz was a blur of motion and color. I moved on autopilot, my body pressed flush against Valerius, following his lead. He moved with a grace that belied his massive size, spinning me through the sea of terrified onlookers.
No one dared to cut in. No one dared to approach. We were an island of power in a ballroom of predators.
But as the music played on, the adrenaline that had sustained me began to fade. And as it faded, the Hunger returned.
It started small. A cramp. A sharp twist in my lower abdomen, like a warning shot.
Then, the cold came.
It spread from my womb outward, rushing through my veins like ice water. My fingers went numb. My vision began to tunnel, the edges turning grey.
The baby was awake. And the violence Valerius had displayed—the burst of raw dominance magic when he threw Alpha Kade—had excited it. It had tasted power. And now, it wanted more.
“Valerius,” I gasped, stumbling slightly as the music ended. My knees buckled.
He caught me instantly. His arm was a steel band around my waist, holding me upright before I could fall.
“Elena?” His voice was sharp, concerned. He scanned my face. “What is it? Did he hurt you?”
“Home,” I whispered. My teeth started to chatter violently. “Need... home. Now.”
We didn't wait for the car service. Valerius practically carried me through the lobby, ignoring the stares of the hotel staff. He swept us into the private elevator that led directly to the penthouse suite.
The ride up was a nightmare. I was shaking so hard my bones hurt. The cold was consuming me from the inside out.
“Stay with me,” Valerius growled, rubbing my arms, trying to transfer his heat to me. “We're almost there.”
The moment the elevator doors slid open, my legs gave out completely. I collapsed.
Valerius scooped me up into his arms, bridal style, as if I weighed nothing. He kicked open the double doors of the master bedroom and laid me gently on the massive bed.
“You're freezing,” he cursed, touching my forehead. “You're burning up and freezing at the same time. Is it the bond break? Is it a delayed reaction?”
“No,” I curled into a tight ball, clutching my stomach. It felt like I had swallowed a block of liquid nitrogen. “It's the baby. It's... it's feeding.”
“I'll get the steak,” Valerius said, turning to leave. “The doctor said you need protein—”
“Not food!” I cried out, grabbing his wrist. My grip was surprisingly strong. “It doesn't want food! It wants Essence!”
I looked up at him. My vision was blurry, swimming with spots, but I could see his aura. It was magnificent. A storm of violet lightning raging beneath his skin. Pure, raw, ancient magic.
My body screamed for it. Every cell in me ached for it. It wasn't s****l. It was survival. It was the biological imperative of a parasite demanding a host.
“You,” I begged, my voice cracking. “It needs you. Please. It hurts.”
Valerius froze. He looked at my desperate, pale face, then down at my stomach, where a faint silver light was beginning to pulse under the silk dress. He understood.
He didn't hesitate. He climbed onto the bed, discarding his velvet jacket and kicking off his shoes. He didn't ask for permission. He pulled me against him, his back against the headboard, cradling me between his legs. His body was a furnace.
“Where?” he asked, his voice rough, strained.
“Here.”
I took his large, calloused hand and guided it. I slid it under the slit of my dress, placing his palm directly onto the bare skin of my lower stomach.
Contact.
BOOM.
It hit my womb like a physical punch. My toes curled. My back arched off the mattress until my spine popped. It was hot—scalding hot—like he was pouring liquid gold directly into my veins.
I gasped, arching my back off the mattress, a moan tearing from my throat. It felt like being plugged into a power grid. The violet energy poured from his palm into my womb.
I could physically feel the baby latching onto it, drinking it in like a starving shark sensing blood in the water. The silver light in my eyes flared, illuminating the dark room, meeting his violet gaze.
“Easy,” Valerius groaned. A low, animalistic growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating against my back. He buried his face in the crook of my neck. He inhaled deeply.
“You greedy little thing,” he whispered against my skin.
It was too much. Too intense. My senses were overloaded. I could smell him—cedar, rain, and the metallic tang of magic. I could feel the hardness of his chest, the rough texture of his shirt, the dangerous sharpness of his canines grazing my pulse point.
He was feeding the baby. But my scent... my arousal... was feeding him.
“Valerius,” I moaned, my hands tangling in his dark hair, pulling him closer. The pain was fading. The ice was melting, replaced by a heavy, drugged euphoria. My limbs felt heavy, warm, and loose.
The baby settled. Satiated. Quiet.
But Valerius didn't pull away. He kept his hand on my stomach, his thumb stroking the soft skin possessively, marking his territory. He lifted his head from my neck. His eyes were blown wide, the violet almost swallowed by black pupils. The beast was close to the surface.
“Better?” he rasped. His voice was a wreck.
I nodded, too weak to speak. I felt safe. Full. Whole.
“Sleep, Elena.”
He wrapped his powerful arms around me, pulling me deeper into the curve of his body. He wasn't letting go. Not tonight.
“I've got you.”
As I drifted into the dark, warm and protected by the monster who had saved me, I heard him whisper one last thing. A promise. Or a threat.
“Mine.”
- Writer
