Unclaimed

Chapter Thirty-Six

I was blind to everything in the world except Grady. I made fists in his shirt and pulled him down until our lips touched. I wrapped an arm around his neck, then the other, then my legs around his waist. 

"Charli," he purred as he carried me to the bed. "You gave into it. I'm going to pull the pain away, and then you have to come back to me, okay?" 

I shook my head. "Want you. Don't need feelings." 

"Charli, baby, I won't touch you until that purple haze lifts off your eyes." He gripped the top part of my arm from underneath, and I watched his green veins pulse and push against his skin. 

"Whoa," I mumbled at the sight of his intense power, before sighing I'm relief as he made me infinitely more comfortable.

Grady smiled down at me. "Come back to me, now. Bring your humanity back." 

I shook my head again, and pushed hair off my shoulder. I inclined my head to the other side so he had full access to my neck and shoulder. "Claim me," I whsipered. 

He growled as his nose pressed into the flesh of my neck. "Not until those purple eyes turn gold again."

"No. Now." 

He pressed a sloppy kiss to my skin, holding his lips over the pulse in my throat for a few seconds. "No. I'm not doing it. Show me those pretty gold eyes, Charli. Please." His lips made a path to the bottom of my ear that sent tingles shooting all through my body. "Come on, baby. Give me my girl back." 

I sighed. "I'm weak. I'll never be ready. What if I make you a deal?" 

His lips didn't pause, but he mumbled against my skin,"I'm listening." 

"I'll give in to the bullshit the second you mark me."

That made him stop. His eyes stared into mine like he was trying to find something, but there was nothing behind them. I had shut down. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" 

I gave a curt laugh. "You think she won't have a lot to say about it? You think she wouldn't fight her way back?" 

"That makes me feel like I shouldn't do it. Like I should just wait." 

I kissed him deeply and pulled him between my legs again. 

"Charli, no."

I scraped my teeth over his neck, drawing a moan from him, before I bit down very gently on the flesh there. 

Grady shouted a curse as he gripped me closer. "I don't want you mad at me. I don't want you to feel like I've taken advantage of you."

"I'm going to take advantage of you if you don't knock it off. Claim me and fuck me and let's go." 

He chuckled against me. "God, you're demanding without emotions."

A small wave of sadness threatened to break through. It was all going to come back, and soon. "Tell her she's good enough, and that she'll never be alone. When it's over, I mean." I pressed his head into my neck again. "Do it now. I'll give in the second it's done." 

His teeth grazed against my neck and he breathed my scent in heavily, sucking me down into his lungs. Roughly, he tossed my back onto the bed and pulled his shirt off. I kept my eyes on him as I mirrored his movements and pulled his long shirt over my head, baring my naked body to him completely. He dropped down to his knees and massaged my calf with both hands as he rubbed his nose against the inside of my knee. "You've been teasing me for hours with this… with you… your smell." 

He snarled as he stood again. He unbuttoned his pants and stripped until he stood between my legs, completely naked as well. His lips brushed against the skin of my neck when he leaned over my body. "Where do you want my mark?"