Cassius held Carmela close, one arm wrapped securely around her bare back, the other cradling the nape of her neck as her trembling body slowly settled against him.
He could feel the frantic heat that had consumed her earlier finally ebbing away.
Her skin cooling from feverish to merely warm.
The violent shudders softening into faint aftershocks.
Her ragged breathing evening out into slow, exhausted sighs against his shoulder.
It worked.
The release had finally broken the grip of the vitality overload. She was calming down.
He couldn't help the soft, incredulous smile that tugged at his lips as he looked down at the top of her white-haired head.
Who would have thought?
The first time they met, she had lunged straight for his throat, fangs bared, murder in her crimson eyes—ready to end him without a second thought.
