Chapter 17

Caturix reached his climax, his roar echoing with satisfaction. He let Shemika fall onto the bed, her body exhausted and marked with scratches and blood. Bruises were already starting to form. She could feel the pain starting to throb between her legs.

He left her on the bed, and she could sense him moving away. She heard his footsteps as he crossed the room. Annoyed that he was just going to leave her there, Shemika forced herself to sit up. It was a struggle; her strength was nearly depleted after their intense lovemaking.

Her body was shaking from fatigue, but she refused to show weakness in front of him. She watched as he walked into his kitchen and opened his refrigerator. He turned to look at her, and she got her first full view of his naked body. He was magnificent. His physique was impressive, even for a lycan. He was built like a god.

His face wasn’t the only part of him that was scarred; his body was too. He had a tattoo on his chest, black tendrils swirling across his skin. His body was covered in hair, leading down to his manhood.

Shemika gasped as she took in his body. How had she been able to handle him? He was easily the largest man she’d ever been with.

Her eyes traveled back up to his face, where he was watching her with an expectant look. “Uh, yes?” she squeaked out.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, his tone harsh.

She opened her mouth to decline his offer, but her stomach growled loudly in response. She gave him a weak smile. “It’s fine, I have food in my room.”

His brief moment of good humor disappeared instantly. He scowled at her. “You cannot leave yet.”

“Why not?” she asked. As much as she’d enjoyed having sex with Caturix, he wasn’t exactly a great conversationalist.

He hesitated before answering honestly, “I don’t want anyone to see you like this. Women often leave my room looking worse for wear. And you’re…the worst.”

She looked down at herself and quickly stifled a gasp. She was covered in blood, her body marked with slashes. Bruises were already starting to darken her skin. She hadn’t realized how badly she was hurt. So why did she still not regret her time with him? And why did she still want to sleep with him?

“Just wait a few hours until you’re fully healed before you go back to your room,” he said.

Shemika laughed. “I don’t heal that quickly,” she said.

Caturix turned to look at her, surprised. “You don’t?”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“How long will it take you to heal fully?” he asked.

“Um,” she had to think. “I’m not sure, maybe a few weeks. At most, six.” She knew that was longer than the average fully grown lycan, but she didn’t think it was too long.

Caturix scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked displeased. “Do you eat enough meat?”

She knew she didn’t. She had only recently started eating small portions of meat at dinner since joining Rurik. Well, she had been before she started following Caturix. “Enough,” she lied, knowing she wasn’t eating enough.

“When was the last time you shifted?” he asked, pushing for more information.

Yikes. “I don’t,” she answered matter-of-factly. She was ready to argue with him. Everyone always got pushy when they found out she didn’t shift and hadn’t for over a decade.

But Caturix didn’t seem to care. He turned back to the refrigerator and took out some large pieces of meat. His own catch, no doubt. He tossed the meat onto the counter and without looking at her, asked over his shoulder, “Cooked or raw?”

Shemika got off the bed and approached him cautiously. No one shared meat without expecting something in return. She was sure he wanted something from her. “No, it’s fine. I’ll eat when I get back to my room,” she answered slowly, trying to read his expression.

He turned to look at her and his scowl deepened. “The meat will help you heal, Shemika,” he said firmly.

She shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“It should only take you a few hours to heal fully, not weeks,” he insisted. He started up a skillet, swirling a ring of oil in the pan. She watched as he crushed garlic and added it. He seasoned his meat and laid it in the pan.

Only a few seconds passed before Shemika’s stomach started to protest. The smell of his cooking was mouthwatering and her stomach agreed. She climbed onto his bar stool to watch the meat sizzle in the pan.

He was cooking…naked, and Shemika didn’t mind at all. In fact, she found it quite arousing. The smells, the sights, the lingering ache in her body.

He put some of the food on a plate and set it in front of her. “Eat,” he ordered before turning back to plate the rest of the food.

She couldn’t exactly claim she wasn’t hungry, not with Caturix having heard her stomach growling loudly. “I don’t feel well,” she lied, hoping the excuse would get her out of owing Caturix anything.

Caturix turned to look at her, confusion on his face. He was probably confused because she hadn’t shown any signs of being sick before. His brows furrowed as he studied her face. Then they softened, as if he had found the answer he was looking for.

Caturix moved around the counter to check Shemika’s forehead and look into her eyes. Even though they were both naked and had just had sex less than an hour ago, Shemika blushed at his closeness and tried to look away.

Caturix forced her to look at him by gripping her jaw firmly. “Do you think I only offer my game in exchange for a favor? Are you afraid to owe me?” he asked, his voice dark.

Her eyes narrowed in defiance. “Am I wrong to feel that way?” she retorted.

“No,” he answered flatly, seeming disappointed. “It’s a good way to think. But from now on, anything you take from or do in my apartment won’t be expected to be returned,” he said bluntly, sitting down next to her with his meal.

“Eat,” he ordered again.

This time, she didn’t argue. She dug into her meal, eating heartily. She didn’t even pay attention to Caturix. She was starving. She had never eaten meat in Vale and had only had a little bit of meat from the group dinner.

When she was almost done with her meal, Shemika felt Caturix’s eyes on her and glanced at him before freezing. He was watching her with a predator’s gaze. “What?” she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

He didn’t say anything. He just kept watching her, only nodding toward her plate as a silent command to finish eating.

She tried to ignore his intense gaze as she finished her meal.

“So, now that I’ve eaten, how long until I can leave?” she asked nervously, her eyes darting toward his door.

He shifted in his seat. “When you’re healed enough, Shemika.”

“But I won’t heal for a long—”

Caturix handed her an empty glass, but before she could ask him anything, he bit into his wrist and tore open his skin. He let his blood pour into the glass until his wound healed on its own. Then he gave her another command. “Drink.”

Drink his blood? She had heard of it, and even seen it a few times between parents and their children. But Shemika had never drunk anyone’s blood before. She had heard bad things about drinking lycan blood. Deliciously bad things.

She stared at the glass in her hand, filled with his warm blood.

“I can’t risk you drinking from the source,” he said, after she just stared at the glass.

Shemika recoiled in surprise. “Oh really? You think I’m so desperate to mark you? I’ll have you know, I have turned down multiple men who wanted to mate with me!” she snapped.

Caturix scowled, as usual. “Drink it,” he snapped, stepping away from the counter. He went to get dressed and disappeared into his closet, across from the bathroom.

Shemika deflated when he left and quickly downed the glass. The metallic taste filled her mouth. It only took a few moments before her blood started to heat up and her body warmed. Damn, the stories were true. She could feel moisture pooling between her legs and heat spreading to her ears and the back of her neck.

Caturix came back into the room, fully dressed unfortunately, causing Shemika to look away. She had slept with him and still couldn’t believe her own thoughts. Those dirty little thoughts. It seemed that no matter how many times she slept with Caturix, she would always want more. Almost immediately after.

Stupid Caturix blood. She hadn’t expected it to be so…delicious. He was right though, now Shemika wanted a taste at the source, but it was clear. Caturix didn’t want to be marked or to mark anyone.

It was okay. Shemika didn’t mind either.

Caturix returned to her side, his long fingers encircling her wrist. He lifted her arm, inspecting her skin with a gentle touch. “Are you feeling better?” he asked, his voice soft.

Her mind was foggy, his words barely making sense. His blood was clouding her thoughts, making it impossible to think when he touched her.

“Shemika,” he said, his tone firm. “Are you okay now that you…” He stopped mid-sentence, a realization dawning on him. “I wasn’t thinking,” he admitted, understanding that his blood was affecting her.

His hand cupped her cheek, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. “Are you okay?” he asked again, trying to capture her full attention.

She could only nod, her eyes fixated on the movement of his lips and the dance of his tongue.

His gaze followed hers, landing on her mouth. But he quickly turned away. “I’m sorry, I can’t be here with you when you’re like this,” he said, his words strained. “I’ll be back in an hour to check on you.” And with that, he left, his departure as swift as a storm.