une dernière fois (phrase) one last time

She wasn't scared of me? Well, she should be.

The scent of her blood had me...distracted.

My hunter's instincts flared, making my throat tight with thirst, and my gaze fell back to the swell of her breasts.

A drop of blood rolled between her cleavage, dripping from the saturated bandages at her neck. 

I reached out and caught the thick drop with my finger, then lifted it to my lips, letting the deliciously sweet taste of her coat my tongue.

My eyes rolled back, and I purred with delight. Relishing the taste of her. Craving more than just a drop.

Claire watched me, the color draining from her cheeks.

She couldn't stand the sight of blood, but it was the only thing that sated my hunger.

"This makes you sick," I said. "I make you sick."

The words were a disgusting hiss between my teeth. I was ashamed that I couldn't put my thirst aside. That I couldn't be a normal man for her. That I couldn't give her the life Alec could.

"No. You don't," Claire forced herself to say. "How could you say that?"

We stared at each other for a tense moment before I looked away. Guilt at all my shortcomings welling in my gut.

Claire leaned forward and, taking my face between her hands, smashed our mouths together, mating our tongues in a wild dance.

Taken aback by her eagerness to kiss me after I tasted her blood, I found my need for her building almost uncontrollably.

I grabbed fistfuls of her skirts, dragging them up until they were around her waist. Letting my fingers scrape over her garter belt as I did. I wound my finger around the strap and tugged at it, making her moan in my mouth.

But I didn't stop there. No. I wanted more. I trailed the curve of her deliciously full ass and squeezed her hard. Reveling in the way her warm skin felt against my cold palm.

I should stop. She was hurt. Bleeding. But I couldn't.

My fingers brushed against something lacy and soft, and I realized she was wearing some little scrap of fabric masquerading as undergarments.

The knowledge sent fresh hot blood straight to my cock until it ached.

"I should terrify you," I said between kisses. "Right now, I want nothing more than to tear your clothes off and drink my fill of you while I fuck you rotten."

Through our connection, a wave of her pleasure crashed into me, and suddenly, I was overcome with her emotions. With her deep feelings for me. And, with...her desire for more.

She wanted me inside her. Proving to her that I'd never try and send her away again. I could feel it as if she was shouting the words in my head.

My desire and my own emotions went to war with one another.

She was more than just a warm body to fuck. She was my mate. I cared about keeping her safe and...if I could...making her happy even though I wasn't very good at making people happy.

"Do it, Bastien," Claire bit out. "Take me. I'm not scared."

I was loathe to deny her anything. Especially that. But I couldn't make love to my sweet, beautiful wife inside a greenhouse. It wasn't right, especially when she was injured.

Carefully, I bracketed her face with my hands. "You mean everything to me. Everything. More than the moon or the stars or this whole castle. You are my world. My whole world, Claire. And I just want to be good to you in the way you deserve."

I watched her chest rise and fall. The candlelight reflected off her brown eyes, making them look molten gold.

So delicate. So sweet.

"Then let's make each other happy," she said.

She cupped the hard length of my cock over my trousers and squeezed. I sank my teeth into my lower lip. Hard. Threatening to draw my own blood.

"Make love to me one last time before we leave this castle and face whatever is out there." She pressed a barely there kiss against my lips. "The only thing I'm scared of...is losing you."

It was everything I needed to hear.

I threaded my fingers into her hair and drew a long, measured breath.

This wasn't just about some carnal need for her. It was about feeling close. About knowing I wanted her close.

I was a creature of war, created as a weapon to preserve peace. For centuries, that's all I've known.

But perhaps I could reassure her with words.

"You could never lose me," I murmured, my voice low and steady, wrapping around her like a dark promise. "I'll always be with you. Always. Until the breath leaves my lungs or the world stops spinning. Whichever comes first."

As her gaze locked onto mine, I watched the defiance slowly ebb away, replaced by an undeniable surrender. The tension in her body melted like frost under the caress of a relentless sun.

It was in that moment—an electric stillness hanging between us—that I felt her realization crystallize. She finally understood that nothing she could ever say or do would alter the depths of my feelings for her. Our bond, a tapestry woven by the hands of the gods themselves, was inextricably intertwined, transcending the mere fabric of this world.

My love for her was boundless, fierce, and unyielding—a tidal wave of emotion crashing against the shores of my soul. It was a primal force, a promise etched into the very essence of who I was. I was hers, body and spirit, and I would move heaven and earth to protect her, to keep her close.

Our lips met again in a maddeningly slow kiss. Open and wet and deep. I could feel it in my heart as much as I could against my skin. Like I was trying to consume as much of her goodness as possible, and she was trying to swallow all of my darkness. The centuries of war and pain and loneliness. Like there was room for all of it inside her.

Like I was enough for her.

She moaned again, accepting my tongue as it slid inside her mouth. Claiming her. Tasting her.

But before I could get carried away, I broke off the kiss, both of us breathing hard. Carefully, I took her delicate hand in mine, marveling at the contrast between her dainty fingers and my calloused palm. For a moment, I was lost in the exquisite lines of her heart-shaped face, standing atop that chair like a goddess poised on the edge of the world. Her long, iridescent hair flowed down her shoulders, shimmering in shades that caught the faintest light, cascading over her black dress like a silken waterfall.

In that intoxicating moment, I realized she wanted me despite every reason to turn away. While others might recoil in fear, she remained unyielding, standing firm against the tempest of my darker nature.

I yearned to give her something—a gift that would convey the depth of my feelings, a piece of myself—the real, unguarded me.

With a steady gaze, I beckoned her to step down from the chair. Even with the wine coursing through her veins, she obeyed.

Once she stood before me, I could hardly breathe as she gazed up through her thick lashes, her eyes gleaming like polished onyx in the dim light of the greenhouse. Shadows danced around us, but I could see her as clearly as if we were enveloped in sunlight, illuminated by the very stars.

Yet the way I craved to worship her, to unveil the fervor brewing within me, was far too sacred for the light of day. In this hushed sanctuary, our connection thrummed with a raw intensity, and the darkness felt like a cloak, shrouding our desires in secrecy.

Another tear of blood dripped from the wound at her neck, and I couldn't stand knowing she was hurting.

It was the last piece of my humanity that still pulsed with warmth, clawing its way through the cold abyss of my vampiric nature, seeking my mate.

Though I lacked the power to heal her wounds completely, I could at least close them, stitching together the flesh with threads of my fading magick.

I brushed my fingers over her skin, lingering over the jagged cut on her brow, then moved to her delicate hand, my touch both gentle and possessive. Each flicker of energy I released was a sacrifice, pulled at the last reserves of magick I had reserved for our treacherous journey through the mountains.

It was a gift I offered freely, my essence intertwining with hers.

Claire's eyes widened in bewilderment, a flicker of surprise darting across her features, but I silenced any words of gratitude that might have escaped her lips. She needed to understand that this act was more than mere healing; it was a bond forged in the fires of our connection, an intimacy that deepened with every pulse of magick that flowed between us.

Her vulnerability only ignited my primal need to protect and please her. Each heartbeat echoed a truth I could no longer deny: my desire for her was a dark flame, consuming and unquenchable.

The more I shared with her, the more fiercely I craved her trust, her submission to the depths of my devotion. She was not just my mate; she was my salvation, and I would do anything to ensure she knew it.

By the scent of her arousal, it hadn't changed her feelings on the matter either.

I let go of her hand, regarding her with more than lust.

"Take off your dress."

The order was firm, and I watched the way it resonated through her.

Her wide-eyed surprise melted into obedience.

Claire undid the remaining buttons on the front of her gown, revealing inch by inch of her creamy skin. Slipping off one sleeve, then the other, letting the dress slide to the ground before stepping out of it. Showing me what was hiding beneath the heavy fabric.

My beautiful wife. With all her edges and curves.

"Claire," I gritted out. My jaw clenched. "Just look at you."

My hungry gaze raked over black nylons and up to the thin straps holding them to the belt around her waist. Then, to the gold lace panties wrapped around her damp sex.

My breath caught, but I didn't look away. Slowly roving up her stomach to the swell of her full breasts. Nipples taut and hard for me. The moonflower was still tucked behind her ear, making her look so innocent.

My attention drew a smile to her lips.

"Turn around," I said. "Let me see the rest of you."

She spun in a slow circle, doing as I asked. Her full, round ass barely covered by the string of gold lace.

Where on earth did she find that little thing?

"Did you put on that scrap of lace just to tease me?" I asked, throat dry.

"Maybe," Claire said, shrugging one shoulder.

The wry smile on her lips told me the truth.

She inched away from me until her backside collided with the dining table. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, she lifted herself onto the edge.

Then beckoned me closer.

Diana, help me.

The greenhouse windows were thick with condensation, obscuring us from view. The plants creating another barrier between us and everyone else in my castle.

We were very much alone.

Tonight was a night full of debauchery. All over the castle, soldiers were preparing for the long march. Drinking wine and fucking like they might never fuck again. In the distance, I could hear their whispers of passion and cries of pleasure.

There wasn't another heartbeat in the courtyard, except for Claire's, which pulsed from the bloodstone against my chest.

It was just the two of us.

Now, what was I going to do with this beautiful creature?

She wasn't a maiden anymore.

She was my wife. My world.

And I wanted to please her.

👏bastien👏is👏top👏tier👏