Allie released the breath she’d been savoring and breathed in again, squirming against him as her nose was filled with his spicy bouquet. The movement rubbed her breasts over his chest, sending tingles of excitement running through her, and she gasped breathlessly, “You smell good enough to eat too. Like steak.”

She was vaguely aware of Magnus stiffening at that description, but was too desperate to breathe in more of his scent to pay it much attention. Burying her nose in his neck, she inhaled deeply and squirmed again with pleasure, sending another burst of excitement shooting through her.

Magnus groaned as if he were the one experiencing that excitement and clasped her behind, urging her lower body against him as well.

Allie gasped as her excitement ratcheted up several notches and then sighed as his scent filled her lungs. “Yes. Magnus,” she moaned, nuzzling closer still. “Please. I need you. Let me—” She licked his throat, desperate to see if he tasted as good as he smelled and moaned again as his salty goodness exploded on her tongue. She was so close to what she wanted. If she could just— Allie felt an odd shifting sensation in her mouth and opened it, but in the next moment, Magnus had used his hold on her waist to spin her in his arms so her back was to him. Catching her wrists in his hands, he then whirled them both to face the mirror.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” he said on a sigh, peering at their reflection. “Honey. You need blood.”

Allie stared at their reflection. She saw the fangs poking out from between her lips, but his arms were around her and she was surrounded by his smell. All she could think was that she wanted to rub herself all over his body until his smell was all over her, and then she wanted to lick every inch of him and she wanted to sink her teeth into him and—

Groaning with frustration because she couldn’t do any of that with him holding her as he was, Allie pressed her bottom back and rubbed against the hardness she could feel there, sending another bolt of excitement through her own body. “Magnus. Please.”

Cursing, he stepped back, released the hold he had on one wrist, and used the hold he had on the other to drag her behind him as he opened the bathroom door and headed out.

Allie’s gaze landed on the bed as they crossed the room and she was surprised to see that the stained bedsheet and plastic had been stripped away, leaving just the sheet set that they had protected. She assumed Magnus had done it until he muttered, “Leonora must have stripped the bed. Her arrival is what woke me and made me come check on you.”

Allie didn’t comment, but couldn’t help thinking it was a relief not to have the stained sheets there stinking up the room.

“Here.”