Sarafina clung to him in the dark. After the recent couple of awkward days they’d shared since their encounter in his bedroom, she supposed she should’ve felt ill at ease holding on to him so tightly right now. She clung to him like he could save her from the scary monsters in her brain—and maybe the ones who weren’t in her brain, too. The feel of Theo against her only comforted her. He was hard and warm and real, strong enough to dispel residual shadows clinging to her psyche.

“Thank you for waking me up.” Her whisper sounded loud in the dark.

Again, he said nothing in response, but she’d grown used to his less-than-loquacious nature. His silence was more of a comfort than anything else. Anyway, it was just him. Just Theo.

They lay twined together for close to an hour, just breathing. The intimacy warmed her chest, made something inside flutter and dance. His presence chased away the dark memories of her childhood, if only momentarily.

As relaxed fatigue settled heavily over her limbs, Theo rolled her to the side, beneath his big body. “Let me touch you.” The words came heavy and silken in the dark.

Whoa.

She stiffened a little, not because she didn’t want him to touch her but because she hadn’t been expecting him to ask.

“Yes.” The word came out in a soft rush. God, she was pathetic. But to feel something right now, something else, would be a gift.

His voice shook a little. “Let me taste you.”

She shivered, fine ripples of pleasure running through her body. Maybe she was dreaming this. If so, she didn’t want to wake up. “Theo, I’m yours.”

She spared a thought for Bai and what Stefan had told her. Where was that mysterious daaeman now and why, exactly, did he care whom she slept with? The various reasons why an Atrika would lay such a claim on her chilled her blood.

But then Theo slid his hands along her body and her blood warmed, her muscles made the slow slide to soft butter. All thoughts of Bai, all thoughts of anything but Theo’s hands on her, dissolved like so much sugar into water.

He worked her boxer shorts down and off. Then his big hands were planing her inner thighs and spreading her legs. His chest brushed hers as he worked his way down her body, her nipples tightening just from the memory of his tongue on them. Finally, his breath warmed the skin near her sensitive sex, making her hot and achy before he ever even touched her.

“Why are you doing this, Theo? You confuse me. You leave me alone and then show up in the middle of the night like this.”

“Stop talking and let me touch you. I just need a taste—”