CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Zayn woke up on the floor of his room. He had drunk himself into a stupor over the idea of never seeing Nikole again. He grabbed his head; he felt the pounding, and he could hear his heart beating loud, the sounds echoing in his mind. Rolling over slowly, he started to pull himself up on the edge of the bed. The walls were spinning and his body was aching. He still wasn’t sure what happened last night. He positioned himself on the bed, propped himself against the bedpost, and noticed all of his pictures were broken.

  “What the hell…?”

  He surveyed the damage done to the room last night; glass everywhere, picture frames broken, even his favorite chair in pieces. What could he have possibly done to make such a mess? Looking down to his left, he saw two empty bottles of scotch. Well fuck that would do it. How could he have been so stupid? People depended on him to lead, to make the right decisions. He couldn’t lose his composure like that and let others see him falling apart. Zayn looked at the time, 10 am; he needed to get up… he had decisions to make today.

  He forced his way to the bathroom, each step he took, his body fought, muscles sore, limbs tight. Turning the water on, he let the steam of the heat build. Stripping his clothes off, he stepped in under the stream of water. Feeling the warmth beat on his back and his neck, he then accepted the fact that he couldn’t change what happened. He couldn’t fix the damage that was done. It was time to man up, time to fight, and time to find Nikole and bring her home.

  Outside of his room, Adara laid her head against her door, staring at the frame. She wanted to check on him, she wanted to make sure the screaming she’d heard last night hadn’t been him hurting himself. He’s the King; he doesn’t need someone checking on him. Right? But what if he does? What if he is hurt? I should check on him; he won’t mind. Adara mumbled to herself. Unable to resist any longer, she walked to the door and knocked. She waited a few minutes, nothing. She knocked again. She knew he should be up; it was too late for him to be sleeping still.

  Adara slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open. “Zayn?” Looking through a cracked door, she saw glass and wood shavings on the ground. Feeling fear inside at what condition he might be in, she opened the door fully and stepped inside. She saw the destruction, the empty scotch bottles and the whirlwind of a mess that lay across the King’s room. Turning toward the direction of the bathroom, she saw his silhouette reflecting off the shower curtain. She took in his body, large shoulders, slender waist, and thick arms. Oh good lord. The man was built. She just wanted to make sure he was okay, right? That was all, she kept telling herself as she took a seat in the chair behind the desk, absorbing her surroundings. She heard a small crack, and then moments later, she was planted on the floor. The chair gave out on her; looking to it she saw one of the legs had broken off entirely.

  Zayn heard a crash coming from his room and shut off the water before pulling the curtain back and running into the room, knife in hand. “Adara! What are you doing in here?”

  She looked up at him; basking in his naked wet body. “Zayn, I….”

  He knelt beside her and looked her over; she couldn’t stop eyeing his dark, olive, sun kissed skin. “Are you hurt Adara?”

  She shook her head no, watching him stand as he reached for her arms. He took her hands and pulled her to him. “What are you doing in here anyway?”

  Adara gulped and took a breath. “I wanted to check on you. When I didn’t hear a response to my knock I got worried, so I cracked the door to look. I saw the broken glass and got worried for your safety, so I came in. There was the mess in the whole room, a total disaster, it was overwhelming. I had to sit down. And then, I was watching you…In the shower. Then the chair gave out on me. I had planned on leaving before you knew I was here.” Unable to help herself again, she looked over his body, wanting to touch him. Zayn realized he was standing in the middle of his bedroom, naked, with a woman he wanted to be inside of.

  He ran his hand up her arm, her neck, then along her jaw. “You were concerned for me?” He watched her nod, her lips slowly separating, and the tips of her fangs showing. She started to speak when he put his finger over her lips to silence her. “Shhh.” He looked to the bed and could see it was a mess, but there was no broken furniture on it. He started walking them toward the edge of the bed, his left hand wrapping around her, guiding her. He sat her down on the edge, looking down at her.

  “How were you going to comfort me, Adara?” Running his thumb over her left cheek, he couldn’t stop staring at her lips; she colored them in a red gloss. They shimmered in the light, mesmerizing him.

  “I just wanted to hold you if…” She stopped to take a breath, and in that instant, he leaned down, capturing her lips, kissing her. Their tongues intertwined against one another’s in an erotic dance, hunger blooming within them. She let her hands roam over his chest, then his abs before they slid up his sides to his spine. He pushed her back, laying her on the bed. He held his weight up with both hands planted on either side of her.

  “If?” he teased while kissing down her delicate neck.

  “If you wanted me to,” she said softly, leaning her head to the side, welcoming him. He let his hands run up her body, under her shirt, and over her skin. Sitting up, he pulled off her shirt, tossing it to the side, and then started to pull her skirt up.

  “Yes, I want you, Adara. I have for a while.” Kissing her again, not letting her speak, he claimed her lips and slowly started to tease her entrance. Murmuring into her mouth, he dropped one hand to her ass, lifting her up, slowly taking her. She now belonged to him.

  He took his hand and cupped her breast as he teased her nipple gently with his fingers, watching her face. She closed her eyes and moaned at his soft touch. Taking his mouth, he kissed the luscious mound and teased it with his tongue. His fangs scraped across her skin, sending chills down her body. Kissing across her chest, he captured the other nipple, biting on it. She moaned feeling his sharp teeth against her flesh.

  Her nails running down his back, she pushed up against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. She was marking him as he took her over and over. She watched his lips suck on her nipple, his hand still on her ass, squeezing and holding her to him. She arched her chest into him, crying out as his thrusts got quicker and harder. She let out cries of pleasure as his name slipped off her tongue.

  He felt his body reacting to her need. He couldn’t help the overwhelming sensation to claim her as only his. He had to mark her; he had to take her every way possible. Seeing her face flushed with color, he claimed her mouth before sitting up. Looking down at her body, he ran his hand over her chest. His strong arms reached down and lifted her up, turning her over. She looked over her shoulder at him as his fierce eagerness started to consume them both. He wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her to his chest. He took his fangs and sank them into her neck, drawing the blood out into his mouth as he entered her.

  Sucking and thrusting in alternating beats over and over, Adara panted out a cry as her hands reached up and held his head to her neck. His free hand wrapped around her waist, dragging his nails across her stomach. Her body responded to his needs as they both released. She milked him, her walls sheathing him, taking everything he had to offer. He let go of her neck and cried out, “Adara!” Seeing the blood drip down her back, he licked her clean and sealed the wound as they fell onto the bed. Tangled up in each other, they felt their hearts beat in unison.