---
She took his wrist in both hands. Her lips sealed over the wound. She drank.
The effect was immediate. Power surged through her, it was hot and electric. Her veins lit from within. Her fangs lengthened further. Her pupils dilated until her eyes were almost black.
She pulled back after several long pulls, her lips stained. She passed his wrist to Vela.
Vela drank too. The same transformation rippled through her. When she released him, both women glowed with borrowed strength, their bond to him deepened beyond words.
Sekhmet watched them, his blood still welling slowly. "Now, are you full?"
Vera touched his face. "Yes, Master. I feel great."
Vela pressed her mouth to the wound, licking it with a possessive stroke of her tongue.
The night stretched on around them, it was endless and sacred. Outside, the world waited, threats and duties and war games. But inside this chamber, there was only breath, only warmth, only the three of them tangled together in the dark.
