A dragon shifter novel Chapter 52

Need to Feed

Allison

The couch swallows me whole, soft and war against my sore body. The TV flickers in front of me, but my eyes barely follow the movement. The weight of exhaustion presses down harder than the cushions ever could–every nerve aches. My limbs feel like lead. Beneath it all is a deep, gnawing hollowness, from my magic reserves flickering like the last stub of a candle. would be rude to ask him to leave, wouldn’t it? To send him away so that I can feed. So I can siphon enough power to stop my body from feeling like it’s falling apart… But I need it. The shift drains me to the bone; my body is screaming for more energy to finish mending itself. There is also a certain warlock down the hall who deserves a few more nightmares tonight. The thought makes a faint, dark smile twitch at the corners of my lips. I shift my gaze to Evander. He sits opposite me, plate long cleared, shoulders relaxed in a way that still radiates strength. When his eyes meet mine, he smiles, warm and steady, like a fire that never goes out. My chest squeezes. If he were going to run, he would have done it already. “Hey, Evander… I, um…” I start, then falter. My voice comes out quieter than I mean it to, small within the room. How do I even ask this? His head snaps up, all that golden warmth sharpening into focus. “Is something wrong?” His voice is careful, but there is a thread of panic beneath it, like he has already jumped to the worst possible conclusion. I shake my head, chewing my bottom lip. “I need to feed…” For a second, he blinks at me. His gaze drops to the empty plates on the table, then back to me with a slight tilt of his head, confusion written clearly across his face. “You…” I exhale slowly, curling my fingers against the couch to ground myself. “Not food,” I say, forcing the words out before my courage crumbles. “Magic.” His expression shifts, confusion giving way to realisation, and then something softer. He doesn’t flinch or pull back. He looks at me, like he has been waiting for me to say it. “You’re hurting,” he says quietly, no judgment in his tone. “Take what you need, Ally.” My throat tightens at the way he says it, like it isn’t a burden, like it isn’t a crime. Like I am not… what I am. “I don’t want to take too much,” I murmur, staring at my hands. “Not from you.” His smile is small, but it reaches his eyes. “Then take enough.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees, the faintest glow of his dragon flickering under his skin. “I’m not going anywhere.” My heart gives a stupid little stutter. I reach out, hesitant, my fingers trembling as they hover near his wrist. “Are you sure?” “Positive,” he says. “Feed.” The

word hums through me with permission, and it makes my whole body ache with want.

It’s ridiculous, really. In all my years of scraping and clawing, of pulling power from anyone and anything I can to survive, I have never once hesitated. I have never once felt bad about it. It is survival. It is what I am. But now, with Evander, I freeze. My fingers dig into the cushion instead of reaching for him.

My heart races against my ribs. I have already taken from him today, more than I ever should have, more than I have ever dared from anyone. He doesn’t let

me hide behind that. “Come here,” he murmurs, voice low and certain. Before I can argue, he pulls me onto his lap, gentle but unyielding until I am

straddling him. The movement steals my breath. My palms land against his chest, and the warmth that meets me there makes me gasp. A living furnace. Fire under skin. “Take. What. You. Need,” he says slowly, each word deliberate, his mouth brushing the shell of my ear. Then his lips find the curve of my neck,

soft and unhurried. A simple, devastating kiss that makes my eyes flutter shut and my head tip back on its own. The dragon’s heat pulses under my palms, a slow, steady rhythm calling to the emptiness inside me. It isn’t just power. It is alive, and it wants me back. I suck in a shaky breath. “Evander…” His hands settle on my hips, not pushing, just anchoring. “It’s okay,” he whispers against my skin. “Feed, Ally.” The words shiver down my spine like a promise, and for the first time in my life, siphoning doesn’t feel like taking. It feels like being given.

The moment I open myself to the pull, it’s as if a door unlocks inside my chest. Magic floods through me in slow, molten waves, thick, powerful and

scorching. It isn’t violent like it usually is. Not a desperate rip from someone who doesn’t, want to lose what I take. This is different. Evander’s power comes willingly. It pours from his skin to mine, curling beneath the surface like liquid sunlight, feeding every hollow, every ache. My body shudders against him,

muscles tensing, then softening as warmth spreads through me. I can feel his pulse in my veins, steady, grounding and alive. A low sound escapes him, a

deep rumble from somewhere in his chest. His dragon stirs just beneath his skin, and for a second, I can almost hear it. Ming Echoing through the bond as I fill myself with dragon magic again. The room hums with the energy between us, invisible sparks across my fingertips where they press against his chest. I

feel my reserves climbing, power swirling in vibrant, electric ribbons through my body. I pull back before it becomes too much. Before the rush turns to

greed. My breathing comes out uneven, and I realise his does too. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I whisper, my voice barely audible. He shakes his head, eyes still

molten gold, dragon bright. “You couldn’t if you tried.” His thumb brushes along my jaw, slow and reverent. “If that’s what feeding you looks like, you can

have it whenever you need.” The sincerity in his tone makes my throat tighten. No one has ever offered me that before. Not out of kindness. Not without

fear. “Thank you,” I manage, still straddling his lap, feeling both too close and not close enough. He smiles faintly, head resting against the back of the

couch. “Get used to it, my little pet. I told you, we’re in this together.” Evander chuckles softly, still tracing lazy circles against my hip. “I should have

realised you needed to feed earlier, especially when Cage was being a complete dick downstairs. Could’ve saved us both the headache.” I smile faintly, the warmth of his touch still hunming through me. “Oh, don’t worry too much about him,” I say, leaning back just enough to meet his eyes. “He’s already

getting what he deserves.” One of his brows arches, amused. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I murmur, my lips curling into a wicked grin. “Can I show you something?”

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