Panic fluttered against my ribs. Not at his intimidating presence, but at my unmistakable desire for his blood. He was too close. Too real. Too warm and whole and filled with what I wanted. I could hear it. Fates, I could hear the thump-thump of his heart beating, forcing blood to flow throughout his body. Teasing me. Taunting me.
“Please,” I gasped. “Go away.”
But of course he didn’t listen. Of course. So arrogant. So stubborn. I wanted to shove him off me, but was afraid I’d pull him closer instead. Unable to read his expression, I waited several torturously long seconds for him to do something.
Finally, he pulled out his phone and quietly said, “Kade, I found her. Meet me back at the car.” A second later, we were both on our feet. Still trembling, my legs gave out, but he caught me before I could hit the ground again.
Not prepared for the abrupt change, I sucked in a breath. Big mistake. His scent invaded my mouth, my throat, my very lungs. A searing need roared through me, demanding that I take, take, take. Not just his blood, but him. I didn’t understand, but I didn’t have to. Instinct kicked in with a vengeance, dulling any and all rational thought. It overrode my fears and simply acted, pushing me toward his exposed neck. My top gums were on fire as my fangs descended even more.
Bite him, every inch of me screamed. Take what’s yours.
I struggled against the pull, but the need was too strong. I bared my fangs and angled them toward his neck.
Lochlan released a warning growl and firmly gripped the nape of my neck, halting me in my tracks. “McKenna, no.”
A fierce possessiveness took hold of me and I angrily hissed at him, “Mine.”
The moment that unexpected word tore from my throat, we both froze. Shock transformed his features, probably mirroring my own expression. I closed my mouth with an audible click, jolting back to my senses when two sharp points painfully sliced through my bottom lip.
Why the crap had I said that? What was wrong with me?
I tried to step away, tried to run, to hide, to flee this situation before I lost all control of myself. But Lochlan swept me into his arms and took off at vampire speed before I could even think of protesting.
14
LOCHLAN
Mine.
Never in a million years could I have prepared myself to hear her say that word.
A word I loathed like no other. A word I never thought McKenna Belmont would utter.
The shock was slowly wearing off as I sped through the woods with her in my arms. I waited for a bolt of fury or disgust to hit me. Even fear. I belonged to no one, especially not a witch.
Instead, a male sense of pride heated my blood. Not to mention the sudden tightening of my pants.
Stop thinking with your dick, I berated myself. That’s what got you into this mess in the first place.
But I couldn’t deny how right the word sounded coming from her lips. Hell, I wanted to hear her say it again. So I ran even faster, needing to escape these irrational thoughts and feelings. My determination to keep her at arm’s length had crumbled to ash the moment I’d taken her into my arms. I couldn’t get to Kade soon enough.
“Let me down,” she said stiffly, her earlier desire now subdued. Still, I was prepared to intervene again if I saw even the slightest hint of fang. I knew she was shocked and confused about her outburst, but I kept silent on the subject for both of our sakes.
“We have to get you out of the cold. You may not feel it, but you’re freezing,” I told her instead, still struggling with my need to know what had happened to her. Who had bitten her. I could smell him beneath her skin like a cancer. Instinct demanded that I erase his foul scent, but doing so was impossible for more than one reason. I could kill him though, which should help ease some of this desperate restlessness. If I ever crossed paths with him, his life was forfeit.
McKenna thankfully lapsed into silence, but after a few moments, worry tightened my chest. I glanced down at her and, sure enough, she was pinching her thigh.
“I’ll help you through this,” I quietly said, knowing her amplified hearing would pick up the words. My worry grew when she didn’t respond. “McKenna.”
“I need blood,” she eventually whispered.
The hardness in my jeans swelled painfully as my mind immediately conjured illicit thoughts. Grimacing, I roughly replied, “Just hold on. We’re almost to the car.”
“I . . . I can’t. It hurts. Help me,” she whimpered, curling in on herself.
My heart lurched in response to her misery. I slowed, cursing myself for my weakness, but I couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand seeing her in pain. My Lexus was only a mile away, but it was a mile too long.
I could tell she’d been through a lot in the few short days we’d been apart, days that had felt like years to me. Not only was there dried blood encrusted on her skin and clothes in several places, but she was drenched in the acrid, earthy scent of magic. What had they done to her at the institute? Not having the answers was driving me insane.
As I searched for a place to stop, I inwardly willed Kade to hurry. If he didn’t arrive soon, this could get out of hand quickly. Still, I pressed toward an outcropping of rock semi-protected from the wind, listening carefully for any sound before setting McKenna on her feet.
She was fading fast, swaying so that I had to steady her again. Malnourishment amplified bloodlust, and I could easily feel how thin she was, even thinner than the last time I’d held her. Anger at the bond flared up, but I firmly set the emotion aside for later. The only way this would work was if I buried my feelings beneath a mask of indifference.
Backing her up against a man-sized boulder, I shucked off my jacket and rolled up my right shirtsleeve, exposing my forearm.
“W-what are you doing?” she croaked, her expression openly vulnerable and filled with a need I knew all too well.
“Giving you what you need until I can get you more,” I replied, inhaling a fortifying breath before viciously biting into my arm.
As my blood welled and spilled over, trickling onto the snow, McKenna gasped. She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head, clearly understanding my intent.
“It will satiate you, nothing more,” I explained evenly, ignoring the influx of emotions pouring from her. “Vampires don’t crave one another’s blood like they do other supernaturals and humans. You’ll be able to control your bloodlust. This is only meant to ease your pain.”
Even as I said the words, they rang false. She wasn’t really a vampire and the rules didn’t apply to her. Still, if it would ease her misgivings enough to feed from me, then I’d say just about anything.
She squeezed her eyes shut, gasping out, “I can’t.” Her fear was electric, raising the hair on my arms. Not fear of me, I realized, but of herself.
“McKenna, look at me,” I said, forgoing thrall so she wouldn’t spook further. When she wouldn’t, I continued anyway. “You won’t hurt me. Trust me, I won’t let you.”
She opened her eyes to glare at me. “Trust you? After all the secrets you’ve kept from me? After all the—” Her words ended in a strangled sound as I tipped my arm, letting the blood pool onto my gloved palm.
I watched, satisfied as she lowered her hand and audibly inhaled my scent. “You can be mad at me all you want. You can hate me, rage at me, and never speak to me again, but you will drink my blood,” I said firmly when she continued to fight her instincts.
Her upper lip curled back, exposing those small, wickedly sharp fangs. “No, I won’t,” she growled.
The sound went straight to my cock, and I suppressed a frustrated groan. Time to end this fight for dominance before she addled my brain further. Before she could stop me, I dipped my thumb in the blood and smeared it across her bottom lip.
She recoiled with a snarl, baring her teeth like a cornered animal. I clenched my jaw, refusing to give an inch, even when tears clouded her eyes. My teeth ached from the pressure, but I wouldn’t comfort her. She had to feed, and pulling her i
nto a hug wasn’t going to make that happen.
I watched as her willpower slowly crumbled, as her tongue instinctively darted out and caught a droplet of blood. She froze, eyes widening as several emotions flitted across her face. I focused on the ones that mattered, the ones that would help me break down her defenses.
“More?” I asked quietly.
Her tongue darted out again, and I muffled a pleased growl. Then, almost faster than I could track, she lunged for my hand. An overpowering urge to push her away barrelled through me, but I forced myself to hold still as she grabbed my gloved hand and brought it to her mouth.
15
KENNA
Pleasure exploded on my tongue, slipping down my throat to instantly soothe the raw ache.
Moaning, I lapped up every last drop of blood on Lochlan’s palm like a parched dog. Before I could panic when it was all gone, he bit into his arm again and offered me more. A part of me knew I should be horrified at what I was doing, but I couldn’t seem to care. His blood tasted so good. It was everything I wanted and more, which was another thing that should scare me.
He said vampires didn’t crave each other’s blood. Then why did his blood glide through me like warm honey, whispering, singing for me to take what was mine?
There was that word again. But now that his blood was running through my veins, melding with my own, I felt it in the deepest part of my being.
Mine. He was mine. Not just his blood. Him.
I dragged my tongue along his palm, licking all the way up his index finger to the clawed tip. A deep, rumbling noise came from Lochlan’s chest and I glanced up to find his eyes hooded, a look akin to hunger in their depths. His attention was fixed on my mouth, and I took advantage of the opportunity to reach for his other arm. Before my fingers could touch his skin though, before I could press my lips to his healing bite mark and draw the delicious blood from him, he grabbed both my wrists.
At my displeased hiss, he released a warning growl, freeing up a hand to grip the nape of my neck. “Don’t get greedy, solemae,” he gruffly said, pinning my body against the boulder with his.
“Don’t boss me around, prince,” I snarled in return. My breath hitched as he deliberately pressed his hardness between my legs, suddenly making me eager for other things besides blood.
“I like you like this,” he purred, slowly grinding himself against me.
My entire body exploded awake at the friction, and all thoughts of freeing myself flitted away. “Like what?”
“Horny and angry. It’s driving me crazy.”
I couldn’t respond, too angry and horny for words. It was moments like this—when he lowered his guard and freely spoke his mind—that I wished things were different between us. That our connection was real and we had a healthy, fulfilling relationship. That the mysterious bond was of our choosing. That he actually wanted it. That something far greater than raging hormones drove us together again and again.
In moments like this, I could almost forget all the hurt, lies, and betrayal. Could see past the curse tying us together and believe we shared something special.
Even as he pleasured me, heightening my senses in every way possible, my heart broke bit by bit. We were using each other, nothing more. Taking advantage of our situation to satiate our hungry bodies. At the end of the day, this moment was a fleeting shadow, destined to be lost and forgotten. Then why didn’t I stop him? Why didn’t I shout that I hated him and never wanted to see him again?
His fingers released my neck and gripped my hair. Tightly enough to hurt, as if he was punishing me. Still, I allowed him to roughly, almost desperately rock against me until we were both panting with need. “I missed you,” he said, his guttural tone scraping across my sensitive skin.
“Don’t say that,” I gasped out, even as my stomach fluttered with hope. Stupid, stupid hope. “You don’t . . . you don’t mean it.”
He gentled his hold on my hair. “I wish I didn’t, but I do.”
“Jerk,” I hissed unconvincingly, too blissed out to put any weight behind my ire. “You’re only using me. Then you’ll kill me.” Like all the others.
“Never,” he growled, releasing my wrists to wrap my right leg around his lower waist.
I instinctively lifted my other leg and locked both ankles behind him, clinging to his shoulders as the new angle sent even more pleasure rocketing through me. “Liar,” I said breathlessly. “What do you want from me?”
“Nothing.” His ragged breaths ended in a defeated groan. “Everything.”
Startled, I peeled my eyes open to find him already watching me. His expression, so raw and vulnerable, left me shaken and confused. It was like he was asking—no—begging me to help him. I silently questioned him, searching for answers in the hidden depths of his gaze, even as he brought me to the brink of ecstasy.
Moments later, I plummeted over the edge into a sea of utmost bliss. My body arched into his as I unabashedly moaned his name. He came a second later, crushing me to him with a muffled shout.
I squeezed my eyes shut and held on to the moment for as long as possible. Listening to our thundering heartbeats gradually slow, I pretended that this was our world and nothing else existed.
We were so effortless like this. So perfectly in sync.
I didn’t want it to end. Why couldn’t this be real?
“Well, well, well, I see you’re taking very good care of our girl,” an amused voice suddenly spoke from above. “Looks like I worried for nothing.”
I jerked, emitting a startled yelp, but Lochlan’s only reaction was to turn toward the voice with me still wrapped around him.
“About time you showed up,” he calmly acknowledged the newcomer, tilting his head toward the dark form on the ridge above us.
“Had two pesky flies on my tail that I couldn’t get rid of,” the male voice drawled, a very familiar male voice. “Bummer that I missed all the fun.”
Still clinging to Lochlan like a monkey, my embarrassment over being caught in our current predicament vanished when I realized who’d joined us. “Kade.”
He jumped from the ledge, landing agiley beside us despite the lengthy drop. Although his caramel brown hair was muted and his sky blue eyes were a deep red, I’d recognize that mischievous grin anywhere. “Hey, little Kenna.”
Tears blurred my vision and I blindly reached for him. Expecting Lochlan to resist, I was surprised when he passed me over without comment, letting Kade fold me into a bear hug.
“Still mad at me?” he said after a moment, propping his chin on my shoulder.
“Yes,” I sniffled, yet hugged him harder, simply relieved that we were all together again. I’d never taken the time to breathe in his scent before, but did so now. When a distinct fruit cocktail aroma wafted up my nose, a chuckle rolled out of me.
He pulled back to study my face. When I only laughed harder, he frowned, muttering, “Not the usual response I get when hugging a female. I think you gave her too much blood, Lochie, among other things. She’s drunk.”
“Kade,” Lochlan quietly growled, clearly warning him to shut up.
Fighting off a fierce blush, I steered the conversation to safer waters. “It’s just so fitting that your blood smells like fruit. You know, since that’s pretty much all you consume.”
His mouth fell open. “What? I don’t smell like—Loch, tell her I don’t smell like fruit.”
It was hard to see the shadowy planes of Lochlan’s face, but with my enhanced vision, I caught the slight indent in his left cheek. “More like a fruit and cheese platter,” he said.
“Oh, yeah,” I agreed, taking another whiff. “Must be from all the—”
“Cheesecake,” Lochlan and I said at the same time.
Our eyes met, a look passing between us. Then I snort-laughed and he cracked a small smile. When Kade remained silent, I glanced at him, surprised to find a pleased expression on his face. Before I could puzzle over it, he said, “So, who bit you?”
Lochlan’s smile fad
ed.
“Um . . .” I cleared my throat, uncomfortable with how sharp their gazes had become. Suddenly remembering why I was out here in the first place, I blurted, “Noah. Isla.”
Kade threw me a quizzical look. “Isla bit you?”
“Who’s Noah?” Lochlan demanded.
“No, I mean, I have to . . .” I pulled Noah’s phone from my blazer, cursing when I realized I couldn’t call him. Noting the time on the lit screen, I froze, then whipped my gaze to the sky. My heart started to pound. “Oh, crap.”
“McKenna?”
“I have to hide!” I squeaked, scurrying for cover. I tried flattening myself against the outcropping of rocks, but it wasn’t enough. I whirled toward Lochlan in a panic, stammering, “You said you would help me, so help me.”
“With what?” he said, his brows drawing together in confusion.
“The sun!” I yelled, wildly gesturing at the ever-brightening sky. “I’m a vampire now. I’ll freaking burn.”
His expression cleared as understanding dawned. When he didn’t burst into action to find me cover, though, my panic morphed into dread.
I stumbled back as hurt welled in my chest. “Was this your plan all along? To let nature dispose of me so you wouldn’t have to?” I should have known. Aunt Tess had tried to warn me, but I’d let my guard down around him again. When would I stop allowing my emotions to overrule common sense?
There was no time to flog myself over it, though, not when I was minutes away from going up in flames. I prepared to jet out of there using my vampire speed, but Lochlan held up a hand, saying, “Wait. Don’t run. Let me explain.”
Anger shot through me, and I snapped, “You must think I’m stupid. All you are doing is stalling me. Well, I’m done falling for your tricks, Lochlan. Done. Isla needs me and I’m not letting anything get in the way of that, including you.”
I took off, putting all of my energy into getting away before he could stop me, but I should have known better. He was always one step ahead in this game of ours, outmaneuvering me at every turn. He looped an arm around my waist and swung me around to face him, skidding us to a halt in the snow.
Curse Touched: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (A Touch of Vampire Book 2) Page 13
