Destined Blood

by Tessa Cole

  “They can. I could—” His body stiffened with another dry heave, and he gasped for breath. “I could until I claimed you.”

  Oh, shit. “Is this something else I did?” I’d barely known anything about how a vampire’s claim worked, only the effects it had on the human being claimed. Had I unknowingly screwed up his life by trying to save him then returning to my normal human existence? “Why didn’t you tell me? Have you been starving for a week and a half?”

  “Essie, it’s all right.” A tremor swept through him, drawing a ragged gasp.

  I scrambled to his side, not caring if it was his claim compelling me or not, and rubbed slow circles on his broad back. “It’s not all right. I made you claim me.”

  “You didn’t make me do anything.” He shuddered again and groaned. “I just didn’t expect this. I knew my claim was strong, but I didn’t think it was this strong. It doesn’t feel like it is.”

  “So this is what happens when the claim is too strong?”

  “I’ve only ever heard of it happening when a vampire has a strong claim on a super,” he gasped. “But yes. I can’t keep down bagged blood, and blood from a bunny isn’t nearly as effective as it used to be.” He groaned again, squeezing his eyes shut, his face etched in pain. “I need you, Essie. My essence has locked onto yours as yours has onto mine.”

  “You should have asked.” If he needed me, I’d be there.

  He captured me with his dark gaze, stealing my breath.

  “Because it’s rarely just blood with a claimed one,” he said, his voice husky, the strain around his eyes so tight it hurt my soul. “And I won’t put you in that situation.” He jerked his gaze back to his hands, still pressed against the asphalt beside the grate. “I can wait it out.”

  “How long will that be?”

  “I don’t know. My essence has to work its way out of yours.”

  “You’ve bitten me twice now. That could be months.” Could he survive without bagged blood for that long? I raked my gaze over his body. He looked like shit, and the tear on his neck was still weeping blood. He’d said the key that would break the seal to Ibizual’s prison was going to manifest tonight. That meant he was going up against Logan again. He wouldn’t survive another encounter like this.

  I grabbed his arm to pull him to his feet. “We need to get you to a bunny.”

  “It won’t help.”

  “You said a bunny’s blood isn’t nearly as effective, but it still does something.”

  “Whatever Logan did, it was powerful. A bunny won’t help this time. If I’m going to recover, then I need your blood.”

  “Then take it.”

  The muscles in his jaw tightened and his gaze locked back onto mine, filled with not a physical hunger but a sexual one as well. “I can’t. I won’t be able to control myself this time.”

  A shiver of desire swept through me. Was I willing to have sex with Jacob to help him? A part of me screamed ‘Yes!’ I’d been willing to sleep with him earlier that morning in the shower before I knew it would help him, and my reasons then hadn’t changed now. I still ached with unfulfilled desire for men who either wanted to push me away to protect me or hated me. Jacob could satisfy that need, and I could help him out at the same time.

  “Do you expect a relationship out of this?” I asked. I didn’t want another complication. I just needed a release or I’d shatter.

  “No. Your heart belongs to Marcus and your soul to Gideon.”

  “I don’t belong to anyone.” Why was that the given in this mess? They didn’t want me, and all they’d done was hurt me. God! I wanted to go back to screaming. “I’m so sick and tired of everyone acting as if I’m not an adult able to make my own choices. This whole situation is completely fucked up. At least let me help you. You say I’m the only one who can.”

  “Yes.” He didn’t sound happy about that.

  “I’m not going to let you suffer. If Marcus and Gideon can’t understand that, then I don’t care what fate says, I don’t belong with either of them.” And they didn’t want me anyway. I’d release the emotional pressure threatening to shatter me, and Jacob would be well enough to face Logan. In the long run, it might be a disaster, but in the short term it was a win-win. Once the situation with Logan was done, we’d figure out what to do about his need for my blood after that.

  “I’m not going to let you make a decision influenced by my claim,” he said. “You don’t really want to do this.”

  “I’m volunteering, and your claim has nothing to do with it.” Even if it was thrilling with ecstasy at the idea.

  “The claim is making you say that. My control of you is too strong. You can’t resist it.”

  Except I’d resisted it in the tunnel when he’d told me to leave and I hadn’t. “Tell me to do something.”

  “Get away from me,” he said.

  The claim twisted. I jerked to my feet, but squeezed my muscles tight before I could walk away, crossed my arms, and glared down at him. “I can resist you.”

  “Give me your blood.”

  “Only if you ask nicely.”

  He jerked to his feet, his gaze capturing me, locking my soul in those black depths. “Feed. Me.”

  The claim clenched, stealing my breath and screaming through me. Help him. Feed him. Satisfy him. There was only him. There would only ever be him. And I had to please him.

  “No.” This was my choice. My decision. And magic wasn’t going to coerce me. A part of me feared that the other guys would think Jacob had taken advantage of me because of the claim, but if I had to deal with that to save his life before he faced Logan that night, so be it.

  He pulled out a switchblade, flipped it open, and held it out to me. “Cut your wrist and feed me,” he growled. His claim tightened until I couldn’t breathe.

  “You can’t make me do something I don’t want to do,” I hissed back. “If you don’t feed now, Logan will kill you tonight and Ibizual will be set free.”

  “So you’re making yet another sacrifice.” He closed the knife, shoved it back into his pocket, and captured my face with his hands. “Essie, you have to stop doing that. You don’t have to kill yourself to prove yourself.”

  “I’m not trying to prove myself. I’m doing what needs to be done.” I pressed my hands over his. “I make this choice freely. Let me help you.” And help me release my desire for men who don’t want me.

  He pursed his lips together, but his gaze had shifted from soul-capturing concern to hungry.

  My pulse pounded with hope and yearning and fear. Say yes. Please say yes and save yourself tonight.

  “Okay, but not here.” He released my face and grabbed my hand. “The feeding could make you dizzy. You’ll need time to recover.”

  I grabbed my duffle bag and we hurried back inside as fast as Jacob’s weakened body would let us, thankfully not running into anyone since I didn’t want to have to explain why I was holding Jacob’s hand or why my eyes were red and puffy. And I was grateful he hadn’t mentioned them.

  We took the elevator up to the fifth floor and headed to his room. His grip tightened on my hand the closer we got, and his stride became uneven. His breath came fast and his complexion was even paler than before.

  Gasping, he unlocked the door and dragged me inside. His arm wrapped around my waist and jerked me close, my back against his chest, as he braced himself against the door. The temperature snapped to sultry, hot and humid and sensual. I didn’t know if it came from his desire for me or my blood, and right now I didn’t care. We were both going to satisfy a need, and I was good with that.

  His other hand combed into my hair, capturing my head and tugging it to the side to expose my neck.

  I dropped my duffle bag. My pulse leaped in anticipation and instant desire surged hot within me. With a growl, a low rumble that vibrated through his massive chest into my back, he sank his teeth into my neck.

  Pain sliced through me, followed by a rush of sudden, bone-melting pleasure. My breath hitched, and I m
oaned. There was no need to keep it in or hide how he made me feel. The whole point of this was to help him and help myself.

  His hand on my stomach dipped under my shirt and slid up my chest to my breast, putting us back in the same position as when he’d magically entwined his essence into mine.

  He took a long pull on my neck, and the sensation seeped hot across my chest and into my core, drawing another moan. I slid my hands down his thighs and rubbed my body against his. His erection, huge and firm, pressed against me, and my pulse quickened.

  His hand slipped beneath my bra and he kneaded my breast, drawing a searing line of desire from neck to heart. I arched my back, needing more, needing all of him. The desire that had wound tight within me from the moment Marcus had stormed back into my life clenched my heart and my core, and I ached for release.

  Jacob took another pull on my neck. The ache curled tighter. My head spun, and I reveled in the sensation. There was only him, his need for me, and my burning desire to have him in me, filling me.

  With a moan, he drew his fangs from my neck, and a flicker of heat, his vampiric healing magic, sealed the wounds shut. My soul throbbed with unfulfilled desire, disappointed that this was it. But with a growl, he picked me up, carried me into the bedroom, and laid me on the bed.

  The hunger in his eyes, for me and not just my blood, stole my breath. He yanked his T-shirt off, exposing the vast expanse of his muscular chest and making my mouth water. I flicked open the button on my jeans. He hooked his fingers under the waistband and slid them and my underwear off, then crawled up the bed toward me, his gaze never leaving mine, his desire for me making my pulse pound. He pressed his hands against the insides of my knees, urging me to open for him, then licked his way up my thigh and blew a feathery breath against me.

  I bucked as the sensation jolted through me, drawing a low sensual laugh from him.

  “God, Essie, you’re so beautiful.” He brushed my folds with his fingers and licked the inside of my thigh, sending another jolt through me. “You have a vein here—”

  “Yes,” I said before he could finish, the thought of his erotic bite rushing through me so close to my core making me tremble on the edge of climax. “Jacob, yes.”

  He teased his finger through my folds again, building the anticipation of his bite, spiraling my desire tighter. His powerful shoulder muscles bunched as his body settled between my legs.

  “So here?” he teased, flicking his tongue against my thigh as he flicked his thumb against my clit.

  I bucked again, another rush of pleasure shooting through me. “Yes, Jacob. Yes.” Please. Yes.

  His thumb circled my clit and his fangs sank slowly, agonizingly slowly into my thigh with a surge of need. I gasped, the sensation stealing my breath and thoughts. There was only the desire squeezing tight within me, hot and hard, building and building, and nothing else. No worry about what I was, no heartache over Marcus pushing me away or Gideon ruining my career. Right now there was only Jacob and my aching need, and it was perfect.

  He sucked on my vein and slid a finger inside me, his thumb circling my clit, pressing harder and harder with each rotation. I writhed against him, craving release, and yet clinging to the pressure, waiting until I couldn’t hold it back any longer, knowing I would come screaming.

  Another suck and he added another finger, sliding them in and out of me. I ground into him, matching speed with his hands, driving him deeper into me, the pressure growing, squeezing, clenching—

  Suddenly he froze, his hand, his mouth, everything absolutely still, and he squeezed his eyes shut. The ecstasy of his bite flickered, and a whisper of pain crawled up my leg.

  My pulse stalled. Something was wrong. “Jacob?”

  “No. Not now,” he hissed.

  “What?”

  He groaned, but it didn’t sound as if it was in pleasure. “Please, no.”

  “Jacob?” Was he regretting what we’d started? Every fiber of my being thrummed on the edge of climax, threatening to tear me apart. “I said yes. I meant it.”

  “Shit.” He released his teeth from my thigh and a hint of healing magic sealed his bite shut. The room’s temperature suddenly dropped, his desire vanishing between one heartbeat and the next.

  “You’re stopping?” The ecstasy his bite had induced twisted into loss. It still pulsed, close, so close to climax, but now the feeling was cruel, an unfulfilled tease. “Please.” I needed him to finish what we’d started.

  “God, I want you. I want to give you what you deserve.” His body shook, and he jerked out of the bed. “But I have to go. Now.”

  “Go?” I sat up, the movement sending a shudder of desire through me, and I moaned.

  The hunger in his eyes deepened, but his body wrenched toward the bedroom door. “Fuck.” He grasped the doorframe, as if his body had a mind of its own and he was trying to keep himself in the room.

  “Jacob?”

  “Victoria’s summoning me and I can’t—” The muscles in his neck strained as he fought to keep hold of the frame. “I can’t resist her. I’m sorry, Essie. We’ll finish this. I promise.”

  His grip broke free of the doorframe, and he hurried out of his apartment, still shirtless, leaving me aching with want.

  I squirmed, sliding my legs against his comforter, the movement ratcheting up my need, curled so tight that it was painful. Collapsing back on his bed, I rubbed my finger over my clit, desperate to relieve the pressure, but it was as if Jacob’s magic had frozen within me, trapping me on the precipice and unable to crash over the edge.

  The pain spread across my abdomen and into my chest, and I couldn’t draw a deep enough breath, could only gasp. And each gasp made me quiver, ratcheting up my pain and need.

  I ground my teeth and forced myself out of his bed. His magic would pass. I just had to ride it out. I didn’t know how long he was going to be, but I knew if I stayed, surrounded by his rich, masculine scent, I’d go mad.

  I dragged on my underwear and pants, the fabric sliding up my body drawing a moan, left Jacob a note to find me at home, and grabbed my duffle bag. I had to go back to plan A. Go home and then figure out what to do about my life once I was away from the guys. I could barely think straight right now and with Jacob gone, my thoughts were jumping to who was in the building that I could convince to help satisfy me. Which was a terrible idea.

  Each step down the hall to the elevator sent tremors through me, but none of them strong enough to release me, and my head spun from the blood loss. I had no idea how I was going to make it out of the building, let alone down the street to wait for a taxi — since I wasn’t going to wait for one here — but there wasn’t any other choice.

  The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing Marcus, holding his vest, sheathed sword with belt attached, and boots. He wore baggy workout shorts and nothing else, and looked sexy as hell.

  Chapter 16

  My breath vanished, both with my drowning need from Jacob and the attraction that always sizzled between me and Marcus. Every time I saw him, I thought he was hot, and right now, wearing only shorts because the magic to shift into his wolf consumed his clothing, he was mouthwateringly sexy. He wasn’t anywhere near as bulky as Jacob, but his chest and arms were ripped, each muscle defined, making me yearn to run my hands over them and scratch my nails across his washboard abs.

  His piercing green eyes captured me, and a feral hint of his wolf stared back at me. The air around me ignited into a heat stronger and more humid than the heat of Jacob’s desire. Marcus’s gaze raked over my body, amping up my need with just a look, making me yearn for him to touch me, then it settled on my neck. Jacob’s magic was only strong enough to seal his bite shut, not enough to hide the evidence.

  “Of course,” he said as he stepped out of the elevator, his voice so soft I couldn’t get a good sense of his inflection. “You let him feed on you.”

  No point in denying it. “Of my own free will. His claim had nothing to do with it.”

  Th
e temperature didn’t change from sweltering, but I still couldn’t read his expression, as if he was trying to hold his emotions at bay but couldn’t contain his desire— no, with him, it was more likely anger and I just desperately wanted it to be desire.

  “I saw you resist him in the tunnel. I know you could have said no if you wanted to.”

  “I didn’t want to.”

  “I know you didn’t.” His expression… still so strange and impossible to read. “You willingly give of yourself to save people, Essie. It’s just who you are, and Jacob needs you.”

  “What?” My already struggling thoughts tripped. I mustn’t have heard that right.

  “He’s starving.” Marcus stepped closer, and I shifted back. If he got too close I was going to beg him to take me, and I wouldn’t be able to handle the rejection.

  “It’s his claim, isn’t it?” he said. “It’s stuck on you.”

  “Does everyone know? I got the impression Jacob was trying to hide it.” I clung to my duffle bag, praying that would stop me from throwing myself at Marcus.

  “I doubt anyone else has figured it out. He’s certainly hiding it. But after the archnephilim, his scent changed. I couldn’t smell the blood in him like I should.”

  “So this… situation is common?”

  “No. I only read up on it when I saw a vampire starving to death at Mercy Memorial during my transition,” he said. “There wasn’t much else for me to do during that time. The vampire’s werewolf had been killed in the war, and she was unable to feed from anyone but the one she’d claimed. It’s a terrible way for a vampire to go. Very very slow, and I suspect she’s still in the hospital starving if she hasn’t managed to make another claim.”

  “How come Amiah doesn’t know about Jacob?” She’d been the one to help Marcus through his transition. She’d been at the hospital at the same time he had. She had to have seen that vampire, too.

  “She’s not looking for the signs and the claim on you is so new, if he can hold out, his body’s singular focus on you will pass. We just needed to wait it out.”