His nostrils flared, and his pupils dilated. “Eva …”
Was the crimson rim to his irises expanding?
I opened my mouth to ask him if he was okay, but he moved fast, trapping the nape of my neck in his palm and cutting off my words with his lips. Strawberries, fresh from the facility garden with a little sugar on top—the memory washed over me, sudden and fierce. It dissipated just as suddenly. I pushed at his chest, trying to break free, fighting the confusing sensations that his tongue was eliciting as it swept into my mouth, licking away the coppery blood. My heart lurched and heat swelled in my abdomen, traveling south like lightning. A low moan climbed up my throat to play a duet with the rumble of his chest. He pressed into me, pushing me backward. His zesty scent wrapped my mind in silken ribbons. His grip tightened, almost painfully, and his mouth crushed mine, sucking, sucking on the blood leaking from the insides of my cheeks. Not pleasant now. No. Hurts.
Adrenaline flooded my veins, and my body went into fight mode, kicking, bucking, twisting. He held fast, intent only on feeding.
Noah was feeding on me.
My mouth burned as he pressed me into the mattress. Like fuck this was happening. I brought my knee up, catching him in the crotch. He made a strangled sound, and his grip loosened enough for me to twist free. I kicked out again, connecting with the same spot, and he fell to the ground, but not before I caught a glimpse of his face—blue veins stark against his pale skin, crimson eye whites, and fangs—eager, lethal fangs.
“Run …” His voice was a hoarse rasp.
Concern warred with instinct. I backed up toward the door. Something scraped across the ground, talons sliding from his fingertips, gouging the floor.
His head snapped up and his mouth opened wide. “Eva, run!”
Instinct won. I turned and ran, sprinting down the corridor, headed for the lab. Behind me, the door splintered and then boot falls were in pursuit. Ice shot up my spine, a warning. Faster, Eva.
And then a weight hit me from behind and fire seared my back. The breath exploded from my lungs as tears blurred my vision.
No.
Not enough breath to scream. Come on. Inhale. Fight!
Noah’s hand was in my hair, yanking my head up and to the side. No. Fuck, no.
“ASH!” The scream exploded from my lips and then razors sliced into the side of my neck.
Fangs.
Noah’s fangs.
The world stuttered and blurred, and then an inferno devoured my skin, tearing a scream from my throat. A rush of blood in my ears deafened me for a moment, and my chest ached with a hollow sensation. Tugging … He was tugging at my heart as if he was drinking directly from it. Thud, thud, thud. Not so bad … just sleep. Just … The world turned crimson, then black.
Had to stop him. I had to … “Ash …” Too tired.
The world was silent and still, cradling me in its arms as false euphoria that felt all too real flowed through my limbs. Safe. This was safe. The shadows closing in were here to take me home.
A roar cut through the growing gloom, and the weight on me was gone. The shadows rushed away, and the world snapped back into semi-focus along with the sounds—thuds and grunts and bellows.
Free. Had to get up. Had to see.
But my body was rubber, uncooperative and alight with dull fire.
Move. Dammit, Eva. Dad’s voice slammed into me.
I pushed up on my palms and brought my knees up under me to sway on all fours. Fuck the black spots in my vision. Fuck the lack of oxygen in my lungs. Boot falls echoed around me. Gentle hands touched my shoulders.
No. I tensed, trying to get away, but simply fell to one side. Sure hands steadied me.
“It’s okay. You’re okay.” It was Logan.
I raised my head to look at his face, but his attention was fixed over my shoulder. “Contain him. Do it. Now.”
“We got this,” Jace said. “Get her to the lab.”
Noah was still there. He was still behind me. I could feel his hunger. A whimper fell from my lips and shame flooded me. Fear … That sound had been pure fear.
“He won’t hurt you again,” Logan said. He slipped his arms under my armpits and hauled me up. “We won’t let him.” He swung me up into his arms as easily as if I were a ragdoll.
He was an arsehole, a cocky fucking arsehole, but right now, his arms spelled safety.
“We need to get some glucose into you,” Logan said. “I’ll start an IV.” He backed into the medical lab through the swing doors.
A tremor had begun rolling over my skin, chattering my teeth, turning my insides cold as frost crawled over my organs.
Logan laid me on the examination bed. “You’re going into shock. Shit.”
Think. Shock. What to do? “Blankets …” My teeth chattered. “Got to keep warm.”
His dark eyes swept around the room. “Got it.”
Weight settled over me, and then more weight, as he piled on blankets. My hands ached. My neck throbbed, and my back stung where it pressed against the examination bed.
Warm fingers gripped my wrist. “This might sting a bit.”
A weak laugh escaped my lips.
“Least of your worries, right?” His tone was tight, almost angry. But who was he angry at? Me or Noah? “Close your eyes and get some rest. You’ll feel better once the glucose hits your system.”
My eyelids were already dropping, my body eager to shut out what had just happened.
“—won’t let him … again … not again …” Logan drifted away, taking the room with him.
* * *
Noah’s phantom fingers gripped the back of my neck and the impression of his mouth was melded to mine. Cold, biting fire raged in my blood. I surged back into consciousness, gasping for breath with a scream locked in my throat.
Ash’s brutish face greeted me, his features etched in concern. He moved out of my personal space almost immediately, but the pressure of his warm hand remained on my bicep. Words formed on my tongue, but my mouth was stupid dry. I licked my lips and mouthed the word water.
He nodded and walked away, returning a moment later with a glass of water. The urge to gulp it was pressing, but I’d just be sick if I did that. Sips. One, two, three. The cool liquid trickled down my throat like heaven. He took the glass and set it on a silver instrument tray by the bed.
“Thank you.” My voice was a whisper.
He gently touched my chin and tilted my head to the side, his mouth turning down at what he saw.
“Is it bad?”
He exhaled sharply through his nose.
I closed my eyes. “Fucking great. But I guess I should get used to it, right?”
His brows snapped down, and he shook his head.
My bark of laughter was a bitter sound. “Isn’t this what you guys want from me?”
Frustration twisted his mouth, and he shook his head again. He slipped his arm around my shoulder and helped me sit up. The world swayed a little but settled quickly. The glucose had done its thing, and my body didn’t feel like it was made of rubber any longer. He locked gazes with me, pointed at my neck, and then touched his mouth.
What? I tensed. Was he saying he wanted to feed off me?
He sighed heavily and then pressed the fingertips of both hands to his chest and pulled them away to make loose fists. He was signing, but I didn’t understand, and then my sluggish brain cottoned on to what he might be saying.
“You want to heal me? Like you did in Haven?”
He nodded.
“Knock yourself out.” I tilted my head to the side, flinching as the wound tugged at my skin.
He leaned in to gently cup my shoulders. Cedar enveloped me, soothing my nerves, telling me I was safe as his lips caressed my neck. The wound Noah had left ached and throbbed, but the sweep of Ash’s tongue sent a tingling warmth skating across my skin, warmth which quickly seeped into the wound and mingled with my blood soothingly. He licked me again, his lips making a seal around the wound. The tingles inten
Strange noises filled the room. Noises coming from me—gasps and sighs, and shit, my hands were on the back of his head, caressing the short, shaved tresses, silken against my palms.
His fingers flexed on my shoulders as I wriggled closer, wanting to press against his chest, wanting to taste him, but he pulled back and the world rushed in cold and bereft, slapping me into awareness.
I dropped my hands and my gaze. Shit, what the … Shit. From the way Ash made me feel, I’d have thought it was him with the incubus DNA, not the twins. But Ash was an ogre, and this must be some ogre ability, but my hands still ached to touch him.
He made a small sound, a question that forced me to meet his gaze. His pale gray eyes were hooded as he looked down on me, his mouth soft and vulnerable. He reached up and grazed my cheek with the tips of his fingers, and it was suddenly harder to breathe.
The door swung open, and Ash stepped away from me. The sudden distance was like an icy chasm.
“Thank God you’re okay,” Jace said.
His hair was tousled, a dark bruise decorated his cheekbone, and his shirt sleeve was torn. His blue eyes, normally bright and sparkly, were flat and dark. The bruise faded before my eyes as he strode into the room. Fang healing, no doubt.
I blinked to ground myself. “What happened with Noah? Why’d he go nuts like that?”
Jace held up his hand. “I’m sorry, of course you deserve answers, but it’s a long story, and it’s late. I’ll fill you in in the morning. We only have a few hours left before dawn. You should get some rest if we’re going to save your friends.”
He wasn’t asking if he could hold off on an explanation, he was telling me that was the way it was going to be, and I was too tired to fight him on it.
He looked to Ash. “The door to her cabin is busted. We’ll need to find her—”
Ash signed something, cutting Jace off.
Jace looked surprised but then nodded slowly. “Um, Ash said he’d like to keep an eye on you tonight. He wants you to sleep in his cabin.”
I glanced up at Ash. He was watching me impassively. He’d healed me twice now. He’d come when I’d called for him. There was no reason not to trust him, but still, the thought of being alone with him in a cabin sent a shiver through me; whether anxiety or anticipation, I wasn’t sure.
My nod was curt. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Ash’s shoulders relaxed, and then he scooped me up into his arms.
“Um. I’m sure I can walk. I’m not—”
Ash cut me off with a look, and then we were headed out of the lab and back into the corridor.
* * *
Ash’s cabin was on the floor below mine—the one above the cell floor where I’d woken up. It was twice the size of mine and books lined the walls. His bed was a double, planted in the center of the room. He probably took up the whole thing. He set me on it and then walked off into his ensuite bathroom.
The room was sparsely furnished—bed, bedside table, a lamp, a chair, and books, lots of books. Some of the titles were familiar. Classics I’d read as a child, but the majority were new to me, making my fingers itch to pick them up and scan the pages. It was like a treasure hoard of knowledge.
Ash emerged from the bathroom a moment later carrying a damp washcloth. He made that sign again, the one that I think meant heal, and then pointed to my back.
“You want to heal my back?”
He nodded and then grasped the edge of his T-shirt and tugged it up slightly.
“Um …”
He rolled his eyes and then reached over his shoulder, grabbed the neck of his T-shirt, and tugged it over his head. I stared at his bare torso, his taut pecs and eight-pack. My body tightened, and my neck flushed.
He canted his head, held up the washcloth, and pointed at me, as if to say, Now you.
He wanted me to … Shit. Of course. He needed me to take off my shirt to get to my back. Doh.
I nodded. “Turn around.”
He obliged, giving me a stellar view of his powerful shoulders and a back that tapered down to the narrow waist above his … Nope. Not going there. Wincing at the sting as the fabric came unstuck from the wound on my back, I slipped out of the shirt. My bra was already torn by the scrape of Noah’s talons. It fell off now, and cool air kissed my skin.
Ash made a sound—a soft murmur. It was his question sound.
“One sec.”
I arranged my blood-encrusted T-shirt against my front and crossed my arms to hold it in place. “Okay, I’m ready.”
He turned back to face me. His silver gaze raked over me, assessing. I tucked in my chin, suddenly uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Okay, so it was more to do with the fact that I didn’t want to drool at his chest. He walked over and sat on the bed behind me. A low hiss escaped his lips and then the cool washcloth was pressed to my back. He dabbed, gentle but firm, and I bit my bottom lip to stop from crying out. My eyes burned in response to each contact of the cloth with my damaged skin.
Ash’s fingers curled over my right shoulder and then his warm, wet tongue swept up my back in a diagonal motion—following the tracks of the talon marks, no doubt. That same gentle tingling heat bloomed in the wake of his caress. He licked me again, and I arched involuntarily, my moan way too loud in the silence.
“Shit, sorry. I …”
Oh, God. There it was again, heat and a pulsing warmth at the apex of my thighs, my nipples tightening beneath the T-shirt clutched to my chest. I tightened my grip and pressed my lips together to stem the sounds wanting to explode from them. He pushed me forward gently, the swipes of his tongue getting deeper and firmer, tightening the spot between my thighs. If he didn’t stop, I was going to …
“Oh … fuck … Ash, please … stop.”
He released me immediately, his breath ragged behind me. We remained still and silent for several long seconds, and then Ash stood up and walked over to his dresser. He rummaged for a moment and then threw a T-shirt at me. Huge. One of his.
“Thank you.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “Can I use the bathroom?”
He nodded, keeping his eyes on the dresser.
In the bathroom, I slumped against the door and stared at my flushed face in the mirror above the sink. My wet sand-blonde hair had escaped from its ponytail, and my eyes gleamed. I looked fucking aroused. Okay, just splash water on your face and get back out there. Sleep and then save Tobias tomorrow. That was all that mattered. The shirt came down to just above my knees. It smelled like Ash, as if he were hugging me. Fanciful thoughts weren’t my thing and so this one got shoved in the vault. I kept the trousers on.
Ash was lying on the left side of the bed, his body practically hanging over the edge to leave me room. He had an arm slung over his eyes. He’d put his shirt back on, thank God.
I climbed up beside him and lay down on my side with my back to him, listening to his steady breathing. I was lying next to a Fang. A Fang who I’d allowed to get close enough to touch me, to lick me, to heal me, and yeah, I could totally sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
The guys were gathered in the computer lab, weapons in hand, ready to go. All the guys except Noah.
Gina entered with a tray carrying tea and some toast. “You should eat,” she said to me.
Jace nodded. “There’s time.”
Logan was ominously silent today. No snark, no cocky smile or sly look. In fact, he looked pissed. He’d sounded pissed last night too when he’d taken me to the lab.
The toast looked damn good, buttery and golden, but it would have to wait. Jace had promised to fill me in on what was wrong with Noah, and there was no time like the present.
“What the fuck happened to Noah last night? Where is he now?”
“He won’t be coming with us,” Jace said. “We have him in containment.”
“Okay, but what happened to him? He was fine and reasonable one moment, then he just snapped.”
“You must have bled near him,” Logan said.
Strange that there was no accusation in his tone.
“No, I didn’t … wait, I bit the insides of my cheeks … but, he was acting strange even before that.”
Logan shrugged. “It’d been a long time coming. He was bound to lose it again. It’s who he is.”
“You can’t say that,” Jace said. “It’s been years since he lost control.”
“But all it took was someone biting the insides of her cheeks?” Logan snorted derisively. “He’s dangerous, Jace, and the sooner you guys acknowledge that, the better.”
Ash signed something, and Jace sucked in a breath. “Wow, seriously? You too? Have you forgotten he saved our lives, that he kept us safe, that the monster we have in containment is the only reason we’re still alive today.” He shook his head. “He played the beast so that we wouldn’t have to, and now that he needs help you want to turn your back on him?”
“I didn’t say that,” Logan said. He looked torn. “But we have Eva here now. We need to keep her safe or we all die.”
What was going on? I looked to Gina, who averted her gaze and fidgeted with her fingers.
“Can someone please fill me in? What is wrong with Noah?”
“Nothing’s wrong with him,” Logan said. “He just happens to have primal Fang DNA. It’s the shit the Vladul are made of.”
“Pure Fang DNA from the source,” Jace clarified. “It makes him stronger than the rest of us, more powerful, but it also gives him bloodlust. When he feeds from the vein, he can’t stop. He’ll feed until his donor is dead.”
“Before we found the lab, he’d go longer and longer between feeds. Afraid of the monster he becomes. As we got older, we were able to subdue him. Get him the blood he needed and pull him off the donor in time to save the donor’s life.”
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