Bite, My Love (4 page)

The
Vampire releases me.

Body
liquid, I clasp a hand over my bleeding neck. I shake off mangled
thoughts and struggle to move past the drugged languor caused by
his feeding.

Suspicious, his eyes narrow and his tongue laps at the blood
gathered at the corner of his mouth. He stares at my fangs. “Where
have these come from?”

“
Are you talking to yourself?”

“
How did you do this thing?” He continues as if I haven’t
spoken. “I hold the wolf.”

“
I can’t tell if you’re asking me. I’m done
guessing.”

“
Why,” he whispers. “Why did I stop?” Clasping my chin, he
pulls me closer and licks each of my canines. His gaze meets mine,
and this time I know he speaks to me. “What purpose do they
serve?”

“
Release me and I’ll show you.”

The
restraints holding my power at bay dissolve. My eyes widen as he
silently relinquishes the power suppressing my wolf spirit. His
expression is a dare. Growling, I slam his shoulders to the
dirt.

Before he
can protest I bite his shoulder. I snarl and shudder to make sure
I’m attached to him good and deep. There won’t be tidy pinpricks
left on his alabaster skin. My teeth will leave scars for the rest
of his existence.

The cool
night air is infused with my mating scent. Beneath my impulses, I
start in shock, but relax in a moment of blissful calm. My
intention is to mark him not drink his blood, but it mixes with my
saliva.

Unease
skitters up my spine.

Hot and
bright, a blood rose of pain blooms in my chest. Sharp stabs
between my eyes have me trying to pull away, but I’m locked in
deep.

A storm
of truth batters me. I scream around his flesh. Muscle cramps force
my body rigid.

Dark hair
streams over my face and body as I shake. The forest flickers in
brightness and depth as my pupils do something strange, dilating
and contracting in hallucinogenic spasms. Hundreds of years of
experience and feeling replays through my body and mind at warp
speed until everything is a chaotic blur. Impressions of his fears,
ambitions, hurt, happiness, pain, lust, anger, hunger, shame and
resentment beat me senseless in a volley of crushing
blows.

I see a
flash of recent pain. Fangs dig into his body and fire pours
through him in waves of pure agony. A sword slashes and hacks at
his flesh. His legs are left throbbing ribbons of flesh.

Terrified, my own legs twitching, I dig my claws into his
chest. His warning hiss has me snarling like a feral beast; too
sacred to understand I’m drawing first blood.

Fisting a hand in my hair, he yanks viciously and tears my
teeth free.
“Enough.”
A tremor judders his frame as he stares at my mouth in
horror. Reliving the memories passed between us through blood?
Cautious hands smooth down my sides. “How did you–”

An uncoordinated mess I scuttle back. “
Don’t touch me
.” Tumbling off his
lap, I’m a thrashing puddle of toile.

How long it’s taking to think in straight is something I’ve
no concept of. My understanding of what I’ve
seen
, what I’ve
felt
are so alien no logical
reasoning is allowing me to set my world right.

“
How am I still breathing?”

‘
That is a good question,’
the
Vampire thinks.

The blood
drains from my face. “You’re in my head. Talking.”

‘
Ja.’

“
Stop. Vampires talk mind-to-mind. I’m Lycan.”

He tilts his head.
‘Holding your
ears does nothing.’

A
creeping burn tenses my muscles. My stomach clenches. I rub my arms
when pins and needles prick all over my body. “What’s happening?”
The burn intensifies and digs deeper. “What did–” My air cuts and
my throat locks.

I exhale
in a rush. My chest decompresses to an abnormally empty
state.

For the
life of me I can’t inhale again.

“
You
bit
me
.” He makes a noise of irritation.
“My feeding would not cause this, and surely you considered to
drink from me might have unknown consequences.” He leans over until
his silhouette looms inside the halo of light breaking through the
tree canopy. “Are you listening? You’re not breathing.” He shifts
and the moonlight hits his face. Fury. “Breathe, Harmony.” He
places a hand at my temple and another on my chest.
‘
Damn you female
breathe
.’

The
mental command booms in my mind. My throat unlocks and the pressure
crushing my chest eases. I suck down a panicked gulp of air. Now I
can’t slow down. I breathe hard and fast until my lungs
ache.

The
Vampire mutters a curse and lifts me from the leafy ground. My
blood has healed him?

He peers
at me with mild revulsion as he strides a circle.

Kept
knotted by his glaring, I endeavour to pull myself together. The
gliding movement of his pacing is soothing, and my breathing
returns to normal.

My hands
slide past the collar of his shirt onto bare skin, seeking the
comfort. “Shouldn’t you put me down?”

With a
shake of his head he keeps me pinned to his chest.

Instinct
clawing to the surface, I push against his hold. Testing. The
resistance is strong, and I squirm, the alpha streak in me wanting
to fight for dominance.

Hands
grip me painfully, dig deeper until I know I’m bruised. “Stop your
fussing.”

“
Then put me down.”

“
Are you calm?”

It feels
like millions red ants are trapped under the surface of my skin. I
stare at him. “Yeah.”

He hisses
quietly. Frightening, but I’m beginning to like it. His eyes press
closed. “Now who is a liar?” When they open again he’s
focused.

Is he
ever wrong? Suddenly, it doesn’t matter what he is, or if what’s
happening to me is his fault as long as he can make me feel like I
did again.

The
heat.

Desire.

How have
I reached this place? Why doesn’t it matter, and why can’t I focus
on getting away from him.

“
Kiss me again.”

“
Unbelievable.” His jaw clenches and he tightens his grip.
“You are a Lycanthrope and … I can’t believe this is happening. Of
all the ridiculous–”

I arch up
wanting to kiss him. I lick his chin instead, that sexy cleft. He
tastes like the sea and the earth since he’d been sleeping in it.
“I want to see if it feels the same.”

“
The vestiges of my power are interfering with your
instincts.”

“
Does your blood always cause a feeling of
attachment?”

“
Attachment
?” He stops and waits
patiently until I swing my gaze upward. “Do you know who I
am?”

The
answer slams into me so hard I see stars. I’m glad he’s holding me
because I would’ve keeled over.

Warmth
spreads in a deep flood in my abdomen, and my fingertips tingle
with the urge to touch him.

My mouth
drops open.

I’ve been
told it might happen like this. When I find the right wolf, my body
will know and react, making it impossible to be mistaken. I’ve
heard common sense will flee and leave me a fumbling mess. I’ll
grow weaker, my power diminishing so I can submit to my
male.

I’ve
heard unbelievable, scary, and thrilling things will happen when I
find my true mate.

Except.…

A chill
ripples over me. “Oh my Christ. Mate.”

His annoyance is a chilling slap to the face. I
feel
it. “I’m not like
you. I’m one of the cursed, and we do not take mates.”

One of
the Cursed.

Vampire.

With his
blood in my veins, and my scent all over him my mind isn’t
connecting the word with the fear. “Yeah, you take Brides.” Ha.
He’s surprised I know that. “I know this shouldn’t be, but that
doesn’t change the fact I’m right.” I laugh my disbelief. “You’re
mine.”

“
Focus, Lycan.” His gaze remains on the middle distance. “If
you focused you’d see this is impossible.”

My eyes narrow in suspicion. That’s the second time he’s said
the word impossible. “I
am
focused.” With a cheekily added, “Vampire,” I
wind a lock of my hair around my finger, my mind still working on
why I think his reactions are off. “
Methinks the lord doth protest-eth too
much-eth
.
”

“
Much-eth? That is not a word.” He stops. Blinks. “You can’t
just mangle Shakespeare.”

“
I studied Hamlet in Secondary school. I know what I’m talking
about.”

“
You misquoted. You meant to say, ‘
The lord doth protest too much,
methinks.’.
”

“
Do you require assistance in removing the rod lodged up
your–”

“
You think I belong to you? A minute ago you wished for my
death.”

“
Nah.” I’d been invested in his survival from the moment he’d
lifted his head. Maybe my wolf had been subconsciously guiding me
all along. The animal spirit and my lust shoved aside, there’s so
much more to all of this.

An
opportunity.

The
Vampire scoffs, and resumes his quick pace. “You weren’t praying
for my demise?”

“
Nope.” Rather than answer his question, I realise something
key. Something I would of missed if I’d let him goad me into anger.
“Why aren’t you surprised?”

His
eyelid twitches. “Are you not concerned I was going to kill
you?”

“
Was.” Past tense. “Don’t doge the question.”

His whole eye twitches crazily. “
Will
kill you unless you gain
control of yourself. Regardless of….”

I lick my
lips nervously. “Of what?” Again, I get no answer.

The thing
is, I think he’s not surprised because he knows exactly what’s
happening. He felt it before I did. That’s why he stopped feeding
from me. Stopping wasn’t a choice. He was compelled by the
knowledge of what I could be to him.

He
doesn’t know how to handle it.

“
Do it then. Kill me.” My toes curl. “I won’t stay
silent.”

“
That is the second time you’ve ordered me to ‘do it’. Both
times I’ve struggled to deny your wish.” A line appears between his
brows. The Vampire walks again. “I will take you home. I have no
wish to harm my–” His mouth snaps shut. “Don’t you remember me
biting you?”

I focus
on his lips. When he speaks they move in a sexy way. “I remember
you stopped, and you let me bite you back.” Emboldened by his
failure to hide the truth, I place my hands on his cheeks. “Admit
why.”

“
There is no affirmation to be had. I drank from you. I
stopped. I was curious, and I let you bite me. It was a mistake on
my part. That is when you started acting oddly.” He clenches his
jaw. “Like this.”

Unflinchingly
lying to my face
rather than telling me what he feels.

How can I
make him understand something I barely do myself?

Even if
he doesn’t want me I need him. He’s my ticket out of my suffocating
life. The more I think the surer I feel. I won’t relent until I
have his devotion or a mating mark to secure my freedom.

“
Let’s look at this objectively.” I smile winningly, hoping it
hides my desperation to sell him on the idea of us. “I find you–”
Lickable. Mindblowingly sexy. Breathtaking. Just damn fine. “–not
bad to look at. And I know you’re mad for me. Right?”

Fair
brows lifting, he blinks repeatedly. “Nej.”

“
Assuming that means no I’m countering with a fat yes. I smell
you and know you’re mine.” I still have a hold on his face because
he refuses to look at me. I need something irresistible to seize
his interest. “Curious about my partial shift?”

Chary,
his eyes swivel to meet mine. I’m relieved at his reluctant glint
of curiosity. “I suppressed the wolf. How did you do
it?”

“
Nothing I did.” Sheepish, I shrug. “My mating instinct
allowed the change, a carnal impulse stronger than the sprit alone.
It’s fundamental to what I am.” Triumphant I managed to swing the
conversation neatly back around to my previous discussion point, I
stare at him pointedly. “Why did the mating instinct rise, do you
think?”

Withdrawing, he refocuses on the middle distance. “My bite is
traumatizing.”

“
Not giving me an inch are you?”

“
I can’t give what I don’t have.” His eyes darken. “Your body
is trapped in some kind of delayed shock.

“
That would be a reasonable argument if I didn’t know the
truth.”

He grinds
his back molars. “You were taking me to your Alpha. Don’t you
remember your threat of what he’d do to me?”