Bite, My Love (5 page)

“
You hold grudges don’t you?” I wave my hand dismissively.
“That was then. Get over it. I’m not putting you down for tricking
me into being dinner, am I?

“
What do you want exactly?”

I study
him. “The truth?”

“
If you’d be so kind.”

“
You can give me something I want. But if I tell you what that
thing is I have a suspicion you’ll try to keep it from me.” I can’t
hold his gaze. How annoying considering how close I am to baring my
soul. If he’d asked I’d have explained that my greatest wish was
freedom. “The usual way of things is to keep you now. So that’s
what I’ll do.” I let go of his face. “Put me down.”

He sets
me onto my feet, but I suspect it’s because he wants a safe
distance between us.

His pale
hand flattens on his brow. Long fingers dig in as he mumbles to
himself. “I tried to do the right thing by you and all of them.
Stay here and roam the woods. I care not.” He turns on his heel.
“I’m leaving.”

With him
leaves all chance of a happy future, one of my own making. Not one
forced upon me by heritage and obligation.

I grab
his hand. “Don’t.”

Could I
justify getting closer to him just to be free of my old life? He’d
use me in a heartbeat to get anything he needs. I laugh bitterly
inside. He already has by drinking my blood to heal.

This
Vampire my wolf has marked as ours is cold-blooded and
hard-hearted.

I need to
be like him.

He wants
me, and isn’t unaffected by my presence as he pretends. It’s why he
stands and listens though he could outrun me, leave the hunting
grounds, and never look back.

Heart
thumping, my breath comes short as I press my chest into his back.
Rubbing my cheek on his shoulder, I hold my breath until his
silence breaks me. “Facing my Pack with a Vampire mate is something
I’d never dreamed of, but I’m dealing with the idea as best I can.
So should you.”

“
I can walk away.” His fists clench. “In less than a century
you’ll be dead and I’ll be free of this
connection
between us.”

“
You would go that far?” I feel sick at the suggestion and
close my eyes. I remember to harden my heart. He’s a means to an
end. A tool. My heart isn’t his to break even though the potential
is there. He can’t hurt what he won’t claim. “You may as well have
drained me then.”

“
I can deny my Bride.”

“
Yeah, I can turn away from you too.” I stare into the woods.
“For my own reasons I’m choosing not to.”

“
What can a Lycan gain attaching to one of my
kind?”

I bite back a
curse at his attempt to sully our clean relationship. Yes, I want
something from him, but as a consolation. “What you can give me
instead of a mating costs you nothing.” I hesitate. “You understand
my wolf wouldn’t have staked a claim if you weren’t the perfect
choice? The attraction is reciprocal.”

“
Are you aware of
what ‘reciprocal’ means? That is a four-syllable word. I know you
struggle from three upwards.”

My eyes narrow in offense. Letting that one go to expedite
the conversation, I calmly say,
“I know
what ‘reciprocal’ means. Pissing me off won’t make me
leave.”

He’s
quiet for so long I’m afraid he’ll tear himself from my arms and
make good on his threat to leave.

The wind
is chilly. I shiver, holding him tighter despite his cooler body
temperature.

“
Very well.” He turns to face me. “Do not say I did not try to
be kind. Let us deal with the truth so we can avoid this mistake.”
His mouth twists cynically. “Ask why I’m in the hunting grounds.
Ask why I was wounded.
Ask my
name
.”

Was there
a time when I wasn’t staring into his face? Beneath the surface
antagonism there is shame. I don’t want whatever he feels
accountable for to intrude on what should be the happiest day of my
life. Nothing matters anymore. We’ve found each other. Why can’t he
see that?

If we
approach our differences with a unified mind set we might’ve been
able to make it work.

Because
he’s resisting I have to use this time to my advantage.

I grasp
his head and tug him down. He’s so tall. “You have important stuff
to tell me. I understand, but it can’t wait? We’ll discuss what
happened to bring you to our hunting grounds, but right now enjoy
this.”

So few of
my kind find their true mate. Our wolves let us mate with someone
we love, but the spirit is never satisfied.

Even if
he won’t let me stay close, I can appreciate how magical it feels
to come this close to being complete.

Vampires
are strange creatures, but after meeting Lee for just a few minutes
I know the stories that have been passed down from my ancestors
were been tainted or biased. I’ll discover for myself if the
Vampires are good, evil, or simply beings trying to survive in a
world that doesn’t accept their existence.

He shifts
restlessly, his desire to escape this situation heartrendingly
plain.

Smiling,
I cup his face. Lifting onto my toes, I kiss his cheek. “Tell me
your name.”

Groaning,
he turns his head to cover my mouth with his. He slips his hands
down to my hips and yanks me close. Our hips connect. Thrilled, I
hold him tightly. He’s obviously someone who takes pride in
self-control, but there’s an animal under his skin.

“
You will regret this,” he mutters.

Rubbing
his shoulders I drag my nails down his chest, catching skin. I keep
eye contact. My wolf growls from inside me. “Mine.”

His gaze
flickers with identical possessiveness. “Look at you, so young.
Innocent. And me so….” His face twists. “It makes no
sense.”

My gut
quivers. I’m afraid he’ll reject me before we can learn about each
other. His gaze lowers to my breasts. My nipples harden and I push
my chest forward, eager to show him that I’m not innocent, and that
I can be whatever he needs me to be.

Chewing
his own lip, he tugs on the bodice of my dress. It inches down
until I’m bared to him and the night air. This time, his pupils
contract into catlike slits, the mesmerizing blue of his irises
intensifying.

I’m
feverish, my whole body hot and bothered.

Nudity
isn’t an issue for me. It comes as part of being able to shift into
an animal. I remove clothing before I shift, and when I revert to
Human form I’m naked as the day I was born.

This is
different.

The
Vampire’s attention narrows to my breast. Achingly slow, he sucks
my nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicks at the sensitive peak
until his teeth graze and bite mercilessly.

Legs
weakening, my fingers dig into his shoulders.

Breathing
hard, he kisses where he’s bitten. “You like that?” He hesitates.
Searches my gaze questioningly.

Looking
to catch me in a lie? Why would my desire for him be a lie? Are my
gulps of breath not encouragement enough?

I nod
jerkily and tug his head back. “More.”

Stricken,
he stands and sets my dress to rights. His expression shutters, and
his lips pull into a thin line. “No. Blame for many things can be
laid at my feet, but even I will not tarnish the honour of finding
my Bride. I will tell you my name. There is power in a
name.”

Concerned, I reach for him. I can’t hear past the ‘no’ in
response to my plea for more. “Did I do something wrong? I’m
inexperienced but if you tell me what do I’ll please
you.”

Turning
his face to the sky, he exhales then straightens to loom over me.
His head drops and his eyes are heated. “Danielius.” His voice is
resentful and distant. “My people call me Daniel. Do you hear me,
she-wolf? This game was fun but now it ends.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Taking a
step back never meant so much, or created such distance.

He
flinches.

No
denial. No outrageous display of innocence. No pleading or begging
to help him discover what truly happened.

A guilty
flinch and eye twitch.

My hands
fall away.

The
bottom of my newly discovered world falls away. It crumbles and
breaks into fucked up little pieces. Nothing can fix this kind of
broken. You paste over it, maybe tie it together with string, but
there will always be cracks.

I turn,
and bend, and struggle to breathe.

Clasping
a hand over my mouth, I curl an arm around my middle and scratch at
my side with the other. Lord, help me. Dry heaving, I force the
sickness to the pit of my stomach. I regain my footing by focusing
on the distance.

“
Daddy … my Pack will
never
….” The chances of my Alpha
accepting the true mate my wolf chose is slim at best, but if he
knows what Daniel’s done it won’t be impossible; it will mean
Daniel’s death. “You’re a murderer.”

“
And you’re so innocent–”

“
Shut up.” My eyes are hard as they meet his. “Just
don’t.”

Looking
away from me, his hands fall to hang by his sides. “What
now?”

Unable to
look at his face and not want him I spin away. My head hurts
thinking over everything he’s said and the way he’s acted. My wolf
is wrong? How can she choose a merciless killer as her true mate?
It doesn’t make any sense. “I found you beaten.”

“
I have been banished. Left here for judgement.”

Over my shoulder, I ask. “
You
killed my cousin.”

“
I’ve already confessed this.”

I turn
fully. “With … with your hands.” My hands push in front of me,
curling to mimic strangulation. “You physically killed
him.”

“
Ja.”

“
Is this a
game
to you? What are you doing?” Dragging a hand through my hair
I cup my throat. “Why are you on our hunting grounds? Have you come
to gloat? Was this some sick plan to take you to my home so you
could murder the rest of my family?”

“
Nej. No, no. None of this was planned.” Face creasing; he
moves to hold me, hands reaching. “I don’t know what this is. I
tried to tell you–”

“
Don’t touch me.” I wrench myself back. “You never get to
touch me.”

His
fingers curl in the empty space. “I didn’t ask for this. I told you
to leave me.”

My hand
digs into my throat and I swallow down bile. Pulling it all back, I
do what has to be done. “Leave.”

“
Harmony.”

“
Leave
.” Shoulders huddled I turn
from him. “Come here again and we’ll kill you.”

He just
stands there, but I don’t wait to hear another word, or wait to see
what he’ll do.

I can’t
hear him leaving so I move, walking quickly. I sob. Speed up and
stumble without looking back. As fast as I can, I run from him,
until my lungs are bursting and my limbs burning. It’s surreal,
like drowning. Suffocating. The truth is a noose and it’s getting
tighter.

Time is
irrelevant, and coming to an awkward stop on the threshold of my
home has me starting, and looking around with round
eyes.

The grey
brick looms over me, austere in the night sky.

Shivering, I stare at the house that has been my home and
prison for so long.

The
Vampire has become a monumental complication in my depressing life
rather than a way out of this place. I should alert my Alpha.
Besides, telling my Pack about him would be alleviating myself of a
nightmare and potential reprimand.

Isn’t
it?

What if
Daniel kills again and I could have stopped it by being
honest?

I’m going to do this? I am going to destroy the Vampire?
Kill
my mate
. The
murderer who stole life from my cousin, and offered
no
explanation, showed
no remorse. But he’s
mine
. Why would my wolf choose him
if he wasn’t the best choice for me?

Instead
of surging forward, I peer around and see no one about. My nose
scents everyone is still at the back of the house.

I back
away quickly.

Reaching
the tree line, I breathe easier. I rub my eyes and push back my
hair, unsure of what to do next. My family are in the backyard and
won’t have scented me yet as I’m downwind. I have few precious
moments to decide what I’m doing.

The
person trying to get my attention grabs my shoulder and gives a
little shake.

“
Harmony?” Aaron repeats alarm clouding his face as it blocks
my view of the house.

A little
taller than me, his green eyes are concerned and his square face
curious. He sniffs. He blinks rapidly, plaintive, uncomprehending.
Aaron grips my shoulder tighter and sniffs deeper. His eyes widen
when he places the scent of arousal and Vampire. His eyes demand
answers but I stare back dumbly.