Bite, My Love (7 page)

Daniel
managed to tame her with one bite.

“
No, she-wolf. What is happening here is he exceedingly
unnatural
.” He barks a
laugh. “For a creature as old as me that is something remarkable
indeed. I kill your kind. I would have killed you had you not
bitten and surprised me.” His eyes travel over my frame. He shakes
his head in amazement. “I think you are my Bride.” He swallows
convulsively, the pale column of this his throat bobbing. “It
should not be so, because I thought she had already come and gone,
but here you stand.” Placing his palms either side of my face he
stares.

He
becomes still as stone, gaze unflinching, chest paused mid
breath.

I lean to
nuzzle his cheek, but he remains frozen as he comes to terms with
whatever he has to say, think, or feel.

What
would get him to move again?

“
Daniel?”

I run my
fingers over his forearm. I enjoy how his flesh reacts to my touch.
It tightens and goes goosepimply. Vampires can’t feel the cold and
knowing I cause such an extreme reaction is thrilling.

He
flinches and blinks slowly.

That was
quick. I’m relieved because it is seriously creepy when he goes
Vampire still. Short from pushing him into the hole, covering it
then guarding it if Enforcers came, I had no other plans as to how
to keep him safe in that state.

He runs
his top teeth over his bottom lip. “You took some of my memories
when you drank my blood?”

“
I don’t remember much.” I wince. “There was too much for me
to see properly, and it hurt.”

The shock
on his face scares me a little. He’s becoming still again and we
don’t have time for him to keep falling inward.

“
I get you’re not used to being rushed and that you feel like
you have all the time in the world, but you don’t. We have to find
somewhere safe for you to rest for the day.” I snap my fingers and
smile. “We’ll just go west.”

He
stiffens. “That does not solve our problem.”

Clapping
my hands and jumping up and down because he said ‘our’ problem
rather than ‘my problem’ would probably freeze him into another
immobile state. “Why not? We’d be there in half hour at the most if
we ran. Once we’re past the boundary line we’ll dig you a new hole
for the day and I’ll–”

“
Beyond the boundary line is Vampire territory.”

“
Yeah. It’s perfect.”

“
Death is death I suppose.”

Troubled
he’s so reluctant to return home, I bite my lip when I remember
Daniel wasn’t only in danger from my Pack, but from his family too
because he betrayed them. “You mean Lee.” I try to look reassuring.
“We won’t be seen.”

His head
jerks from side to side to break my hold. “Nej. Ben will lose what
little mind he has left if he catches me that close to
her.”

“
Then we won’t sneak. We’ll walk right up to Castle and ask
for help.”

“
The risk–”

“
I can’t protect you here. I’m sorry, but I just can’t. If my
Pack come I’ll stand with you, but the idea of harming them isn’t
something I’ll consider if it can be avoided.”

“
They won’t hurt you.” His fingers twitch on my chest. “You
are the daughter to the Pack Alpha. They wouldn’t dare.”

“
I found the Vampire who killed our Pack member on our hunting
grounds and didn’t call for help. If you were my Alpha how would
you react?”

He
blanches. “We must leave the hunting grounds.”

“
We really do.”

A
Lycan princess running from her
enraged Pack as a Vampire leads. Not something I would’ve been able
to imagine two days ago. My tombstone in the family graveyard will
read, “Here lays the craziest bitch of them all.”

Claiming
this Vampire as my own feels like it will be the making of me. I
can turn away, but I don’t want to. My life has been unremarkable.
I’m a princess, but confined to a stifling life. Born chained to a
destiny I do not want. Daniel might be dangerous, but he’s mine for
the taking, and that means more than he could know.

Maybe
someday I’ll feel safe enough to confess how much this decision to
keep him means to me.

The Human
part of me isn’t accepting what the wolf sprit wants merely out of
respect, but because I want to escape.

If he
doesn’t want me for life, fine, I’ll live with it. Having a true
mate is a dream come true, but it’s not the only dream I have. What
I can’t live with is going back home and being trapped with no hope
of living my life as I please.

Daniel
can set me free so easily.

Lifting
my chin to expose my neck, I touch my tongue to my bottom lip
nervously. “Would you mark me?”

“
Why would I do that?”

It’s a
sign of great respect to offer this to a Lycan male, but he doesn’t
know that. “Consider it a gift.”

“
A gift for whom?” Daniel’s hand moves from my chest to wrap
around my neck. “What if I desire something else?” His body presses
into mine and my heart jumps when his groin connects with my
stomach.

Our gazes
lock.

He’s
testing me, unable to judge how far I’ll let him go. He stopped
last time. I would have given him everything, but he stopped to
tell me his name, knowing I would leave because of what he’d
done.

His
fingers rub against my skin teasingly. Tighten. “I do not
understand you.”

“
Ditto.”

His eyes
flicker. “You don’t care if we understand one another?”

“
Yes, but I want what you can give me regardless.”

His sleek
eyebrow arches. The hold on my throat becomes a caress. “That
is?”

I say
nothing more; worried he’ll misunderstand and withhold what I
need.

With a
swift move he has me on my back. Gently spreading my legs he lowers
himself between them and hovers over me. A look of determination
hardens his expression and he rocks his hips against me.

I
tremble, but don’t ask him to stop. My heart is beating so hard it
hurts, but still I say nothing.

His head
cocks. “More?”

Thrusting
my chin out, I nod once. To him this might be nothing more than a
passing diversion to appease his curiosity, or a way to fulfil a
baser need, but by claiming me and marking me as a mate he can give
me what I want.

The thing
I desire almost as much as a true mate.

He
hitches my skirt up. His gaze locks on mine, eyes hooded and hot.
The moment is edgy. Fragile. I shake even as I try to hold still,
my heart hammering loudly, the white noise in my ears making it
hard to think. I’m nervous. Silk hardness pushes into my slick
heat, rubbing the swollen flesh. My moan hitches. My fingers dig
into his shoulders, and I make a small noise. Breathing in harsh
gulps, he pushes forward to spread my legs open wider. I bite my
lip in anticipation; thrilled I enjoy his heavy weight. Turned on
as I squeeze his waist with my thighs.

“
I should stop.” A muscle jumps in his jaw and his voice is
desperate. “Tell me to stop.”

All my
fears fall away. I kiss him hard on the mouth. “Don’t leave
me.”

“
It’ll hurt.”

“
Living life always does.”

He enters
me in one short thrust and my breath catches. I give inside and
tears prick my eyes.

He buries
his head between my neck and shoulder, body held taut. “Harmony?
Sweetling.”

My back
arches, and I wrap my arms around him. “I’m good. Move.”

He pulls
back then works in deeper. Our gazes tangle. The intense blue of
his irises have darkened to stormy indigo. I score my fingers down
his sides. My sharp nails pierce skin and a metallic tang of blood
fills the air. His eyes narrow. Grinding his teeth, he fucks me
harder.

“
Yours.” I lean my head away to offer my neck.

He laughs
weakly. Pearly fangs peek from behind his parted lips. “Madness,
but yes. You are mine.” They sink into the hollow of my
throat.

Gasping,
I hold him there, knowing this is only the beginning for us. I sink
my teeth into his neck. Blood wets my lips, sweet yet salty. His
scent is everywhere and everything. The memories infused in his
blood come, but this time I’m ready. I don’t fight. I relax and
watch as they blur past, trying not to freak out as my eyes
threaten to roll into the back of my head.

Daniel
kisses me. The gentle touch of his lips is at total odds with the
forceful bucks of his hips.

I tighten
my thighs around his waist, and lock myself to him, welcoming his
possession.

He drives
into me hard, digs his fingers into my flesh so deep I’m thrilled
he may never be able to physically separate from me again. The
sensations shimmying across my nerves endings rush to coalesce with
the relentless pounding between my thighs, exploding in a
cataclysmic outburst of pleasure, so intense, I squeeze my eyes
closed and burrow my head into his chest.

Daniel
groans, hips jerking. One hand at the back of my head, he presses
his pelvis into mine and holds himself there. He eases us down
flat. His chest heaves heavily on mine before he rolls
away.

The
silence between us is stunned. Delicate. I don’t want to be the one
to break it.

For the
first time, I’m thinking I may be out of my depth.

I’d lost my virginity to my mate. There is nothing more a
Lycan female should want to ask for. The experience was more than
I’d ever
thought
to ask for.

I’ve taken an irrevocable step towards a scary, but desired
future. I’ll fight to stay with him, to learn all I can about what
kind of man he is. I’ll discover why my wolf spirit latched onto
him as our true mate. A life with him
must
be possible.

If I fail
to make a lasting connection, he’s given me a way to prove I am
mated and gain freedom. I’m a Pack animal, but there are other
Packs than the South Western. I can find another home if I look
hard enough.

He clears
his throat. “They’ll be here at dawn?”

Opening my mouth to answer, the smell of my Pack mate tickles
my nose, brought to me on a stiff breeze.
Tapping Daniel once on the shoulder, I
roll onto all fours, crouching instinctively.

Daniel
lurches onto his feet.

A wolf
with russet fur emerges from the shadows, teeth bared, hackles
rising in a furry ruff.

I
recognise the male’s scent. “Aaron. What are you doing?”

“
You tricked me.” Daniel eases away from me.

“
Don’t go there.” I shoot a reassuring look at him before he
allows this speculation to firm into belief. “He followed the newer
scent trail to warn me. That’s why he came alone, but his wolf is
taking over. Seeing us together is difficult for him. He smells
blood and thinks I’m in danger.”

Scents
tell tales. The Enforcers will follow my old trail, the one where I
found Daniel. They will know I’ve been bitten and my body taken by
a Vampire. They’ll follow my scent home then come this way. Aaron
might have told them I’d come home, but I know he’d held back as
much detail as he could to give me time to get past the boundary
line. He must have followed me to try and convince me to go home
with him. It’s the only reason he’d have to risk coming this close
to a Vampire without his Pack mates.

Smelling
the blood and sex, seeing me on the ground must have caused him to
jump to the wrong conclusion.

“
Aaron, let me go.” I sound calmer than I am. “I’ll be safe
with him.”

He
whimpers and shakes his head. Tossing his head back, Aaron howls to
summon the rest of the Pack.

A dozen
yipping replies pierce the night.

My she-wolf reacts to the bloodthirsty call by rising with
the need to protect her mate. It adds strength to the power of my
voice. “
Back off
.”

My nails
lengthen into claws and my hands morph to paws. The change flows
over me jaggedly. My body shifts from woman to wolf, but it stalls,
and the dark fur sprouting across my body recedes. My teeth
descend, razor sharp and longer than usual. Different. I feel my
pupils contract to slits. My body clamours for the thick, lush
blood I smell rushing through Aaron’s veins.

Pulling
back in shock, I gasp, staggering as my body tries to make sense of
what’s happening.

Aaron
snarls as the Vampire’s arms come around me, pulling me into his
side.

Daniel
bares his fangs, hissing in warning. “There is no time for
this.”

“
Don’t kill him.” I’m jumbled, but lucid enough to see Aaron
lowering his body. Despite it being suicidal for a lone wolf to
attack a Vampire, Aaron’s reacting the only way he knows how. “He
helped.”

Daniel
ignores my grabbing hands and pushes me behind him.