“You’re so weak you can hardly stand,” he murmured. “That won’t do.”
She fought her hunger as he palmed the back of her head and bent so his neck was directly in front of her mouth. His pulsing vein beckoned, so close she could almost feel the splash of his blood against her tongue. He’d taste spicy and sweet. She knew he would. Shaking the notion off, she shoved at his chest. Perhaps he didn’t care what would happen if she sank her teeth into his throat, but she did. Sadie’s current predicament painted a vivid picture. Even if he smelled like heaven—even if she wanted him like hell on fire—she couldn’t chance a taste.
“Stop crowding me.” Hearing the despair in her voice, she gritted her teeth and demanded, “Back off.”
“No.” The huge man met her determination with his own. “I won’t have you hurting. Especially when there’s no reason for it.” Nathan yanked her upward, lifting her feet off the ground. Her nose bumped his throat in the process, the aroma of his blood so strong she couldn’t see straight. “Take what you need from me, imp.”
For the first time in months her body responded to the closeness of a male. Her nipples hardened to points as a ripple of arousal rushed from her tummy to her sex. Her canines threatened to extend, her gums tingling and burning. The fantasies she’d had of him took over—of her lying beneath him, welcoming him into her body, begging him for more. Sweat coated his chest, allowing her fingers to glide over his pectoral muscles with ease.
Another man’s face flashed through her mind. He was nowhere near as big or handsome as the man holding her tight but he was beautiful in his own right.
Brett.
You’re forgetting him.
Her heart lodged in her throat and the burgeoning sense of hope in her chest shattered. She realized how quickly she’d let lust and hunger cloud her judgment. All it had taken was a lost moment with Nathan and she’d all but forgotten her promise.
No. No. No.
Her magic—although weak from her lack of nourishment—flared to life. Desperate, she sent a burst of pure energy shooting from her palm, hitting him directly in the center of his chest. If she hadn’t been mortified at the result, she’d have laughed. While the mild electrical current would have shocked the hell out of a human, it didn’t do squat to a werewolf. Her legs folded beneath her, no longer able to bear her weight. Thankfully her would-be meal rescued her, swooping down to catch her, lifting her as though she weighed no more than a bag of sand.
“This ends now.” While the statement was firm, there was so much concern in his voice it made her heart skip a beat. He strode toward an empty chair with purpose. “You will take from me, mate.” She shivered at how possessively he said the word, as though he’d finally been given leave to announce it to the world and he had no intention of taking his proclamation back. “It’s my right and privilege to care for you.” He gentled his tone, rubbing a hand down her back. She wondered if he sensed her feelings somehow. “Best you accept that. I’m not letting you go. The last couple of months have been hell.”
Days of worry, frayed nerves and lost sleep caught up with her, changing the flaring bit of tenderness toward Nathan to full-fledged resentment. The last couple of months had been hell? What did he know? He hadn’t watched his only friend slowly starve to death. Sadie had suffered horribly as she’d felt the effects of malnutrition, the muscles from her training becoming nothing more than skin and bone.
She kicked out with useless legs, scrounging up the last energy she had left. “You’ve suffered? What a crock! You have no idea what suffering is. Not a fricking clue.”
“Settle down,” he grumbled, taking an elbow to the gut with a soft grunt.
Like hell. “I don’t think so.”
The tighter he held her, the more she squirmed. She didn’t have the strength to get away but she wasn’t going to make things easy for him. When he gained the advantage and brought her mouth to his neck, holding her in place with a hand at the back of her head, she ground her teeth together. It was agony smelling his blood and knowing he’d put an end to her thirst, but she’d weathered worse. Hunger was something she’d learned to ignore and overcome. She didn’t have to drink blood all the time. In fact she could go weeks without it.
Hold strong. It’ll go away. It always does.
This time the reminder didn’t feel so reassuring. Nathan brought feelings she felt incredibly uncomfortable with to the surface. Not only did she want to sink her teeth into his throat to curb her appetite, she also wanted to hold him close and breathe him in. Her vampire nature—the thing she hated most—wanted her to lose control of her inhibitions and give herself to the man. To surrender to the desires she’d denied since her transformation.
Get hold of yourself. Sadie’s in trouble, remember?
“We’re wasting time,” she huffed, wriggling as much as she could.
“Then take what you need.” Nathan’s rebuke was firm, his grip unbreakable. “I’m not letting go until you do.”
“It’ll kill me.” She let her fangs drop but made sure her teeth remained clear of his skin, hoping that a half-truth might get his attention. With a tilt of her head, she met his amber gaze. “Is that what you want?”
He froze, staring her in the eye, the muscles in his arms like granite. “What are you talking about?”
Good. He was finally listening.
“Once a vampire drinks from a shifter they become bound to their blood. No other source will do. If something ever happens to you, I’ll starve to death. Rumor has it your pack is in the middle of a war. Force me to drink from you and I’ll be gambling with my life. If you go, I go. I’m not willing to take that risk. Now,” she tried to force her fangs to retract, hating the way her gums burned and itched, “back the hell off and give me some room.”
“I don’t believe you.”
One firm tug on her hair and she had to meet the werewolf’s intense gaze. Oh hell.
Three months ago she’d been able to walk away. No fuss, no muss. But now? His woodsy scent called to her, his face sexy and captivating. Her breath caught and her pussy flooded. Time had definitely worked in Nathan’s favor. No longer neat and tidy, his dark and unkempt head of hair went perfectly with the goatee he’d decided to grow, taking him from a man you introduced to Momma to the bad boy you welcomed each night through the bedroom window.
“Sadie,” she blurted, grappling to stay focused. Why was it so hard to think clearly? Why couldn’t she get her raging hormones under control? This wasn’t the time or place for her libido to kick into high gear.
“What about her?” Trey snarled.
Nathan’s fingers slipped from Leigh’s hair, allowing her to whip her head around and address the man who’d been listening to their conversation. A hot wave of embarrassment crept up her cheeks. Not only had Nathan gotten under her skin, the bastard had also lowered her guard. Anyone could have heard what she said, which could have been devastating not only to her but the coven.
“If she’s hurt, you’re the one to blame.” She tested Nathan’s grip, grateful to discover he’d decided to let her go. Sliding free from his embrace, she rushed to drive her point home. “As soon as she drank from you, she was doomed. She can’t feed from anyone else. That’s your fault.” Humiliation hit, an awareness that she’d caused her friend’s slow demise. Sadie had tried to warn her of the consequences but Leigh hadn’t listened. Instead she’d forced Sadie to drink from Trey, naïvely believing the asshole werewolf would do right by the woman who’d saved his life. “If I’d known how things were between you two, I wouldn’t have pushed the issue.”