Page 38 of Undying Thirst

My heartbeat stuttered.

The narrow bridge of his nose arched high and the planes of his cheeks dipped with deep dimples.

“I confirmed after trying to feed off the other human.”

He directed the words at me, but I didn’t know what to make of it. I licked my lips.

“Enough, Ren.”

Even though he looked at me, he hadn’t been speaking to me based on Asher seeming to know what Ren was going on about.

“Don’t act like you don’t taste the difference in her blood.” He raised both eyebrows. “Isn’t that why you’ve held onto the human so intently?”

THIRTEEN

catalina

The air suckedout of my lungs like a vacuum had been attached to my organs.

I understood the words, but I couldn’t make sense of them.

“Her blood hums forme,” Asher hissed. “She’s meant to be mine.”

Ren straightened. The tattoos slithering up his throat moved when he stretched his neck side to side. I hadn’t had the opportunity yet to study the intricate ink spanning his golden skin.

The left side of his neck hosted stretching branches with pink cherry blossoms. The mass of flowers became lush at his chest and waves interwoven with koi fish painted his skin and melded into each other seamlessly. A lotus bloom curved over the side of his stomach and wrapped around to his back.

Each inch hosted a blend of beautiful artistry.

“Then if that’s the requirement, she belongs to me as well.”

Asher and Ren stared each other down. Tension mounted in the room.

My position clutched to Asher’s chest became increasingly uncomfortable. I squirmed, but he didn’t react.

“Humming blood?” I croaked. It sounded super loud to my ears, but neither of them looked at me.

“Yours?” Asher scoffed. “I was willing to share until . . .”

Asher’s arms flexed tighter, making it difficult for my ribcage to expand.

His tirade turned into a buzzing sound as my vision wavered. I couldn’t get words to push out from my throat as he slowly suffocated me.

A wheezing cough expelled from my mouth, but Asher didn’t seem to notice my struggle.

“No other will do, Asher . . .” Ren said and his voice faded into the distance as Asher constricted his grip around me even more.

My ribcage tightened around my lungs. God, this was how I would die?

Being human fucking sucked sometimes.

REN

The wayhe looked at me, knowingly . . . smug, but I didn’t give a fuck. Catalina became limp in Asher’s arms and the Swedish fuck didn’t seem to notice. I lunged forward, hands outstretched to rip my human from Asher’s clutches.

She could not be dead. Pressure on my chest compounded. Such a foreign sensation. I cradled her against my chest and her head rolled until her cheek pressed into my shoulder.

Her chest moved rhythmically, and the flutter at her neck showed she was alive. But her limp body and unresponsive features—I did not like this.

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