Page 21 of Blood Submission

Chapter11

Laney watchedDante stomp out of the room with his pants still undone, jumping when the door slammed loudly behind him. The dog immediately ran over to it and stood there whining, not happy that he’d been left behind. Fraidy lifted his head, but didn’t bother getting up, content to let the dog do all thework.

She started to tremble uncontrollably, her teeth chattering so hard that it hurt her jaw. Scooting over on her butt until she was sitting on the edge of the bed, she attempted to stand on wobbly legs. Laney wasn’t quite sure what had just happened, but she wasn’t going to just sit there on the bed and wait for him to come back and finish what he’d started.

Bracing herself against the nightstand with one hand, she bent down and picked up her pack with the other and took it into the bathroom with her. She knew she wouldn’t get very far if she tried to leave right now. Even if the vampire wasn’t nearby, she was in no condition to escape. So she’d settle for the protein bar in her back, some water, and a fast, hot shower. Very fast. The last thing she wanted was for him to return and find her exactly how he’d wantedher.

Right. Shower first. Thenfood.

Laney knew she probably wasn’t in her right frame of mind. But she was so cold. All she could think about was getting warm again, and apparently, running water was soothing to her. So she locked the bathroom door and turned on the water as hot as she could stand it, then stripped off her shoes and jeans. Her hands shook so bad, she quickly gave up on the buttons of her shirt, pulling it up and off, much as the vampire had withhis.

She shivered again at the memory of his bare torso, but not from the cold this time. Or even fear. The gruesome monster that had found her in the desert was long gone and had been replaced by a large, virile male. More powerful even than the male that had confronted her in nothing but a purple towel just a few hours before. His shoulders were large and broad, muscle rippled down his flat abs into a “V”, and there was not an ounce of extra flesh on him. She could even see the veins on his arms and groin.

Every time he fed, he filled out more. His skin color became richer and darker, his face less rugged and more handsome. No, “handsome” wasn’t a word she would use to describe him. Masculine, yes. Charismatic. Powerful. Enigmatic. Terrifying. Even sexy. But not handsome.

Yet, his eyes remained cold and distant.

Because he’s not human. He’s a monster. No matter what he lookslike.

Laney took care of the needs of her bladder, and then stepped underneath the spray of hot water. She managed to wash her hair while on her feet, but ended up sitting in the tub while she washed the rest of her. Then she just sat there for a minute, letting the water rinse away thesoap.

Her head fell forward, and her eyes slowly focused on the white, tiger-stripe marks covering her lower stomach. She touched them with her fingertips, tracing the lines as the emptiness threatened to consume her, only to be swiftly replaced by grief. Pushing away the memories, she struggled to her feet and turned off the water. The world shifted around her as she got out and dried herself off, but somehow she managed to keep herself upright and conscious, unlike the night before.

A noise in the other room had her picking up the pace as she dressed with jerky movements in the same clothes she’d had on before and dug around her pack for her brush. Wiping the moisture from the mirror with a shaky hand, she was startled at the reflection she saw there. In her blood-deprived state of mind, she appeared almost otherworldly with her dark hair and eyes, and pale skin. The green of her shirt made the shadows under her eyes more black thanblue.

She brushed her teeth, packed up her stuff, and then paused with her hand on the doorknob. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened. If the vampire had returned, she would have no way of knowing until she opened the door. Laney’s hand slid from the knob and fell limply to her side. She knew she would have to go out there eventually and face him, but she needed just a few more seconds. Hell, if she was lucky, maybe she would pass out here in the bathroom, and then she wouldn’t know what was happening when he came back and found her. Fraidy was out there, but she still had no fear that the vampire would hurt him. He’d been kind to the animals, oddly enough. More kind than he was to her. Humans were apparently lower on the food chain than pets, according to vampires.

Unable to take the suspense any longer, she unlocked the door and cautiously pulled it open while her eyes skittered around the small room. The dog’s little brown and white body was sprawled across the mattress, Fraidy curled up against its chest. He meowed softly when he saw her standing in the doorway.

Dante was nowhere to beseen.

Laney stumbled across the room to the bed, what little energy she’d had swiftly leaving her. Forgoing the protein bar, and too tired to walk across the room for water, she pulled back the comforter and crawled into the bed next to the animals. She was beyond caring what would happen when the vampire came back. Well, almost.

Her eyes drifted closed.

When she awoke, she found herself tucked up against the vampire, her nose buried in the soft folds of his shirt. It was dark in the room, but she didn’t need to see to know that it was him. She knew from his scent. It was impossible to describe, but was as enticing as homemade bread to a starving person. A lure. A way to tempt his victims closer to him, she was sure of it. His heavy arms were around her, trapping her to him, her head resting on one large bicep.

Laney closed her eyes again without moving. She knew he wasn’t asleep, and she didn’t want him to know that she had woken up. His large hand roved down her back to her ass, then down the back of her thigh and back up to the curve of her hip. He sighed heavily. “You need to drink from me, little mouse,” he said. “You’reweak.”

Guess she needed to work on her sleepinggame.

“I’m fine.” She tried to pull away from him, her heavy limbs making it difficult, but he only gripped her tighter.

“I shouldn’t have fed from you earlier. I took too much, and you can’t handle it yet. You need to drink.”

Yet?

Brushing her hair tenderly out of her face, he cupped the back of her head and brought her mouth up to his neck. “Drink,” he demanded. In the weak light of the alarm clock, she saw something glinting in his other hand as he brought it up to his throat. “Drink,” he said again as he moved his hand out of the way and pulled her mouth in closer.

Laney tried to resist, but she was so tired. So she opened her mouth to tell him no, but he took that opportunity to tilt his head away and press her closer. She felt wetness on her lips as they hit the bleeding wound he’d made on his neck, and Laney automatically licked them clean. His vampire blood coated her tongue, and a moan of pleasure escaped her before she could stop it. Her tongue flicked out again, gathering another taste into her mouth. The flavor was indescribable. She’d never tasted anything so wonderful in her life. Laney swallowed, and it flowed down her throat as easy as warm honey, heating her body from the insideout.

A need she couldn’t explain consumed her. She wiggled closer and propped herself up on her elbow, her eyes zeroing in on the open wound. She was so thirsty. She had to have more. Taking his broad shoulder in one hand and the top of his head in the other, she pushed them apart, arcing his neck up to give her easier access to the life giving blood. Her mouth clamped down over the wound, and she bit down hard to keep itopen.

Dante groaned as his hips thrust forward once, before settling into an erotic rolling motion against her own. He fucked her with their clothes on as she drank fromhim.

Laney threw one leg over both of his, and he slid a powerful thigh forward until it was pressed against her clit. The seam of her jeans hit the exact right spot, and without even realizing what she was doing, Laney started rocking her hips, riding his leg as she took his lifeblood inside of her. She couldn’t stop the little sounds of pleasure from escaping as he squeezed her ass, her breasts, his hands running over her restlessly everywhere he could reach. His scent surrounded her, as did the heat of hisbody.

“Laney….” Her name was a prayer of wonder on hislips.

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