Page 34 of Blood Submission

Chapter16

Dante came immediately awake,but out of habit, he kept his breathing exactly the same and gave no indication that he was aware that something unusual was going on. And a second later, he was glad his natural self-preservation had kicked in when a slight weight carefully straddled his hips and settled over him. Instinctively, he knew it was Laney. He kept up the illusion of sleep, curious as to what she was upto.

A multitude of emotions washed over him from the woman sitting on his stomach. Then suddenly, she shifted her weight in a manner he was all too familiar with. His eyes popped open just in time as he caught a flash of cold steel arcing through the air toward his chest. Moving fast as a striking snake, his hand shot out and wrapped around her small wrist, the bones delicate in his grip. In her hand was a long straight knife she must have found in his feeding room. And the tip of that blade had just nicked the skin of his chest. Right above his heart. He’d stopped it just before she was able to bury it all the way through his ribcage.

With a bellow of rage, he threw the female off him and shot off the bed. A drop of blood trickled down his bare chest, but he ignored it, all of his attention on the woman scrambling to her feet in front of him. She had gotten somewhat dressed before attempting to snuff out his life, and now stood in front of him in her button-down shirt and underwear, the large knife still gripped in her small hand. She was magnificent in her rage. And even in his own anger, Dante found his eyes travelling down her bare limbs to her small toes and all the way back up to her messy, just-fucked hair. His manhood hardened, demanding to give her a reason to look so disheveled. The fact that she still had the knife only excited himmore.

So she wanted to kill him, did she? His heart suddenly felt as though she had succeeded in slicing itopen.

He stepped off the mattress and stalked over to her. As he advanced, she backed up until she ran into the brick wall behind her. Covering her hand with his, he brought the blade of the knife to his throat, pressing it into his skin until he felt blood welling up and flowing over. She watched it trickle down his skin, her tongue flicking out to wet her lips. “If you want to kill me, little mouse”—he pressed the knife harder into his neck, even as she tried to pull it away—“you’ll need to cut off my head.” He could feel the blade hitting his windpipe. “Shall I helpyou?”

She struggled to pull the blade away. “No! Stop! Dante, stop!”

“Why?” he hissed at her. “You obviously want me dead. You just tried to sink this knife into my fucking heart while I was sleeping!”

“I just want to get away from you; I don’t want to kill you,” she cried.

Dante could feel the truth in her words and her mind, but it was too late for regrets. He laughed without humor. “Little mouse, you can’t get away from me. I would find you. It doesn’t matter where you run, or where you hide. You are MINE now.” Something clicked inside of him as he said those words, but caught up in the emotions of her attempt on his life, he paid it nomind.

He needed to teach a lesson to this one. It was time to take her to the feeding room. Whether or not she ever left it would be up toher.

Pushing the knife away from his throat, he twisted her wrist until she dropped it with a cry of pain. It landed on the dirt floor with a dull thud. He lifted her off her feet with an arm around her waist, holding her on his hip, her arms and legs dangling as she tried to twist out of his grip. Her betrayal seared through him, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. But he wasn’t sure who he was more angry with: Laney, for trying to stab him, or himself, for allowing her to crack the shield of ice around what little was left of his humanity.

When he got to the tunnel, he put her in, head first. “Go,” he ordered. She tried to crawl backwards, to get out, but he was right behind her, blocking her way. “Crawl!” he barked.

She sat up, trying to turn around to face him in the small space. “Dante, please! Please don’t make me go in there. I’m sorry!” Realizing his mistake, Dante backed out and she quickly followedhim.

He should have gone in first, so he could pull her behind him by the ankles, if needbe.

But as soon as she was out of the tunnel, Laney turned and threw herself into his arms. He caught her automatically, landing on his ass and burying his face in her hair. Her entire body was shaking in fear, and he felt another crack in his shield.

“I wasn’t trying to kill you,” she sobbed. “I wasn’t! I just wanted to getaway!”

He held her a moment longer, squeezing his eyes shut tight against the way she fit so perfectly in his arms, then firmly removed her from his lap and set her aside. He stared at her for long moments, wondering what the hell was wrong withhim.

“I have to go.” Rising to his feet he found his shirt and boots and put them on. The tender feelings roiling through him were unfamiliar and unwanted. He’d stop at his apartment upstairs to shower and check on the animals before going to Luukas’s. He steadfastly ignored the woman behind him. He had to. Something was wrong with him. Something that had to do with her. He had scared her, and for the first time in a very long time, it wasn’t sitting right with him. Without a backward glance, he left, striding down the passageway to the cave-in. She didn’t follow or call out afterhim.

A relentless pain that had nothing to do with the nick on his chest lashed at his insides that she didn’t.

Finding himself upstairs in his bathroom with the shower running, Dante didn’t even remember how he’d gotten there. He stripped off his clothes and stepped under the scalding spray, wishing it could burn away the fucking memories knocking on the door of the vault inside his head. Memories that he’d managed to shut out for a long, longtime.

Papa! Papa! Watchme!

With a growl, Dante shook his head and turned to let the water burn the skin off hisback.

Papa, why is Momma not coming back? Where isshe?

He turned around again, sticking his face right into the spray.

Papa! Papa, help me! A child’s scream of pain and terror tore through hismind.

Rearing back with a roar of pain, he smashed his forehead into the tiles. Blood ran down the wall, turning pink as it mixed with the water at his feet. Blinking it out of his eyes, Dante reached down and picked up the soap. The sting of his injury was a welcome distraction, and with the unrelenting strength of will he was known for, he managed to shove those memories back to the deepest hell of his mind and soul where they belonged. With a breath of relief, he picked up the razor and got rid of the stubble on his head. He had hair, but for some reason, having a huge bald guy with tattoos and fangs coming after them scared the shit out of people more than a guy with hair. Maybe it reminded humans more of the old Dracula movies. In any case, it also gave them one less thing to grab onto as they tried to fight himoff.

His new friend whined outside the door, and Dante shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. As he’d expected, Shea must have brought him and the cat over from Luukas’s place after he’d left the night before. He should take them outside. Opening the bathroom door, he ruffled the dog’s fur and glanced at the clock next to the bed he never slept in, noting he had a good hour before he was expected to show up. He dressed quickly in heavy black cargo pants and a black T-shirt that fit him like a second skin. His combat boots completed thelook.

“All right, let’s go,” he told the animals. The cat meowed in agreement. Tail straight up in the air, he rushed over to the door with the dog on his heels. Dante took them to the elevator and outside. There was a little park with some actual grass not far from his building, and he headed thatway.

Forty-five minutes later, he made sure they had all that they needed and headed to Luukas’s penthouse apartment, leaving a light lit and the built-in TV on for them. The fresh air had done him good. He had a clear head by the time he walked into Luukas’s place.

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