Page 13 of Blood Submission

Chapter7

Dante followedthe woman down the stairs and out to her car, still carrying the animals. He had to dodge the drops of saliva that fell from the dog’s tongue hanging happily out of the side of its mouth. Its new feline friend drooped over his other arm like a dishrag, purring with contentment to be coming along for theride.

How had he, the oldest vampire he knew to still survive, come tothis?

Dante eyeballed the Dumpster on the right side of the parking lot. He could dump these furballs and be back to his little mouse before she even realized he’d left her. Little mouse, he mused. Not really an appropriate name for the human. She was more like a mink, with her agile little body and snapping teeth.

Yet, he couldn’t help but admire the way she boldly stood up to him despite the fact that he could smell the stench of her fear. Even when he’d told her, quite honestly, that he planned to kill her, she’d barely flinched. Only her heart had betrayed what she was feeling, skipping a few beats before picking up its cadence again, twice as fast as normal. He could still hear it pounding beneath the fragile protection of her ribcage.

A door lock beeped open as they approached an older black Subaru parked between two newer cars not far from her stairway. It didn’t surprise him that she would own something with all-wheel drive, considering where he’d found her. Glancing in the back, he saw a Styrofoam cooler on the floor and an old, faded comforter with obnoxious blue flowers folded up on the seat. The blanket would be sufficient to protect him if an emergency arose and they couldn’t stop at a hotel.

Looking back toward the stairway, Dante frowned, thinking about her walking that far from her car to her home, a woman all alone in this neighborhood. Then again, what the fuck did he care? Yet, in spite of his attempt to remain indifferent, it continued to gnaw at him. “You should live in a better neighborhood if you’re going to live in an apartment.”

She jumped at the sound of his voice directly behind her. Her eyes locked on his, and he recognized the glimmer of guilt. She’d been searching for a way to get away fromhim.

Run away, little mouse. I fucking dareyou.

But rather than the satisfaction he normally felt at striking fear into the hearts of all those he came across, a heavy weight had settled deep within his chest knowing this tiny fighter was that afraid of him. It pressed down on his lungs, and his confusion quickly turned to inexplicable anger. “Open the fucking door.” He pointed with his chin at the back driver’s sidedoor.

She reached for the door handle and hesitated. He could practically see the wheels spinning in her pretty head. A feral growl rose from his throat, a warning not to fuck with him further that she would do well to heed. Lucky for her, she did. Keeping her eyes averted, she opened the door. Dante deposited the animals on the seat and shut it again. He didn’t take his attention off her the entire time. She would soon learn there was very little that escaped his notice.

The female swallowed hard, drawing his notice to the unmarred skin of her throat exposed by the ponytail. Noting the direction of his stare, she raised her hand to hide her fluttering pulse from hisgaze.

“You think that will stop me, little mouse?” To prove his point, he lifted her off the ground and spun her around, slamming her back up against the car. His arms had automatically gone around her to take the brunt of the hit, which was a good thing as he may or may not just have left a few dents in her ride. One hand pulled her hips up tight against him while the other tangled in her hair and yanked her head to the side, stretching the smooth skin taught, revealing the blue veins beneath. It had all happened in less than a second’s time, and her hands automatically fell to his shoulders and squeezed. She made a small, frightened sound and hung on tight.

As if I would ever drop such a delectable meal asher.

He skimmed one extended fang along that throbbing pulse while inhaling her unusual scent—a mouth-watering scent. “Nothing will stop me if I want you,” he rasped in her ear. “It’s best you understand that right now.” He heard the staccato rhythm of her heartbeat. The sour smell of her fear, though still faint, was now overpowered by the earthy musk of her desire.

Dante growled low in his throat at this unexpected surprise. Her mind may fear him, but her body didn’t. Her body liked the way he ownedher.

Pressing the sharp tip of one fang through the soft layer of her skin, he drew a single drop of blood. His tongue flicked out to taste it, catching it before it could run down and stain her clothes. She began to tremble in his arms, pushing him away and pulling him closer at the same time. A low groan escaped him as his sex responded to the feel of her. Her fear intrigued him, but not as much as her taste. This human’s blood was like none other he’d had before, and Dante had fed from thousands of humans in his lifetime.

Desire rose swiftly within him. Desire to claim her. To tame the wildness within this tiny creature. With a discreet glance around to make sure they hadn’t garnered any unwanted attention, he reared his head back and struck hard. The woman cried out, and he covered her mouth to muffle the sound.

With the first pull on her vein, his eyes rolled back in his head. The fantasy of her on her knees before him came out of nowhere to dance behind his closed eyelids. Only this time, her nightshirt was torn open, her breasts exposed to him. And her eyes were not afraid, but filled with the heat of her willing submission. Dante groaned again, and sucked harder, drawing the warm ambrosia into his starving body. It flowed down his throat, hit his stomach, and spread through his body like hell’s fire, healing him and slaying him all at the same time. He felt alive, truly alive, for the first time in a longtime.

Though it was hard to stop, Dante didn’t take much this time. He needed her alert to drive, and he’d only been making a point. After one last sip, he lapped at the wounds. They would heal momentarily. Pressing his lips to her throat, he inhaled deeply; comforted by the thought that he would be able to find her wherever she went by her scent alone, as long as she didn’t get too far away. The call of her blood to his would always lead him toher.

Her lithe form felt good against him, and he released her hair but didn’t put her down. He didn’t stop to examine what he was about to do, or why. He only knew he wanted to taste more of her. His hold on her, though it didn’t diminish, changed. One hand slid down from her hips to cup her ass, and the other wrapped around the back of her neck. Dante pressed light kisses to her throat, tasting here and there with a flick of his tongue. Her scent changed even more, becoming something darker, something primitive.

It came to his notice that she didn’t appear to be breathing, and he pulled back to look down at her. Wide brown eyes stared back, the pupils so large that they were almost as black as hisown.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, drawing his eyes to her lips. For one crazy moment, he was tempted to take her right there on the hood of thecar.

With a sigh of regret, Dante loosened his hold and allowed her to slide down his body until her feet were back on the ground. Lust shot through his body everywhere she touched until he had to grit his teeth against acting upon it. Reaching around her, he opened the driver’s side door. “Getin.”

She stared up at him for a moment, then slid past him without another word and climbed into the car. Dante shut her door, and then got into the back with the animals. The dog wagged his little tail so hard his entire back end nearly slid off the seat. The cat blinked at him from its spot near the opposite door. Leaning forward, Dante reached an arm around her seat from behind and wrapped his hand around her opposite shoulder. The tiny bones felt so delicate in his large palm, like they would shatter with one small squeeze. She stiffened in the embrace, but didn’t otherwise protest.

“What’s your name, little mouse?”

“Laney,” she answered.

“Laneywhat?”

“LaneyMoss.”

Why was that name familiar to him? “Start the car, Laney Moss.” Her hair smelled like lavender and something he couldn’t define off the top of his head. “We’re going on a road trip.” Leaning closer to her ear, he whispered, “It’ll befun.”

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