Page 38 of Blood Submission

Chapter17

Laney saton the mattress in the candlelight with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She stared into the tiny flame in front of her without really seeing it, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She’d gotten dressed as soon as Dante had left, then she’d gone back to the pile of rubble that blocked her way out and dug at it until her nails tore and her fingers bled, not caring anymore if she made it all come toppling down on top of her. It was better than this. Better than the endless waiting.

When that proved to be pointless, she screamed for help under the squares of opaque purple glass. Normal people going about their daily lives walked over that glass. She screamed until her voice went hoarse. Screamed until she sounded like a balloon with a hole init.

No one stopped in the street above her. No one came running to help her. No one heardher.

Dante had been gone longer this time. She’d slept twice since he’d left, although she wasn’t sure for how long each time, or what time of day or night it was. Her stomach growled, more insistent this time. But she had nothing to give it. She’d finished her last protein bar hours ago. If she didn’t die by the vampire’s hands, she was going to die of thirst and starvation. Either way was fine with her by this point, just as long as it was over with. And there was no more waiting.

Then Laney sighed. That wasn’t true. She was lying to herself. She wanted to get out of this rat hole he had her locked up in, yes. But if she were to be perfectly honest, she wasn’t so eager to get away from the vampire that was keeping her here anymore. Even when she’d sat with the knife poised above his chest, she’d been fighting an internal battle. Her mind had screamed at her that stabbing him through the heart was the right thing to do and the only way to ensure her own survival, but her soul had cried out in agony even as she’d lifted her arm high above her head and brought the knife plunging down. She’d sobbed with relief when he’d woken up just intime.

He’shere.

Warmth filled her from the inside out, every nerve ending in her body jumping to attention. It wasn’t unpleasant. More like a feeling of coming home, as strange as that sounded, even to her. Her senses flared to life. The soft glow of the candlelight was suddenly brilliant, the damp mustiness of the underground burned her nose, and ghosts of air touched her exposed skin with sensuous strokes. His footfalls sounded in the passageway as he neared, and she barely caught herself before she moaned aloud in anticipation. Squirming a bit, she tried to ignore the ache flaring between her legs. Laney was fully aroused, and she hadn’t even laid eyes on him yet. Her hunger forgotten, she focused on the entryway to the room, waiting for his appearance. And then he was there.

He’d cleaned up and changed, and Laney felt disgusting sitting there in her unwashed clothes with her hair snarled around her face. She could only imagine what she smelled like bynow.

The vampire paused in the doorway for a moment, his sharp eyes taking in every nuance of her appearance, from her hair to her sneakers. They narrowed in on the torn skin of her fingers as the muscles jumped from his clenched jaw. She resisted the urge to hide the bloody stumps behind her. Let him be pissed. It was his fault that it had happened. If he would just let her the hell out of here, she wouldn’t feel the need to try to dig her way out. As he advanced into the room, her spine straightened evenmore.

He stopped directly in front of her, and she had to crank her head way back so she could see his face. His expression was unreadable.

“What happened to your fingers, little mouse?”

He sounded different. As if he actually cared. “I tried to dig my way out,” she answered honestly. Her voice was still raspy, like she had a cold. “I didn’t get very far.” She laughed without humor. “As you can see, I’m stillhere.”

He lowered himself down onto the mattress, crossing his legs in front of him and turning to face her. Laney’s body angled itself toward his without her consciously thinking aboutit.

After a minute, he spoke, his voice deep and still a bit grating. “I’m not…overly fond of humans, in spite of the fact that I used to be one. Or maybe because ofit.”

His words surprised her. “I kind of got that impression.” Laney didn’t bother to keep the sarcasm out of hertone.

Black eyes flashed with a hint of amusement for a moment before narrowing in on her mangled fingertips again. He took one of her hands gently in his and brought it to his mouth. Laney hissed in pain as he put two fingertips in his mouth and sucked. His eyes closed, but not before she saw the flare of pleasure the moment her blood touched his tongue. Tenderly, he repeated the gesture for all of her fingers, healing her wounds. When he was done, he didn’t release her hand, but continued to hold it in his. They both watched as the skin bonded together right before theireyes.

“I’m very old,” he continued in a faraway tone. “I don’t know if you’ve figured that out. I was born in Northern India, as one of the Romani people.” He glanced up at her with his mouth twisted in a sneer. “You would know us as Gypsies, dirty nomads who survived by stealing and lying.” He snorted with disgust. “In reality, we were persecuted for nothing more than being who we were. We were hunted, enslaved, forced to assimilate into a foreign culture.” His words faded away, but not his anger. “It only became worse when I was changed into what I am now.” His expression glazed over as he stared off into the distance, lost in the past. “I was hunted. Like an animal. By humans that used to be my family…my friends.” His eyes came back to her and he smiled a disparaging smile. “Of course, I gave them good fucking reasons.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Laney asked.

He turned his attention back to her. A look of confusion passed over his face as long seconds passed. “I don’t know.” He shrugged one powerful shoulder. “I want you to knowme.”

“Why?”

Burning.His eyes were burning as they stared into hers. “Because you areMINE.”

Laney was tired, so tired of it all. She pulled her hand from his and threw them both into the air. “What the hell does that evenmean?”

He tensed visibly. “It means you can’t ever leaveme.”

She stared at his face, his tattoos menacing in the candlelight. Yet she wasn’t afraid. Did this mean he was going to kill her? Or not? “Was that ever an option forme?”

His body seemed to deflate as he relaxed again. “No. It wasn’t.”

Laney hated to ask, but she needed to know. “Does this mean you’re going to let melive?”

Reaching out, his fingers skimmed the top of her breast as he tugged on her hair, running the strands through his fingers. She felt the heat even through her shirt. “It means I can’t kill you now, even if I wantedto.”

A surge of hope had her heart doing double-time. She waited for him to say more. He didn’t. “You can’t?”

He shook his head, the light playing off the tattoos until they appeared to slither and shift on his skin. “No, because you are mine.” His tone was matter offact.

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