Page 156 of Cursed Lifeline

Looking up, I meet Esme’s stare and grin.

“Are you letting me win?” she sasses.

In an instant, I have her pinned underneath me. With her hands secured at her sides, I turn her neck harshly to the side exposing her creamy white throat. Her jugular vein pulses wildly. My eyes grow wide with excitement. My lips quiver with anticipation.

“For this to work, it must be your will Esme.”

Slowly, she turns her head and our eyes lock.

Her hopeful gaze begs me to finally see the truth we’ve been running from for several hundreds of years.

“True love is only won by giving up free will, Felix.” Closing her eyes, she bares her neck and says, “If you love me, finally set me free.”

Sucking in a shuddering breath, I steal a moment to remember us like this. If all fails, I’ll keep it close to my heart until we meet again. Knowing I can’t stall any longer, I lean forward and slowly lick up the pulsing vein in her neck; she lets out a light moan, and I growl before sinking my teeth into her skin and drinking from her for the first time.

The crowd’s yells reach new heights as she screams beneath me, and her addictive, sweet, thick plasma coats my greedy tongue and slides deliciously down my throat. Time drifts away as I take from her what I swore I never would. It takes all my willpower to force myself to stop, but eventually I do. The cheers of the crowd when they notice her blood dripping from my lips peak again. Esme gasps out. Her eyes fade for a moment. Her body goes limp underneath me.

Fuck, what have I done?

A second later, her eyes clear, and she looks back up at me, blinking a few times to bring me into focus. She breathes out heavily and says, “How do I taste?”

“Like a fucking dream I don’t deserve,” I growl.

Leaning in, I close the distance between my lips and her neck and whisper, “But I’ll always need more, baby, just a little fucking more.”

Before I can sink my teeth in, she brings her knee up, and it collides with my crotch. A sick feeling spreads through my lower stomach and I tumble off of her in pain. Quickly, she straddles me and wraps both her hands around my neck.

“Do it!” Someone in the crowd yells.

“Rip his head off!”

“Kill him!”

“You are letting me win,” she taunts as her grip on my throat tightens.

She holds me there for a moment as a sick smile spreads across her lips until the venom in her veins gets the better of her and she starts to fade. Her eyes close. Her head rolls back. Her grip loosens. I take advantage of her weakness, push her off of me, and quickly rise to my feet.

She tries to shake off her frail state, then stands quickly when she sees I’m free. Once she’s steady, she starts to rush towards me. Determination is etched across her features as she ruthlessly charges forward, although she only makes it halfway before she starts to fade again and almost topples to the floor.

“How much did you drink?” she stammers as she tries to clear her head, catch her footing, and not stumble to her death.

“Not enough,” I growl as I stalk toward her, pull her into me, sink my teeth into the other side of her neck, and drink from the most prized prey I’ve ever had the pleasure of catching.

“Felix,” she pants, half desperation, half sexual lust when I finally force my lips from her neck.

Looking down at her porcelain skin stained with her blood, I run my fingers through the crimson liquid slowly oozing out of her neck and bring them to my mouth. Watching her eyes, I suck them between my lips and feel her knees give out momentarily. Tightening my grip around her waist, I hoist her in my arms.

“She’s still alive!”

“Don’t wait!

“Finish her now!”

The crowd cheers.

As she clings to me, her blood begins to soak my shirt. I hold her close as her body grows weaker from her loss of blood.

Pulling back, I study her as she blinks back a few tears.

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