Page 46 of Forced Vampire Mate

Luken was still weak, so I looped his arm around my shoulders and helped him to stand. He leaned on me heavily as we made our way into the second room. I closed the door after us. There was a light switch, which I happily turned on.

The room was large enough to hold a dozen people, with chairs that lined the walls. A cupboard stood next to the door with several bottles of water stacked in it. I pulled out the food I’d brought from Donelle’s palace and offered some to Luken. He chewed a piece of fruit, but I knew it wasn’t going to be enough.

“You should drink my blood,” I told him as I helped him to one of the chairs.

He shook his head.

I winced. “You need to be stronger.”

“No.” His voice was flat, hard.

I leaned back on my heels. He wasn’t going to drink from me. Even if he needed my blood, he wasn’t going to do it. “What did you see when I was in the light?”

“Enough.”

“What did you see?” I repeated, grabbing his arm.

His amber eyes flicked up to my face. His expression was so closed off that it took my breath away. Whatever he’d seen, he wasn’t about to share. He’d been reaching out to me again and again, and I was too stubborn to answer him. I’d hurt him more than I realized.

“Luken, that light… it wasn’t the full truth,” I said, gripping his arm tightly.

He laughed. “Really? You’re the one with the knowledge of magic now? I guess my training is nothing, since you know so much better.”

I flinched at his mocking tone, but my anger flared up quickly afterward. “It wasn’t the full truth because I wasn’t telling the full truth. Why else do you think it kept hurting me?”

Luken frowned and didn’t answer.

I reached to cup his face with my hands, and he jerked away. “Don’t touch me, Elara.”

“You need to drink,” I mumbled, unsettled with this change.

“Not from you.”

“Why not?” I exploded. “You need blood, and we both know that drinking from me makes you stronger. So why not take it?”

Luken grasped my shoulders and pushed me back, creating more distance between us. “There’s a reason I told you I wasn’t going to take anything more from you until you begged. I already broke that vow once. I won’t do it again.”

Vow?

It wasn’t a vow, was it? Understanding flooded me. I’d thought he was just cocky. But now, as I stared into his eyes, I understood why he had said it. Why did he ask if I regretted our times together.

“You want to make sure I want it,” I whispered.

“And I know you don’t,” Luken growled, looking away again. “So I won’t drink from you. I won’t put you through that, Elara. I will never touch you again.”

Chapter 21

That’s not fair!

I bit back on the protest. Not fair to who? Not fair to me, when I wouldn’t even tell him I wanted sex? Or was it not fair to him, whose past struggles and trauma ran far deeper than I realized? How would I feel if the person I loved more than anything else in the world treated me like a monster? It wasn’t fair to him to put him through that.

“Honesty isn’t my best strong suit,” I blurted. “I’m an excellent liar. Even to myself. I didn’t use to be. But I’m not who I used to be. I’m not even sure who I am anymore.”

Frustration and confusion warred in his gaze.

“Please touch me,” I whispered. “There are only two things I want. For Darcie and Thessa to be safe and for you to know I want you, more than I have words to express.”

“You’re only saying that to convince me to drink from you, because you think it’s necessary to save them,” Luken answered roughly.

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