Page 46 of The Hunger
“Do you think your dad still has people searching for Ashlyn?” I asked.
Fenris released a long breath.
“Probably not. But hopefully, we’ll be able to straighten all of that out today.”
“What do you mean?”
“A little more patience, rabbit.”
The kindness in his tone and ebb in his frustration surprised me, and I glanced at his hands. He wasn’t gripping the steering wheel nearly as tight as he had a minute ago.
“We’re almost there.”
The swell in his lust hit me hard. It was everything I could do to keep my breathing even as my vision sharpened.
“Can you take it down a notch?” I asked.
“Eliana, you already know you’ve been feeding on me. Take what you need.”
A shiver raced through me at hearing those words from his lips, and my hunger responded. To stop myself from trailing my fingers over his deliciously bare chest, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the seat.
He knew why I couldn’t feed on him. But I guessed, after weeks of being fed on, he probably did see himself immune from the effects. After all, who knew how long he’d actually been under my thrall? He’d probably been oblivious to the slow change in his behavior. I obviously had been.
“Chicken,” he said softly.
“I thought I was a rabbit.”
He chuckled, the sound adding to my torment.
Thankfully, I didn’t need to suffer long. The car slowed, and I could feel Fenris begin to pull over. My hand drifted to the handle.
“Don’t, Eliana. You’re wearing slippers, and running from me won’t help the situation.”
“I need air,” I said as the car jerked to a stop.
Despite his warning, I flew out the door. Inhaling deeply, I stumbled a few steps away from the car and fought for control over the hunger churning inside of me. Focused on the dark desperation to consume everything that was Fenris, I didn’t realize that he’d left the car, too, until he appeared in front of me. Instead of colliding face first into his chest, I was scooped up into his arms, and he started running.
The wind carried the scent of his lust away, not that it mattered. Without a shirt and a jacket to separate us, I felt every inch of him and leaned in to inhale. His warm skin heated my fingers, and he trembled beneath my touch.
“Eat, Eliana. I want you focused and ready to talk when we reach the caves.”
His words acted like a slap to bring me out of my stupor, and I jerked away from his hold.
“Put me down.”
“No.” His hold on me tightened. “Feed.”
The thin hold on my control snapped under the weight of my temper. He wasn’t supposed to be like the rest, telling me where and when to feed. He was supposed to be kind and caring. He was supposed to be on my side.
But the man carrying me wasn’t the Fenris I knew. The one I cared about more than I dared to acknowledge.
“Fine. Be my meal,” I snapped.
I didn’t hold back. I fed deeply, pulling all his sexual energy, along with everything else. Frustration. Worry. Pride. All of it interwoven with his endless lust.
He stumbled a step but quickly recovered.
“Is that all you got? You fed better when you thought I was trees feeding you cakes.”
