Page 6 of Desired for Her Blood
“Ember,” he says. “If you drink too heavily, the pirate will take a long time to recover.”
So?I think as I gulp down more blood. I can’t get enough of Ryker. It will never be enough.
“And if you drain him completely—” Zuben’s voice drifts into my elation “—you will kill him.”
My lips release their tight hold on Ryker’s wrist, and I loosen my grip on his upper arm.
Ryker falls back on the furs, panting. “Holy shit!”
I lick my lips, not wanting to leave even a drop behind, and I hyperventilate as I try to regain control of my body and mind.
After being controlled by Octavia, I refuse to let anything external command me again, even if the current source is the blood of this man that I love.
Closing my eyes as the energy courses through me, I fight to absorb and manage the newfound power, instead of allowing it to take me over. I have more important concerns than satisfying my lust.
But I can’t deny that, now that I’m fully awake, not only do I feel fully recovered, my desire for both nearby men is ferocious. My desire for Axe too, although I can barely detect his scent.
I turn toward the pool. Is he still in the water?
Zuben is still supporting me and the sensations are driving me wild—the feel of his chest on the back of my head, his hand on my shoulder, and the spicy scent of his musk. And all that desire for Zuben is nothing compared to my lust for Ryker.
My hand stretches toward him where he sits, slumped and panting, as if he just ran ten back-to-back marathons.
Shifting to reach me, Ryker takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles. “You nearly drained me. Who’d have guessed you hadthatin you?” he says and then winks. “Baby, you are full of surprises.”
Reluctantly, I pull myself away from Zuben to sit unsupported, and coax my hand to draw back from Ryker. Any more physical contact and I’ll forgeteverythingbeyond how badly I want them, either of them, both of them, to be inside me right now. My all-consuming lust is badly timed. I need to know what happened.
I stand. “Where did our jeans and t-shirts end up?” I glance around.
Zuben rushes to get my clothes, and then stands a few feet back as he hands them to me, as if he doesn’t want to risk getting too close either.
“What happened before I passed out?” I ask as I step into the jeans and pull them up. They’re a bit loose, and the waistband drops to my hips when I do them up, but they’ll certainly cover me better than my silk dress. I pull on the t-shirt—equally big—and then turn toward Ryker, catching the lust in his eyes, trained on my recently covered breasts.
“Ryker?”
He raises his gaze to my eyes. “Did you say something?” He winks. “I was distracted by a couple of things.”
I shake my head at Ryker, unable to keep a slight smile from my lips, and then I slide my hands into my pockets to keep them from grabbing and kissing him.
I look out to the pool of water, but Axe is nowhere to be seen. “Are you guys sure Axe is okay?”
“Vampires can breathe under water for a very long time,” Zuben says, but his brow furrows and I wonder if he’s calculating how long it’s been since he saw Axe surface.
He could be behind the waterfall, but that too seems changed, pounding down with so much more force, and altering the previous tranquil nature of the pool.
I turn back to the men, finding them both staring at me with heat in their eyes, and it makes me squirm and wish I hadn’t put on the jeans.
I cross my arms over my chest, but even that small movement, designed to help quash lust, instead amplifies it as my hands graze my nipples. “Which one of you is going to fill me in?”
“I’d be happy tofillyou,” Ryker growls.
“What information do you require?” Zuben asks over top of Ryker. “I am the best qualified and more importantly, the mostwillingto answer your questions.”
Ryker rolls his eyes.
“What is the last thing you remember?” Zuben asks.
My eyes spark with tears. “The guards, four of them were holding me, spread-eagled, and she…she was trying to force Axe to…” I look back out to the water, but there’s still no sign of him.
