Page 14 of Love Bites
“You ate?” Antonio squawked. “Well what the hell did you eat?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Don’t tell me...you ate human food?”
Ignacio nodded and heaved some more.
“Dear God, why would you do—” He paused. “It was a girl, wasn’t it?”
When his friend didn’t answer, Antonio continued. “If you risked your health for a goddamn human girl, Ortiz, I—”
“Not...just a girl...” he wheezed.
“What are you talking about?” Antonio shouted, incredulously.
“Soul...Mate.” He fell to the ground on his stomach, using his arm to cushion his face and hide his expression.
“Soul Mate?” Antonio repeated with breathless wonder. “Are you sure?”
Ignacio nodded. “Positive.”
“Damn.” Antonio let out a breath. “And I gather she doesn’t know you’re her Soul Mate or a vampire, does she? Hence the food...”
Ignacio shook his head.
“Well, who is it? It’s not Rosa, is it? Where did you meet her?”
A chill passed through his body, and it began shaking. Coldness overtook him as his body attempted to expel the food from his system. “The redheaded...”
“Oh my God.” Antonio interrupted. “That bitchy tourist from the other day is your Soul Mate? Sothat’swhy you panted after her like a dog in heat.”
Ignacio shot him the finger.
All the worry left Antonio’s voice and was replaced with sarcasm. “Geez, Ortiz,” he laughed. “You’re such a dumbass.”
“Oh, fuck you.”
8
Katheryn fell onto her pillows with a sigh, and all she could think about was Ignacio. She was worried about him. He’d looked positively ill. His face had gone pale and was covered in sweat and basically looked as if he were about to hurl.
Maybe it had been her fault. She had forced him from stand to stand and had practically shoved food down his throat. Maybe he had a tummy ache or—oh, my God—she bolted up in bed and stared, wide-eyed, into the darkness. What if he was diabetic? Was that why he had seemed so shy about eating at first? As far as she knew, diabetic people could only eat a little bit at a time or their sugar levels got all whacked.
Maybe that’s why he’d looked all sweaty and sick.
She fell back to her pillows and groaned.Great, Katheryn, you’ve gone and nearly killed a foreigner.
She turned to her side and hugged her knees to her chest. Tomorrow—if she saw him again tomorrow—she’d make it up to him. She’d investigate, ask around if they knew where he lived. She could take him some soup in bed or some medicine. The people in the stands were bound to know who he was. He had said he was a musician, so they probably did, right? She sighed. But if she did that, would he think that she was some crazy person obsessed with him. Would he? It was hard to tell.
Katheryn barely knew the man but when she was with him, there was a part of her—a part she knew she’d fight—that felt as though he completed her. It wasn’t just the fire he ignited inside of her or the nerves and jitters she felt around him. But sometimes, when he looked at her, his expression was unreadable then other times, he’d look at her as if she were the most fascinating creature in the world. He undressed her with his heated gaze.
If Katheryn was in her right mind, she’d say all he wanted was sex, but she didn’t feel that way. Sure, she wanted to rip off his clothes, kiss him until her lips bled and pass out with his name on her lips. She’d be surprised if he didn’t want that, too. But there appeared to be something deeper with him. He looked at her with yellow eyes that blazed like the bright rays of the heated sun with love.
Katheryn halted her thoughts right there. Love? She barely knew the guy! But she could swear she saw something akin to it in those honeyed depths.
She shook off her crazy thoughts. It wouldn’t do any good to think about love where there was none. She’d do well to remember that. Still, he had been kind to her, had asked for nothing in return.
Yet,a small voice of doubt whispered into her ear.He hasn’t asked you for anything in return yet. But it’s only a matter of time before he uses you for his own gain.
But there were still kind people in the world, people who did things for others without the need for payment.
Oh, really? Who? Don’t fool yourself. This world is give and take. Just look at Hunter. You were good enough as a decoration on his arm. He wanted you, he got you, but you weren’t enough. You’ll never be enough. You’ll be used—
