Page 62 of Love Bites
She tried again, putting as much venom in her voice as possible. “What I mean is that I am going back to Hunter. He’s my fiancé, and I want to be with him. I just used you for sex.”
He stared blankly at her words as she threw them at him, he didn’t betray a hint of discomposure but through their Soul Mate connection she could feel his emotions, the confusion and most of all, she could feel his heart breaking.
“You don’t mean that,” Ignacio said angrily, looking from her to Hunter. “He’s threatened you, hasn’t he, love?”
“Don’t call me that!” Katheryn yelled.Because it makes it harder to leave you.
Ignacio's expression flickered, and Katheryn realized she’d accidentally projected the thought to him.
Katheryn shook her head. With all these men around them, it was obvious Hunter was threatening them both. But if Ignacio thought for a second the men were going to kill her, he’d back off.Ignacio please,she pleaded and knew by the look in his eyes that he’d picked up the thought.
Aloud she said, “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“Katheryn, darling, we really mustget going,” Hunter said with a touch of annoyance in his tone and pulled her possessively to his side.
The gesture irritated her. Ignacio growled low in his throat. Katheryn could feel the anger rolling through their bond.
Hunter laughed, triumphantly. “Jealous, vampire?”
Ignacio didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at Katheryn. “I will always protect you, my lo—”
“That’s enough, Ignacio!” she interrupted with a shout. She didn’t want Hunter to hear anything that transpired between them. “Let’s go, Hunter,” Katheryn urged, pulling his arm. If Ignacio attacked Hunter, his men wouldn’t hesitate to shoot, and everything she said to him, all of those cruel words to protect him, would be for nothing.
“Yes, darling. Let’s go.” He flicked a triumphant smile at Ignacio before turning toward the door with Katheryn.
She held back her tears by biting the inside of her mouth until she tasted blood.I love you so much. This is for the best.
Katheryn...
Katheryn forced herself to look straight ahead as she waked out of the hotel room. She didn’t want to look back and see the hurt in Ignacio’s face. She couldn’t let that be the last image she had of him as she walked away.
“You did well, my darling,” Hunter praised, patting her shoulder. He turned to the men, who’d remained inside the room. “You know what to do.”
Katheryn, confused by his words, turned back and saw each man take out his gun and pointed it at Ignacio. Panic seized her. Her heart dropped to her toes. Instinct overwhelmed her, and she tried to jerk free and rush to Ignacio, to stand between him and the pointing the guns. But Hunter gripped her tightly, preventing her from going to him.
“No, Hunter!” she screamed. “You promised you wouldn’t kill him!”
Ignacio stood immobile, staring from the guns to Katheryn. His eyes wide with understanding.
Hunter chuckled, coldly. “I promisedIwouldn’t kill him, my dear. I never said anything about my men.”
With a laugh, he dragged her through the door, leaving Ignacio alone in the room, surrounded by enemies.
Katheryn clawed and scratched, trying to get back to her Soul Mate. She could no longer see him, but she heard his voice clearly in her mind.
Katheryn.
Then the sound of gunfire cut off his voice. A wave of pain knocked the breath right out of her.
Then everything went black.
* * *
Katheryn feltas though she was dying. She couldn’t quite explain the feeling, but the closest approximation to it was fire. Not the pleasant warmth of flickering flames she felt whenever Ignacio touched her. This was more of an angry blaze, engulfing her entire body, from the inside out.
The pain of burning, of searing flesh ripped screams from her throat. The pain was too real, too powerful and raw. She lashed out, tore at her flesh, clawed at her chest, as if she were drowning in the flames, swallowing them whole, and they melted her. Breathing was difficult, she gasped but nothing seemed to drag air into her lungs.
“Wake up!”
