Page 24 of Witch Unbound
“We don’t always get what we want.” Her breathing evened out, and she turned her head to look at me flatly. “I’m not going to feed off you, Cora. So get out.”
Why wasn’t this working? She was obviously hungry. She hadn’t been able to feed at all, so her body was craving blood. I’d seen how she’d responded to me out in the hall the other night, and that was when shehadn’tbeen starved.
So, what was different?
She gave herself away when her gaze flicked to the others standing behind me. Ah, of course. The room was saturated with different scents. She was focusing on them, not me. She was using them to block me out.
Yeah. Time to change the game. I glanced over my shoulder. “Guys, you need to go.”
“What?” Jessie recoiled. “That wasn’t the plan.”
“Trust me.” I looked to Bramble for support. “Please.”
Bramble looked torn and then exhaled heavily. “Come on. Cora’s got this. Let’s go.”
“No.” Sloane took a step forward, but I moved to block her.
“You stay.”
She glared at me, pupils dilating.
Yep, I’d read her right.
“Cora, this is dangerous.” Jessie looked torn.
“It is,” Sloane said. “You need to leave. Now. All of you. Get her out of here.”
No way was I budging. “And then what? You’ll stay in this room by yourself forever? Starve to death, is that it?”
She growled and fisted her hair. “Dammit, Cora, I can’t fucking think with you so close.”
Sloane was losing control.
I looked to Jessie. “I can do this. Please.”
Jessie closed her eyes and nodded. Bramble didn’t give The Elites a chance to change their minds, manhandling them out of the room and closing the door.
Sloane shook her head and backed up against the wall. “Fuck, Cora. You smell so fucking good.”
I shrugged. “I know. You want to taste?” She moaned low in the back of her throat as I approached. “I trust you, and you need to trust yourself. Take what you need.” I stopped a foot from her and tilted my head to the side, exposing my neck.
My pulse pounded, heart battering my ribcage. I’d been bitten before, fed on and almost drained, so I knew the pain that came with it. I should have run the other way, but this was Sloane, and I wouldn’t walk away from her.
Her chest rose and fell, hard and fast. “Cora, I don’t want to be this thing.”
“I know.” I looked into her eyes, then reached up and cupped her face. Her skin was cold. Too cold. She needed my blood and warmth. “But it is what it is, Sloane, and we need you, so you need to do this to be able to stay with us. Do you understand?”
Her gaze dropped to my mouth. “What if I can’t stop?”
“Then I’ll make you stop.” I ran my thumb over her lips.
She groaned and closed her eyes, mouth parting as her fangs pushed out of her gums. The sigh that kissed my skin was pure relief, as if she’d been holding back and could now finally let go. It was terrifying and fucking sexy as hell at the same time because this was Sloane, and I knew deep in my gut that she would rather die than hurt me.
I leaned in so our lips were mere inches apart. “You can do this.” And then I kissed her softly, careful of her fangs.
She inhaled me deeply, then something inside her seemed to snap. With a vibrating growl, she grabbed me and shoved me against the wall. My eyes popped wide, fear leaping up my throat despite my better intentions.
“Sloane.”
