Page 29 of Bitten By Bloodmoon
Lumi inhales sharply, and her head whips to me, eyes flashing with the same blistering fierceness she unleashed on Ambrose. She hates us both, not that I blame her. But I need her to break the curse. My pack and the vampires don’t deserve what they’ve been through.
“He’s in my mind. He’s in my mind. Push him out.
Is that why I feel this hatred for Ambrose? Is he controlling my feelings?
No, Ambrose is a liar. He’s controlling.
But Nyx is no better. He killed Rowena. He’s controlling my mind too.
Push them out!”
Lumi’s thoughts are so loud that I hear them as clearly as if she were just standing right next to me speaking them aloud. She doesn’t realize she’s doing it. I focus on Ambrose, trying to figure out if he is also being blasted by her every thought or if their bond was severed when she rejected him as her mate. He’s looking from Lumi to me in horror.
I make a split-second decision. One that I know I’ll probably regret.
“I drank her blood. You may control her wolf, but I can control her mind—forever.”
“You fucking bastard!” Ambrose screams.
But I have Lumi pulled against me in less than a millisecond. My arm is hooked around her neck as I hold her against my chest.
I pull back my lips, revealing my overly sharp fangs that are twice the size of his canines as I run them over her neck. Her smell is intoxicating to me, a heady mix taunting me to bite her, taste her. I can feel her pulse drumming in her neck. How easily I could drain her with one tantalizing bite. I’ve only tasted a drop—one single drop. But that was enough to leave me physically in pain whenever I’m reminded of how good she tasted.
“Leave or I’ll kill her.”
Ambrose’s eyes widen. “You wouldn’t. You think she’s your mate. You need her to break the curse.”
“Let me fucking go!” Lumi screams, elbowing me hard in the stomach. But I don’t budge or acknowledge her.
“I’d rather see us both cursed forever than let you have her,” I say.
Lumi sucks in a breath like she can’t believe I just said that.
Ambrose looks from me to Lumi. “Nyx won’t kill you. He wants to break the curse too badly. Whether he incorrectly thinks you’re his mate or mine, he knows you are the key to breaking the curse. He won’t kill you.”
Lumi just stares at him, not speaking.
“I’ll find a way to break his mind control. To give you your wolf back. To fix everything. You’re my queen. My mate. I fucked up. But I’ll fix it. I’ll come back for you. I’ll save you. I promise.” Ambose looks at her with such longing, but it’s not enough. Not enough for her to apologize or take back her words.
“Get out of my territory,” I say in a low, menacing voice, using the full weight of my alpha command as I do. It’s like stretching a muscle that I rarely use. It’s hard to use on other alphas, but when I’m this angry and he’s in my territory, the command is a potent one. He doesn’t have a choice but to obey.
He looks at Lumi one more time, and I know he’s trying to communicate with her through her bond. I have no idea if he is successful or not, but my command isn’t patient. I don’t give him any more time to say his goodbyes.
The second I feel Ambrose leave my land, I release Lumi.
She stumbles back, caught off guard as she sucks in a rattled breath. I watch her struggle to breathe for a second before she spins around, throwing a punch at me.
I let her hit me, knowing she has enough anger inside her to destroy the world if she decided to. But even with all the rage inside her, it’s a weak punch. One without any form or technique, so when it hits me, it feels like a fly brushing against my skin.
“That’s all you got?” I ask.
She throws another punch and then another and another. Each with more rage and less accuracy than the last, until she’s wildly flinging her arms at me. I see the idea forming in her mind as she decides to try with her leg instead of her arm. I watch in what feels like slow motion as she sweeps her leg out. But instead of kicking me, she collapses onto the floor. Her body is void of all breath.
“Did you get that out of your system?”
“No. You’re a fucking bastard. You used mind control against me. You killed Rowena. I’ll never be done with you until I kill you.”
“Fair enough, but why don’t you pause your efforts until you’ve seen a healer so you don’t die. Then you can continue your pathetic attempts at whatever it is you’re doing.”
