Page 20 of House of Crimson Kisses
“It’s because I love you that I took them.” Her voice is soft now, patience ebbing through her tone.
I scoff against her chest. “If you really believe that, then you’re more deluded than I imagined.” I sway on my feet. The need to dose burns through me. I hate that it’s true, but if I don’t take some blood, I’m going to collapse.
“I know it, Red. I also know that if you don’t feed, you’re going to be unconscious within minutes.”
“Feed? Don’t call it that. I’m a human. An addict, perhaps, and I’m fuckingdosing.” I don’t care that I made the same slip earlier, which makes me a hypocrite. I refuse to lose my humanity. It’s dosing. I am not a vampire. I willneverbe a vampire.
“Okay, okay,” she says, but she doesn’t meet my eyes and that irritates me even more. Like she knows best? I am not the same as her. She looks away and tilts her head, her long, dark hair falling off her shoulder as she bares her neck to me.
“I don’t… I don’t want to take it like that. I’m not like you…” I say.
Octavia’s lips purse. I’m being spiteful, but I don’t give a shit. I don’t want to be doing this.
“Listen, you can stand on your laurels later. Right now, you need to get as much of my blood in your system as you can, or you won’t make the trip home. I’ve never seen you struggle like this.”
This time, it’s my molars grinding against each other. I open my mouth, run my tongue along the bottoms of my upper teeth. I swear they’re sharpening. It’s impossible. I am not a fucking vampire and I’m not a bloody dhampir either. Not yet, anyway. And maybe there’s still a way I can stop this shit. Pass it to one of the other hunters. I don’t want it.
I lean into her neck. Her smooth skin, despite being cold, sends heat radiating through my system. Her blood smells like iron and ice, like fires in winter and spices that warm your belly. I run my incisors along her artery, and Octavia shivers against me. I resent the fact that my pussy responds to her shiver.
“Is that disgust?” I ask, though I’m certain it’s not.
“It’s lust. I want you to take it.” She pushes her neck down toward me and my body responds of its own accord. My eyes close, but cool tears roll down my cheeks. She might not find what I have to do disgusting, but I do. I hate myself. I hate her more for being here and coming after me instead of letting the bond sever so I could die in peace in these godsforsaken tunnels.
I lower my lips to her neck. I breathe deep, praying my stomach holds strong and the bile clawing at my throat doesn’t make an appearance, and then I plunge into her skin. There’s no resistance. I expected to struggle against her skin. But my teeth must be sharper because they sink into her flesh like a knife through cake.
Blood bubbles up into my mouth, smothering my tongue in the most delicious tasting substance I’ve ever had. Thick and warm. Sweet tones mixed with the tang of iron and beneath that an aged essence like rich wine that has me sucking on her neck like a kid with a milkshake.
The liquid heat warms me as it slides down my throat, yet its cool spiciness flows through my system. Then it drops, drops, drops and settles in my cunt.
My fingers grip Octavia’s shoulders harder as a throbbing in tune with her heartbeat pulses in my pussy. My clit swells and vibrates against the fabric of my trousers, responding to the ingestion of her blood. This is the bit I was dreading.
My nails dig into her shoulders as I bite deep, pulling and sucking on her neck like it’s my life force.
“Red,” Octavia says.
But I’m not listening anymore. I am only consumption and blood and the raw rage bubbling in my chest. The tunnel has quietened to the sucking of my lips against her throat.
“RED,” she says, louder this time.
I don’t care. I need to drink it all. Drown in it.
Everything hazes over. A crimson veil drops over my vision. My throat is like liquid gold, my whole body alight with the electric bliss that is her life force. The more I take, the more connected I am to her. It’s like I’m inside her, part of her, and it’s intoxicating.
My entire system is eager, glowing, golden and glistening with power, energy and fury.
I am everywhere.
And then I’m not.
I blink up at Octavia from the damp tunnel floor.
“What the fuck was that?” Octavia says. “You were taking too much.”
It starts with a tiny melodic tinkle. But it grows and blooms into a booming laugh. From laughter to hysterics. Huge wracking cackles spill from my chest. Tears streak my cheeks, only I’m not sure if they’re of laughter or devastation. I smear them away, smudging her blood across my face with the moisture.
“What the hell was that?” she says, helping me to my feet.
“It was me, hungrier than I’ve ever been,” I say, my eyes falling to her cleavage. Believe me when I say I want to drag my eyes away, but her blood is in my system now, a lot of it, and I can’t tear them away.
