Page 16 of Love Bites
How could he go from being a cold-hearted predator to acting like he cared about me in a matter of seconds?
Which was the real Talon? The one who talked about killing me like it was nothing or the one who made sure I wouldn't bump my head on the floor when I fainted? Was I prey or was I precious?
It shouldn't matter. But I couldn't stop wondering.
Talon's voice cut through my thoughts. "This'll be easier if you don't fight it."
I nodded, and then, I felt Talon's lips on my neck again. I inhaled, told myself to relax, told another part of my body not to get so goddamn excited already, and dug my fingers into the cotton bed sheets beneath me. "Do it."
Talon didn't respond with words but with action. His fangs broke through my skin, sinking into me. There was a small pinching sensation, like getting a shot at the doctor's office—only in a place you didn't usually get shots—but then Talon's tongue touched the small wound, licking up the first drop of blood, and I shuddered in response.
Holy shit that was good.
Just like last time, my whole body relaxed. I had no idea what it was about the bite that caused this reaction, but it laid itself over my nerves like a soothing blanket, keeping the monsters in my mind at bay better than even my treasured nightlight had ever done. I sighed, feeling my thoughts drift, wondering if it was like this for everyone. Wondering if there was some way I could get Talon to bite me goodnight on a regular basis. Like some sort of rent-a-vampire app. I would be all over that.
And then, just as the synapses in my brain stopped their constant firing, a different kind of fire started to burn low in my gut.
Not again...
But there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't stop the onslaught of desire coursing through me. I couldn't move away from Talon, and I found that I didn't want to either. If I could have moved at all, it wouldn't have been to get away from the vampire.
Unfortunately, I wasn't in charge. Talon was, and he seemed to be oblivious to the way my cock hardened in my pants. He didn't take any action to alleviate the pressure, in any case. He just kept drinking. My head swam, even though I couldn't have lost that much blood yet. My eyes closed, and in the darkness behind my eyelids, all my thoughts focused on the sensation of Talon's lips and tongue on me. The sensation of my blood flowing into him.
It was the only thing Icouldfocus on. Reality faded away, and in the haze of my mind, Talon's touch shone like a beacon. I felt myself enveloped by him. Not by his body. As much as I wanted it to be, this embrace wasn't physical. I couldn't really make sense of it, but Talon was all around me, a warm presence that brushed up against my senses, teasing me with the promise of more.
God, I wanted more.
My mouth opened in a silent plea. Silent only because I couldn't form words. Talon's thumb stroked my lower lip. A fairly innocent touch, but it made my cock strain against the fabric of my jeans. He could have fucked me right then and I wouldn't have made a single sound of protest.
But what Talon wanted was my mind, my memories. We connected, exactly the same way we had the last time he'd had my blood, but this time, I knew what to expect. This time, even with a head full of cotton, I realized what was happening.
Talon's mind touched mine, and the moment he did, I saw my chance to reach out in return.
I shouldn't.
Talon's thoughts and his memories were private and what we were doing here wasn't about Talon's memories in any case—it was about mine. But still, if I could just take a peek, just to confirm what I'd seen last time, that Talon had actually been human once, that there might still be a shred of humanity left in him… Why that mattered so much, I couldn't say. It just did.
Talon wasn't a monster, he was...
Try as I might, I couldn't find the right word. My mind was too fuzzy for it.
All I knew was that I wanted to see, and I'd never been good at resisting temptation.
And so I plunged ahead.
An image began to form behind my eyelids. An image of Talon as he entered through a door into a house. He was carrying a suitcase and wearing a large red sweater with a white reindeer on it that looked obviously home-made. The sight would have made me laugh, if I'd been able to.
My attention shifted when a little girl came running up to Talon and then jumped into his arms. "Daddy!"
Part of me was shocked, and part of me flooded with warmth. The young man hugged the girl back, obviously exhausted but still happy to see her, and it was such a sweet scene. Talon had had a daughter. No, not Talon. Whoever he'd been before. This wasn't the vampire I knew. I had to keep that in mind. If I didn't it would be all too easy to get swept up in... whatever this was.
I was dealing with a killer, not with a family man.
Or was I?
The image shattered before my eyes as Talon drew away from me and our connection broke. Or at least, I thought it broke, but then I realized that it hadn’t. Whatever spell I was under, it didn't fade the moment the vampire's fangs left my skin.
Talon's eyes narrowed at me. He didn't speak, but then, he didn't need to. I knew I'd fucked up, breaking my promise. He hadn't wanted to see that. Had he even known that he had a daughter?
