Page 38 of The Way You Bite
It took her a moment to adjust to the one-eighty the conversation just took. “That’s not what we were talking about.”
“It’s what we’re talking about now.” Lexan crossed his arms.
“That came out a bit more like kingly ordering than asking. I’m not one of your subjects.” She itched to fight and enjoyed it, but the room had taken on a hazy sheen, as if she was looking through a steamed-up shower door. Whatever Lexan said sounded as if he were underwater. Sparkles highlighted her peripheral vision.
The next thing she clearly registered was Lexan beside her on the sofa, holding her head. His large thigh pressed tightly next to hers. She gave into the desire to relax into him. Her eyelids drifted shut as she savored his smell. God, she could become addicted to it…probably already was.
He brushed hair off her face. “You need blood.”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t have a few bags of Type-O in the frig.” Even to herself her voice sounded slurred.
“Probably not.”
“Let me go home. There’s a convenience store nearby…just tired.” She struggled not to fall asleep.
The soft pads of his fingers touched her throat over her jugular. “Do you find human blood unfulfilling? That it doesn’t sustain you long? That you’re different than other vamps?”
She nodded, startled by his question. She’d kept the odd defect secret. Others could drink one liter of human blood or a sip from a fellow vamp and it’d last them a day or two. She needed one or two liters of human blood to get through twelve hours.
“Can you drink vampire blood?”
She shook her head, which made the world around her go to doubles.
“Dominic forbade anyone in the States to drink from a source, even a vampire source, unless the two are married. Even so, I did try it once with a vampire. Makes me sick.” One sip long ago from a friend made her puke for twenty-four hours.
“I think you need wolf blood.” He continued to stroke her throat.
Adrenaline fear eclipsed lethargy. She wiggled to get out of his grip and pushed away from him. “You want to poison me? I’ll die.”
“I’m pretty sure you won’t have a problem.”
“I’ve seen a vamp poisoned by wolf blood before. It’s one of Dominic’s favorite ways to execute traitors. Not pretty.” Capillaries ruptured, orifices bled, and eventually the vamp would die puking blood until he aspirated on it. She always figured it was some sort of species preservation thing.
Still, she couldn’t help speculating on the life source pulsating through the thick vein in Lexan’s throat. His neck muscles corded down to the junction of his clavicle, peeking out of a dark shirt. Sexual heat swelled her core to preheat. Others liked to bite during sex with vamps or humans. She’d never been tempted. The thought of Lexan pounding into her and then her taking his neck—she wanted it. Now. She had to physically shake her head to clear the intoxicating vision.
“It’s poison.” Good Lord, she couldn’t quit staring at the pulsing vein in his neck and wondering.
“You’re half wolf. My blood won’t hurt you. You already had some earlier, when you were half passed out.”
“What? I don’t believe you.”
“It happened, and you seem to be fine.”
She involuntarily licked her lips as she stared transfixed on his jugular.
“I need you healthy.”You’ll die going into the transition this weak. I won’t let you die.
“What transition?” She watched shock transform into a smile of comprehension.Well, screw it to Sunday, that’d been dumb.Never had she been careless with her ability to read thoughts.
“You are full of surprises, Vee. A mind reader. Rare. Terrifying to all species. Makes sense, though. Both your father and mother were known for remarkable mental capabilities.”
“Can’t you read minds?”
“I can communicate with others mentally, but not read minds. I’d give anything to know what you’re thinking right now.” His eyes smoldered as his gaze dropped to her lips. His finger touched one of her elongated, hypersensitive fangs.
She suppressed a groan. “Why, do you think I’m dying?”
“You’re a hybrid. A demisang. If you don’t accept both parts of yourself, you’ll die. Probably within the next forty-eight hours when your inner wolf starts to want out. You need wolf blood to help you through the transition. With the full moon almost at hand—”
