Page 92 of Mortal Blood
“Except for the part where I have zero control over feeding and you’d probably have to knock me out to get me to stop.” I shook my head. “Much as I’d love my ribs to heal faster, I need a clear head to do this.”
“I think we’ve already established that your over-sized head isn’t helping anything right now,” Jax said. “Go find some human to bite.”
Ling and I both stared at him.
“What?” he asked, frowning.
“There aren’t any humans around,” Ling said softly.
“And?” Jax said, and I saw the exact moment it dawned on him. “Oh, no. No fucking way. She isnotbiting me.”
“Jax, it’s the only way.”
“He’s right, Ling. This is a bad idea. Besides, if I’m biting him, who’s going to stop me if I go too far?”
“You won’t lose control when I’m around.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“I can. Do you trust me?” Her piercing gaze met mine, and I swallowed, and then nodded. She turned to Jax. “And Jax, I know this isn’t natural to you, but this really is our best hope. For the pack?”
He cast a look skyward and then back at me. “If you ever tellanyoneabout this…”
I mimed zipping my lips, and he held out his wrist. With a hesitant glance at Ling, I took hold of it.
“You can do this, Cali. Believe in yourself, and in me. I’m right here.”
She placed her hand on my shoulder, and I frowned.
“Wait, is this some kind of superpower you have that’s linked to whatever your species is?”
“Just bite him already.”
Yeah, that was probably good advice. Exhaling slowly, I lifted his wrist to my mouth and bit down. Blood flowed into my mouth, and adrenaline coursed through me, firing synapses like a combination of a caffeine and sugar rush dialed up to a thousand.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Ling said softly, and if my mouth hadn’t been otherwise engaged I’d have told her she was wrong, that there would never be enough, that I needed all the blood, all the strength, and—
The blood tasted like decay and slime. I pulled his wrist from my lips with a gasp, staring at him in horror, and swiping at my mouth with my other hand. That was…
I twisted round to stare at Ling. “How did you do that?”
She shrugged. “Picked up a thing or two. But this isn’t the time.”
“We’re going to make time, though,” I told her as the vile taste faded from my mouth.
“Maybe.”
Maybe. Right. I shook my head.Let it go, Cali. There were more important things at stake than my curiosity. Still, it was toobad I couldn’t smuggle her into my feeding assessment.
“You okay, Jax?” I asked, glancing over at the shifter who looked paler than he had before.
“Just peachy. Let’s go kick some Black Wind ass before I puke.”
“The plan does not involve kicking Black Wind ass,” I objected.
“There is no plan,” he said, cracking his knuckles. “Which means anything is the plan.”
I looked to Ling for support and she shrugged. “He’s got you there.”
