Page 14 of To Crave Darkly
“Jasper, look at me.”
“I can't,” he said quietly.
“Why not?” I demanded softly.
Jasper sighed deeply. “Because I still want to devour you.” Jasper closed his eyes and I could see the anguish on his face, see the torment and conflict in the grim set of his mouth.
“I'm sorry,” I said before running as fast as my legs would take me. I ran all the way to my room and locked the door behind me. I knew it wouldn’t stop him if he decided to break it down but it sure as hell made me feel a bit safer.
I sank to the floor in a heap. Holy shit, what was that about? One minute we were enjoying a mouth-wateringly good kiss and the next he was trying to kill me. And then there was the buzzing and then I’d glowed. I’d fucking glowed like a Christmas tree.
Oh God. What was happening to me?
My heart pounded a frantic rhythm in my chest. I took some deep breaths but I couldn’t seem to gain control over my own body.
My hands were shaking as I felt the spot on my neck where Jasper had tried to bite me. It was barely a scratch, but it could have been a whole lot worse. I traced my lips where they still felt electrified from Jasper's kissand my eyes brimmed over with tears. Tears for myself, my fear and overwhelming sense of helplessness, but for some reason I was shedding tears for Jasper. I couldn’t shake that image of his face contorted in pain and anguish. It made him look lonely, lost and vulnerable.
I hauled my self-pitying ass into bed and curled up under the covers, feeling too small for this humongous bed. Sleep eventually claimed me after I cried some more tears, but my sleep was fitful and my dreams sought to torment me, haunting me with a particular set of intense blue eyes.
Chapter 9
JASPER
Rage ran deeply through me. An inferno of anger seared me from the inside out. How could I let myself lose control like that? I haven’t surrendered to bloodlust like that since I was reborn a vampire. A guttural howl burst from my chest as I threw the table across the room.
Fuck. I needed to calm down. Otherwise the beast was going to run free, and heaven help Lori now that he saw her as a more than prey. She was a potential threat now and I didn’t know whether to be pissed or turned on by that.
I needed to call this in. It was my responsibility to protect her and I couldn’t do that if the mere thought of tasting her sent me off into a spiral of uncontrollable rage. I would have to find out what this was. I couldn’t run the risk of this happening again. I would have to tell them that she released a burst of aurora. She was definitely part something and most likely a mage judging by the power of that burst. Fuck, this was getting more complicated every second. Another thing that was probably my fucking fault. Maybe that was part of the reason she tasted amazing. I had never tasted a mage before. It was forbidden by Dark Law. They literally had magic running through their veins and, for us vampires, that could be dangerously addictive. We could end up draining a mage dry chasing the high that came with drinking magic-infused blood and all in a matter of seconds.
I kept myself on a strict menu of human blood. I didn’t want or need anything else. I’d tried Alec’s once when we were in a tough spot and it was like drinking animal blood, fucking rank. Hell Hound blood, shifter blood, even demon blood did nothing for me. I’d stick to willing human partners, thank you very much. Especially if it was accompanied with sex; the aphrodisiac just added so much extra flavour. It made the difference between eating a plain dry steak and eating a succulent, juicy, thick rump of steak, coated in the most mouth-watering sauce and accompanied by rich, soft… fuck. I needed to stop. I was getting hungry.
My stomach chose that moment to growl rather loudly and my hearing instinctively found the rapid, lurching rhythm of Lori’s heart. It sang such a beautiful melody. It echoed around my mind ferociously and I knew the beast was itching to sink its claws deep into her. And now that he knew there was magic running through her veins, I worried I wasn’t going to be able to keep control.
I dialled Alec. He picked up on the second ring.
“Jasper? Twice in one night. Aren’t I the lucky one.”
“Alec, this isn’t the time.” I gave an exasperated sigh. One day that carefree charm was going to get that boy in a whole heap of trouble. “Lori is definitely not human.”
“How’d you figure that out?” Alec asked seriously, his voice losing that carefree charm.
“She glowed.”
“Damn.” He drew the word out; I think he was starting to understand how serious this whole situation was.
“It was a reaction to me. I put her in danger, and I couldn’t control myself. If it wasn’t for the aurora burst… well, I dread to think what would have happened.” The guilt sank like lead in my stomach. I was trying to stay calm and focused, but I knew my control was slipping through my fingers. If I didn’t get a grip on whatever was happening, then I was not going to be in any fit state to protect Lori. That made me feel like a failure.
“Shit. I’ll update the team. Maybe Fenris will be of help.”
Fenris was a highly skilled mage, but he’d honed those skills since he was a child and it worried me what might happen to Lori if she had only just started to show these powers. “Perhaps. Have him look at late manifestations in mages and let me know if there are any concerns to be had. I don’t want Miss Monroe going off like a loose cannon.”
“Will do, and if you need to stop and feed, do it. You need to get Miss Monroe here in one piece and we can’t risk you feeding off a mage. See you tomorrow.” Alec hung up and I was left alone with my thoughts.
I took a deep breath, hoping it would calm me, but my emotions were still all over the place. I needed to hunt, to feed, to fuck. I needed to give into those primal urges, but I had to do it away from Lori. Heaven knows what she did to me. I couldn’t risk being around her when I was hungry. I took another deep breath. Slowly, I was starting to relax but after that outburst with Lori, I couldn’t afford to let the leash loosen on the beast within me even for a moment. All I had to do now was keep away from her. I would be the epitome of the professional mercenary. I would be cold, distant and unpleasant. I had to keep her away from me because I would never forgive myself if something happened to her on my watch. I had orders to follow and she was going to the Conclave whether she liked it or not. I mean, how hard could it be?
***
Nearly there. We were nearly at the Conclave. I just had to get through the forest and then I could hand her over and she would no longer be my problem. I thought back to last night. I yearned to taste her again. My cock twitched at the thought and it took all my willpower to keep my hands on the wheel. The predator in me could feel the gravitational pull of her arousal; the smell of it creeping into my senses bewitching me. The beast within me was curious about her and he wanted to rise to the surface to play. He knew something was unusual about Lori and he was itching to find out what. My knuckles whitened as my grip on the steering wheel tightened further and I had to concentrate on taking deep breaths to keep hold of my sanity.
