Page 15 of To Crave Darkly
Fuck.
This was harder than I thought it was going to be. She was luring me, tempting me to just let go and have my way with her. I took a quick glance at her, but she didn’t even notice. She was facing away from me, staring out the window. Fragile was the word that came to mind when I looked at her, but I knew there was a feistiness buried in there too. That contradiction captivated me. I just had to look at her and I was enthralled, ready to fall into those big brown eyes and lose myself forever.
I let out a groan and Lori looked at me.
“Are you alright?” she asked, concerned.
“Yes,” I growled.
Fuck. I was not alright. I was ready to pull this car over, throw her over my knee and bring my hand down on her pert little ass for all her god-damn defiance.
Thankfully, she turned back to the window and I was safe from her gaze again. I shouldn't have let her kiss me last night. Now all I can think about is the taste of her sweet mouth and the feel of those soft curves beneath me. She had demanded my attention and I gave it to her, pinning her to the table so she couldn't do anything but focus on me. I had meant to scare her, not turn her on. The last thing I expected was for her to kiss me. Then she had to go and catch her tongue on my fangs and let me taste the sweet, sweet flavour of her blood. Jesus Christ, I'd never tasted anything so pure, so blissful, so... euphoric.
I didn’t remember the last time I felt this savage. It was like I was fighting myself for control over my own actions. My head wanted to stay professional but the beast within was trying to claw its way to the surface, trying to break free from its cage and run wild. I was hoping that when I fed later I could rid myself of this scorching ache in my chest that burned my throat. But the more I thought about feeding from someone other than Lori, the more the ache in my chest burned. It was like the beast couldn’t bear to think about feeding from someone else. I heard the quickenedthump thumpof her heartbeat calling to me. It was hypnotic in its persistence.
Thump,thump.
My fangs lengthened. Shit. Focus, Jasper. I turned my thoughts back to the assignment, hoping that the strategic thinking would stop me from ripping Lori’s throat out.
I didn’t even register the SUV until it hit us. The sound of the metal crumpling cut through the silence and the car swerved to the right before the SUV collided with us again. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I hadn’t even seen them following us.
“Jasper!” Lori shouted.
“Hang on!” I called to her as I tried to manoeuvre the car away from the SUV. I caught sight of it charging towards us again and I pushed the accelerator to the floor of the car, revving the engine into action. I just managed to avoid being hit but the SUV was still chasing us. I got a glimpse in the mirror of the driver.
Marcus Quinn. Shit. He was one of the best mercenaries for hire out there. Lethal with every weapon and god knows how many confirmed kills. Whoever was after Lori had some serious money to bank roll those particular skills.
I pulled out to overtake the car in front of me, swerving into the oncoming traffic. A car horn wailed as I narrowly missed someone and heard the screech of brakes as I caused havoc on the road behind me. Quinn was still following me. I sped up, hearing the engine groan in protest. My eyes darted from left to right, trying to find somewhere to draw Quinn out. I needed to get off this road.
Up ahead, I spotted a turning buried between some trees and drove the car into the forest. Relying on instinct, I grabbed the handbrake and the car jolted to the left as I drifted it round that tight corner. Lori screamed at the unexpected movement and I threw a quick glance her way, checking she was ok. Her hands gripped the seatbelt as she clung to it, holding on for dear life.
The unmistakable pop of a gun sounded over the noise of the car. The rear window smashed and glass sprayed everywhere. Quinn rammed the back of the car and we lurched forward. He pulled back and did it again catching the corner of the car. It swerved toward the trees. I tried to correct the direction of the car but he charged again. This time I lost control of the car. It smashed straight into a tree and the airbags deployed with a loud bang.
The pounding in my ears coupled with sharp hiss of the engine disorientated me. I looked over at Lori, but she wasn’t moving.
“Lori!” I called out. Relief flooded through me when I heard her groan in response.
“Jasper,” Quinn shouted, “you dead?”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Quinn,” I replied stepping out of the mangled remains of the car.
“Good, it’s been a while since I’ve had a worthy adversary.”
I let out a sharp laugh and looked him over. His whole persona screamed military; buzz cut, solid stance, combat pants and plain black top. I wasn’t the nicest guy out there but Quinn made me look like fucking rainbows and sunshine by comparison. That guy was evil.
“Who hired you?” I asked, knowing full well he wouldn’t give me an answer, but you never know, today might be my lucky day.
“Come on, you know I can’t tell you that,” he replied. “You ready to die, old friend?”
“Are you?” I goaded.
He smirked at me before running towards me with his fist aimed at my face. I managed to dodge his attack but I was still groggy from crashing into the tree so I didn’t see his second swing as it connected with my ribs. I countered with a right hook to his jaw and he stumbled backwards, laughing. He lunged for me again but this time I was ready. I blocked his attack and brought my knee to his groin. He stepped backwards before thrusting his hand upwards, connecting the heel of his palm with my nose. The bone snapped and blood dripped down my chin.
I wiped my face clean and spat out the blood that fell into my mouth. I beckoned him to come at me again, planting my feet firmly on the ground ready for his next assault. He charged at me, faster than the human eye could see and punches flew between us. His bones crunched under my knuckles and I felt mine break and heal over and over again as we exchanged hits. I thrust both my hands against his chest and he flew backwards.
“Tired yet?” Quinn taunted.
We were both breathing heavily, both covered in blood. Both determined to be the last one standing. We both knew only one of us was getting out of this alive.
