Page 25 of The Rabbit's Foot
“And what about you? Do you want me too?”
“Yes!” Mal hissed. “You know I fucking do. Why do you think I keep touching you? I love the feeling of your hair, of your skin beneath my fingers. When you’re asleep, I lay there and listen to your heart beating, and that’s the only thing that’ll relax me enough to follow you.”
Soul-bound? To be with Mal forever? To feel as safe as he had since the day Mal rescued him? Alp didn’t see a downside.
He tilted his neck, offering it to Mal. “Okay, go ahead. Bite me.” He sucked in a breath. “Please?”
* * *
Mal couldn’t be hearing right. The buildup of testosterone had to have blocked his ears, because no way was Alp, the tiny bunny, asking the wolf to bite him. It simply wasn’t possible.
“Do you know what you’re asking me to do?” Mal snarled, tightening his grip on Alp’s shoulder.
That earned him a sweet smile. “Yes. I’m asking you to keep me safe, to protect me, to be part of me forever. I don’t see the downside here.”
“When this is all said and done, I was planning to leave.”
Alp smiled up at him, and damned if Mal’s heart didn’t thump a little harder. “Life on the road? Sounds great. I love riding on your motorcycle.”
Mal leaned in a little closer. He could smell Alp’s blood just beneath the surface. The rush of it through his veins called to Mal, demanded he take it. But this was Alp, who’d already lost so much. What would happen if Mal was to die? No, he couldn’t.
“I—I can’t,” he said, drawing away. It was agonizing, not claiming Alp. The wolf was going nuts, but Mal was more than an animal.
Soft hands pressed to Mal’s face. “You can. You will. I want this. Want you.”
“It’s only been a few weeks. You can’t possibly want me.”
He tried to move away again, but Alp tightened his grip.
“My mom and dad got married the day after their first date, and they’ve been together nearly thirty years now. Rabbits know when it’s right. It’s like a gift we possess. And this? You and me? I know it’s right.” He let his head fall to the side, exposing that creamy skin. “Bite me, Mal. Make us forever.”
Unbidden, Mal’s canines dropped. He didn’t want to do this. Didn’t want to cause Alp any more pain than he’d already suffered, but he nuzzled Alp’s neck, tasting the sweetness of his skin. He opened his mouth, and one of his fangs nicked Alp’s neck, which caused him to arch his back with a hiss.
“Alp,” Mal pleaded, sniffing the tiny droplet of blood that had pearled where his tooth had hit. It was earthy, sweet, and strong. Nothing else Mal had smelled even came close. “Please, get up and walk away. I promise I won’t stop you.”
Alp slid a hand around Mal’s neck. “You’re presuming I want to go anywhere. I’m very happy where I am right now, thank you.” He smirked and tapped the side of his neck. “Let’s go, man. Make with the hickey.”
A growl rolled out of Mal. Why was Alp doing this? And why, dear Maker, was Mal so powerless to resist?
“You know, if I could, I’d bite you,” Alp said, clearly unafraid. He drew his hand from Mal’s neck and brought it to his own, then ran slender fingers over his skin. “Take a nibble, Mal. Taste me.”
But that one insignificant drop of blood was already lighting up Mal’s every sense. It inflamed his desires, and he hungered for more. He moved in closer and opened his mouth wide.
“That’s it. Bite me. Make me yours.” Then Alp whispered, “I love you.”
And that was it. Mal struck, driving his fangs into the soft flesh. Alp squeaked and reached out to claw his fingernails over Mal’s back. Fearful of hurting him, Mal tried to pull away, until Alp moaned.
“Harder.”
That one word, breathed out on a husky exhale, let Mal know this was okay. This was right. Alp was his now, and would be forever. He bit down harder, and blood flooded his mouth. Never before had Mal been so filled with energy. With Alp pinned beneath him, with his blood dancing on Mal’s tongue, Mal believed there was nothing he couldn’t do.
Even something as hard as falling in love.
Damned rabbit.
* * *
Holy mother of the Maker! Never before in his life had Alp had an experience like that. Pure, white-hot agony flooded him when Mal bit him. It was far worse than anything Hyde had done, even when he’d cut off the hand. Alp felt as though his body was being torn apart, sundered atom by atom, and each one of those had been dipped in acid before it was set on fire.
