Page 16 of Undying
And lurch back at the smell of earth, dark woods, and danger.
Yet he still doesn’t move, doesn’t take any measures to restrain me. I relax against him slightly, my legs coming to settle around his hips as I straddle his much larger frame. Uncomfortable under his too intense regard, my gaze wanders to his lightly tanned skin, then drops to the thick beard covering his face.
Unable to resist touching him, I reach out, marveling when the dark strands of his beard prickle against my fingers. The man is a tad scruffy, but it suits his untamed nature. His dark, shoulder-length brown hair is wild, much like the man himself.
Curious, I push up his lip, then rear back when fangs brush against my fingertips.
Before I can peel myself off his body, his hands clamp down on my hips. I expect him to toss me or roll and pin me under him, but he does neither.
Weirdly, his touch eases the wild, panicked beat of my heart.
Which is peculiar.
After everything the vampires did to me during my brief stay, I can’t bear for anyone to stand near me, much less touch me.
I peer down at his hands and notice the wickedly sharp claws at the ends of his fingertips. Maybe I should be wary, but his hold is incredibly gentle…and totally at odds with the dark tattoos that dance up his arms before disappearing into the sleeves of his shirt, and I suddenly find myself curious to follow that path to see more.
Everything about the man screams danger and repressed violence. I should be terrified, cowering in a corner somewhere, but his nearness settles me, and I almost feel at peace for the first time in months.
“Tobias…don’t move.”
My head snaps up at the sound of that British accent. It’s only then that I realize I had been leaning toward the barbarian’s throat, almost hypnotized by the vein throbbing in his neck.
I shake my head to clear it, keeping my attention on the man who spoke. He jogs down the steps of the mansion, a resolute expression on his face, and my fangs throb at the sight of him.
My stomach twists painfully, and a growl rumbles in my chest.
Fucking vampires.
Before I have a chance to launch myself at him, the barbarian tightens his grip, his body tensing as he rolls to his feet, taking me with him.
Much to my shock, he pushes me behind him.
As if protecting me.
Giving me his back.
Trusting me, the foolish man.
I clench my eyes shut against temptation, my teeth grinding together as I struggle to resist the near compulsion to feed. I shake my head, the world around me swaying alarmingly, and I drop to my knees. “Hungry.”
Sweat beads on my brow, my body trembling with the demand to give in to the instinctual need for blood. I’m so weak that my thoughts go fuzzy, and all I want to do is go back to the oblivion of sleep.
No dreams.
No thoughts.
No hunger.
No pain.
Just peace from the never-ending torment that has become my life.
ChapterSix
MILO
My stomach cramps in sympathy for the poor girl, remembering what it’s like to go without blood. It’s especially excruciating for those newly turned. “She’s starving.”
