Page 3 of Bitten By Desire

My ears began to ring, drowning out the commotion that erupted when Julian slipped from my grasp and dove for the supe three times his size. I stumbled as they collided, issuing what must have been close to a sonic boom but sounded to me like a rumble from deep beneath the ground. Julian’s body flew past me, hitting the trunk of the willow above my mother’s grave and threatening to uproot it.

I heard myself scream and ran toward him only to be stopped by something hard and unforgiving grabbing me around the waist and hauling me into the air, several feet off the ground.

“Let her go!” Sam growled from beside me as my hearing started to clear. His face warped into a snout with vicious teeth elongating as he dove behind me.

The grip on my waist released, and I dropped to the grass in a crouch, spinning to find the general in a battle with Sam as Daphne jumped on the large man’s back to wrap her arms around his thick neck. Lydia slid past where Sam was taking a wicked punch and sent her own fist flying between the general’s legs.

“Go,” Hazel spun me toward her and lifted fingers sparkling with electricity. “Zoe will get you out while we distract him.”

“But…Julian.” I zeroed in on the vampire who struggled on the ground at the foot of the willow. A branch rose from beneath him at an awkward angle, having impaled his thigh, and stuck straight through his leg.

“Get him out of sight and she’ll portal you,” Hazel said, then leaped toward the insanity at my back.

My body took over, and I ran to Julian’s side, dropping to my knees.

“Go,” he said through ragged breaths.

I stared at the obvious lack of blood surrounding the wound. “You haven’t been feeding,” I accused, realizing why he seemed too weak to pull it out himself.

He froze, staring into my eyes, helpless, pleading silently for me to leave him. I shook my head. He should have known me well enough by now. I grabbed hold of his leg.

“This is going to hurt. But you have to help,” I instructed as another body flew by me and rolled on the ground.

Daphne grunted and stood again, sunshine hair wild and half loose from her twist. The grass beneath her bulged and rose as she jumped, sending her higher than humanly possible as she flew back into the fight. I’d never seen her manipulate nature like that before, but it made sense she could being bonded to the land.

“Now,” Julian said, bringing me back to the task.

I took a deep breath and yanked up as he rolled to the side. The branch slid out with a horrible squelching sound as Julian screamed. But the second he was free, he climbed to his feet, setting his weight on his right, uninjured leg, and reached for my hand.

He tugged me toward the cliff that overlooked the water, and I followed, trusting him while fighting my own instincts. I knew exactly what the plan was the second I saw Zoe crouched down behind a large tombstone to the left.

“Stop!” The general bellowed from behind, but an enormous dragon-shaped shadow eclipsed the sunlight above us as Karma dove behind to cover our retreat.

“I’ll find you when I can,” Zoe said as Julian propelled us toward the edge of the cliff.

Gravity took a moment before tugging me down—or at least that’s how it felt when we hit free fall. The shining blue edges of Zoe’s portal opened in a wide maw beneath us as we dropped through, hand in hand.

Chapter 2

The Succubus and the Changeling

We hit solid ground, Julian on top of me as we tumbled down a grassy hill, rolling as we clutched each other, my heart racing against his sturdy chest. When we finally came to a stop, I stared up at him, breathing fast as the reality of what had just happened settled over me.

“Are you unharmed?” Julian asked softly, stroking my hair back from my face.

“I am, but you aren’t,” I recalled as I shoved my way to my knees to examine him.

With the infinite patience Julian seemed to possess, he allowed me to take a look at his bloody leg. I winced at the gaping wound that went straight through his thigh, exposing his bone.

“How did you manage to walk on that?” I asked, wanting to tend to it but unsure how without hurting him further.

“I’ve had worse,” he said and tilted my chin up so I’d look at his eyes instead of the hole in his leg. “We seem to be in an unpopulated area, though I have no idea where.”

“We have to find someone for you to feed on,” I said, looking around for the first time. The sun shone brightly overhead, and mountains rose in the distance. Thick foliage filled the gaps.

“It can wait until I’m sure you’re safe.” Julian stood awkwardly, favoring his wounded limb. But his words left no room for argument. It was a good thing I wasn’t intimidated by him anymore.

“You can’t help me or anyone else unless you take care of yourself.” I set my hands on my hips as I rose to meet him. I continued just as he opened his mouth to protest. I knew him well enough to understand that was his intention. “You want to protect me from enemies like the general? Then you have to be strong enough to do so.”

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