Page 50 of Blood Lust

Teaching new vampires to hunt isn’t difficult, but watching Wren try to coerce a human close enough to her is hard for me. I know it won’t take too long, and if it does, we will have a lesson in fast food.

A man approaches her, his eyes coveting what is not his.

I watch as she breathes him in deeply. I can tell this isn’t the human she seeks. She turns her back on him, dancing away.

Surprised at being refused, the man seethes. I reach a thought out, willing him to look my way. Proximity is essential to compulsion when you are new. My seven centuries and then some are enough to get this mortal to look at me from across the room.

His eyes flash to mine, and I can pinpoint the moment fear creeps down his backbone. Instead of pursuing Wren as he wants to, he turns away and retreats to his friends again.

I seek her out in the crowd once more. Unable to stop a sharp intake of breath when, to my surprise, I find her dancing with another man. Red colors the room as I am filled with the strong urge to rip him limb from limb.

Please don’t kill him. He smells tasty…

Rage simmers with annoyance and jealousy as my mate’s words cross my mind. This is the one she thirsts for. I examine him, trying to discern her type. His eyes are kinder than the last one. He seems unsure of himself, like he only worked up the courage because he had encouragement.

I smiled at him.

I begin crossing the room to them. Of course she did.

She could sense his goodness and gave him a welcoming smile.

No doubt it dazzled him until he had to ask her to dance with him—poor fool. I drink in her form with my eyes. He isn’t wrong, though. She is stunning. The flashing lights of the club change her color with them. Each shift seems to reveal a different piece of her beauty.

A thought reaches out to her, ready to guide her through the next part. Compel him to follow you and bring him into the shadows with me.

Determination settles on her features, giving her a fierce look, like a warrior. I watch as she licks her lips and stares into the soul of the man before her. He stops moving to the music, enraptured by her beguilement. He is lost in her stare. I see her lips form the words, “Come with me.”

Her hand clasps his arm, guiding him, his bewitched feet willingly obeying her commands.

First try? Charlee was right. Impressive.

Rolando had done just as well three hundred and some odd years ago. I want to take credit as a fantastic teacher, but I only guided him in compulsion, and he was a natural. Some vampires are just gifted in the art of beguiling humans. I think it has something to do with how charismatic they are in life.

Finally reaching me, I grin at the prideful look on her face. Smug. We are hidden at the edge of the room.

“Now, when you find where you’d like to feed from, listen closely to his heart. Keep your concentration and pull until his heartbeat starts to slow, and then stop.” I lend her my expertise, hoping it would give her a much-needed anchor to focus on.

Worry pinches her perfect face. “What if I can’t stop again?”

I brush her hair behind her ear, allowing my hand to graze her cheek as I do so. “You’ll be able to stop. And if you struggle this time, I’m here to help you.”

I watch as she searches for her mark. As she breathes him in, I am reminded of a dog circling on a bed. She passes the same spots once, twice, three times. She is finding it difficult to pick. Nostrils flaring, her eyes snap open as she settles on the right place. I am not surprised in the least when she locks eyes on his neck.

Necks are juicy, and the blood flows nicely.

I watch as she poises her mouth against this man’s skin. How I long to rip him from her and string him up as a warning to others that Wren is mine. Forcing myself to accept that she is feeding and this is just sustenance, I bury the impulse to kill this man. Her beautiful fangs penetrate him, a small amount of blood dribbling from the punctures, escaping before her lips can close the seal against his flesh.

Her eyes roll back into her head as she drinks deeply. I can feel the joy he brings her. I take the man’s hand and raise his wrist to my lips, sinking my fangs in, allowing the tiniest trickle to flow into my mouth. I don’t need to feed from him, but I will monitor his pulse for my lovely mate.

A moan escapes her mouth as she pulls deeper still. The man’s eyes flutter with pleasure. He is tall and houses enough blood for her to fill herself nicely. This makes me glad, if only so I don’t have to watch this happen again tonight.

After a few minutes, I feel his pulse slow, and his heart skips a beat. I pull his wrist from my mouth and watch to see if she realizes the time has come. “Wren,” I say softly, touching her shoulder when she doesn’t stop.

Slapping it away, she growls at me.

I force my thoughts into her head. She will hear my words, whether her blood lust wants her to or not.

Wren, that’s enough.

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