Page 32 of Blood Moon

Are you with him right now? That was a strange question.

Actually, no. I think he’s angry with me. I ran off to think, and now I’m sitting here alone. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell Eli or not, but for some reason I trusted him.

Where? I’m coming to pick you up. Why was it that I wanted to tell Eli where I was, but not Viktor? Because Viktor was being a dick, that’s why. Ugh. I knew that if I went anywhere with Eli I would be making things worse, but all I wanted was for someone to hold me and tell me everything would be fine. Viktor wasn’t exactly going to do that. Which meant I had no choice but to follow my heart.

I’m on Ninth, near the park. I’ll meet you there. My heart was pounding at the chance to see him again and keep him from meeting with Viktor. What was I so afraid of? Would Viktor really hurt Eli? I was pretty sure I already knew the answer to that.

Be there in five. Black Porsche.

I walked over to the park and waited for Eli. He showed up in less than five minutes. I slipped into the car and as I buckled my seatbelt, I looked out the window just in time to see Viktor walking down the other end of the street. He turned the radio down as I entered the car.

“Please don’t fight with him. Can we just go? I need some time away,” I begged, not realizing that Eli had no idea what had happened with Viktor.

“He can’t see you. My windows are tinted so dark no one can see inside. If you don’t want to go with him, you don’t have to. You can stay with me,” Eli offered.

“I don’t know. I just can’t be around him right now, and I would rather you not be either,” I replied.

“That’s enough for me, love. Hold on,” he said as he squealed tires and sped down the street. I covered my eyes because I thought for sure we were going to die in a fiery crash before we got to our destination. Eli’s laughter was music to my ears when he realized that I was basically curled up in a ball braced for impact.

“Sorry, I’ll slow down. We’re almost there, anyway. You wanna tell me what you and Vik were fighting about?” He looked at me as he pulled the car into a garage and parked. Just as I was about to answer, his phone rang.

“Yeah, this is Strain. What’s up?” He listened for a minute before responding. “Oh, really? He thinks I’ll drop everything for an unscheduled meeting. What a dick.”

He paused, then, “No, Marcy, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of the problem. You did exactly what I asked of you. Thank you.”

When he hung up the phone, he turned to me. “Your boyfriend is causing some issues for me with my staff. He called and harassed my secretary trying to set up a last-minute meeting with me today. You wanna tell me what that’s all about?” His blue eyes burned into me.

“He wants you to leave me alone. I’m afraid he’ll kill you. Please don’t meet with him.” Tears started to fall, and I could tell from Eli’s face, he wasn’t happy about it. He reached over and wiped the tears from my cheek, then leaned in and kissed me gently.

“I’m not scared of him. You know that, right? But if you want me to stay away from him, I will. Only because you asked. I don’t want to do anything else to hurt you. Trust me, I have my reminder of what happens if I do.” He gestured to his hand, which looked perfectly normal.

“I don’t understand what you mean.” I scrunched up my face and tried to see what he was motioning to.

“Oh, I forgot. This thing looks almost real.” He grinned, then popped the hand off his wrist. I couldn’t help myself and gasped at it. I had somehow forgotten all about Viktor slicing off his hand for trying to take me from him. He quickly secured it before turning back to me. “I’m sorry, love. Let’s go inside and talk. We’ll figure out what to do about Vik, then I can take you home if you want.”

The whole thing was so ridiculous that I laughed. We climbed out of the sports car, then he walked around and put his arm across my shoulders. “What’s so funny?”

“I don’t have a home. You destroyed it. I have a room that Viktor gave me, but as pissed as he has to be by now, I may not have anywhere to go.” Even though I was laughing, I was pissed, embarrassed, and hurt. It was all too much to process.

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. I really am sorry. I had no idea you lived above the bar. I just lost my temper when he swept you away from me.” Pain showed in his blue eyes.

“Maybe the three of us should talk together. I just don’t know how to make that happen without the two of you trying to kill each other over me,” I admitted. “I don’t want to be the cause of a war.”

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to, but I will defend myself if he attacks. Other than that, I’m open to a discussion. Does that mean you’re ready to choose?” Eli leaned in close and pressed his lips to mine. I couldn’t help myself. I turned toward him and jumped into his arms.

He pressed me against a pillar in the garage and kissed me as if his life depended on it. I wrapped my legs around his waist. His lips left mine and trailed down my neck, stopping for a moment when he reached my pulse point. I knew what he was considering, but didn’t fight or push him away. I knew that he could lose control and drain me, but I didn’t care. I wanted his lips on me; I wanted him to taste me. I wanted him to fuck me.

I pulled my hair out of the way and gave him better access. I heard his fangs click as they descended. It was exciting and terrifying. “I need you to say it. I won’t drink if you don’t.” His voice was raspy and full of need.

“Bite me,” I breathed. This could very well be the worst decision I’d ever made. In this position, there was no way I could get free if he did lose control. He kissed me again, making me dizzy with desire. I should have been worried about what I had just agreed to. Instead of panicking, I leaned into him as his teeth penetrated my skin. The feeling was orgasmic, and I moaned.

A moment later, I was standing there on my own, holding the pillar to keep myself upright. My head reeled from being dropped as he disappeared. “Eli? What happened?” I whispered, looking around for him.

Chapter 32

Viktor

After searching for more than an hour, I had given up temporarily and returned to my car. I was just about to call Jones when my phone started to ring. Strain. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist calling me, especially with the message I’d left.

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