Page 36 of Claiming the Dhampir

I almost gasped at her response and the way she reacted to her mate. Lorna would never talk to Damon like that. Apparently, her dhampir felt differently.

Did I really not have enough blood left in my body to tempt a dhampir? I felt like shit, but I didn’t think it was that bad. Was the magic in her blood giving me false hope? Was it making me feel alive when I should be more concerned about my death?

Damon’s gaze shifted from Lorna to me. His brow furrowed, and I could see him working through all the possible scenarios.

“Only give him enough to get him to the fortress,” Damon finally said. “Do not entrance him.”

I should’ve been upset that he didn’t ask my opinion on the matter. Maybe I did look like a walking corpse, one who couldn’t answer for himself. And what would I say after Lorna’s declaration? Nothing. She was willing to piss off her soulmate in order to save me.

I should be mad about her entrancing me, but it was only to convince me to swallow her blood. I understood she was merely trying to keep me alive. Since I had no intention of dying today, I wouldn’t argue. Was it possible Damon was mad about her arousal? He never acted like he was jealous of Kenrid. But the fae was also her mate. I was nothing to her.

I didn’t know how to feel about it. She shouldn’t want to protect me. She’d all but avoided me for weeks. I’d done my best not to make her feel threatened when we were together in the same room. After Conrad’s treatment, and my own emotional detachment, I never expected her to want anything from a vampire.

I’d stopped trying to convince myself that it hurt to see her with my team. Jealousy and I had become close friends since Damon and Kenrid claimed her. There were so many obstacles keeping me away from her, though. Dhampir and vampires had so much history, and none of it was good.

She was no ordinary dhampir, was she? She would never allow me to cage her, and I wouldn’t dream of trying. Lorna had better control of herself than anyone else I knew. Here she was, feeding a vampire on the verge of death, who’d shown her nothing but disdain. A vampire who could easily drain her dry because of his own desperate thirst.

The thought of my own thirst led me right back to Lorna leaning over me, offering her blood. My mouth watered and my vision darkened, focusing completely on her wrist.

“Damon’s right,” I said. “Don’t allow me to take too much. Do whatever you need to in order to stop me.”

“I just told her not to entrance you, Nathan,” Damon argued from the front seat.

Apparently, we were moving again. I hadn’t noticed, which should have sent alarm bells ringing in my head. I needed blood, but I didn’t need to kill Lorna in the process. I must have voiced my thoughts.

“I’ll stop you if I need to,” Lorna said. “I have no intention of dying today, either.”

I pulled her wrist to my mouth and drank down her glorious blood. I shouldn’t have worried about taking too much. Moments later, I passed out again.

Chapter 13

Lorna

Islumped on the sofa in Nathan’s living room while Damon took care of his wounded and unconscious friend. I probably should’ve helped clean Nathan’s wounds, but he’d started to heal. His blood called to me, getting stronger with each beat of his heart. My desire for him was worse now than the first time I saw him. Probably because my blood raced through his veins, and my dhampir’s natural instinct was kicking in full force.

The temptation to taste him was too great. So I’d taken a shower and put on some of the extra clothes that Nathan kept for Elliott in his guest room. The shorts and t-shirt were way too big for me, but I didn’t care. They were clean.

And I was exhausted. I couldn’t even tell that I’d slept like a baby and woken up completely refreshed and satisfied just a few hours ago. It seemed like days had passed since I’d claimed Elliott and snuggled into his warm embrace. I longed for his comforting magic to wrap around me. I needed to know that everything would be okay. That everyone would be okay.

Elliott promised that he would bring Kenrid home. Shouldn’t they be here already? Or would he have taken Kenrid to Damon’s part of the fortress? My eyes popped open; when had they closed? I needed to tell Elliott to come here!

I searched for my phone but couldn’t find it. When had I lost it? I mentally ran back through the last couple of hours. When did I have it last? At the house where Alyssa kidnapped me. I must have dropped it when she jerked me into that portal.

“Shit,” I mumbled. My mind felt like a whirlwind had run through one ear and out the other, taking everything with it. As hard as I tried to concentrate, nothing stuck. I pressed my palms against my eyes and drew in a deep breath. I let it out slowly, then took another breath. Time to sort my shit and get my thoughts back in order. I used to be so good at it.

“What’s wrong?” Damon asked.

I abandoned my unsuccessful efforts to meditate. Damon emerged from Nathan’s room in his human form. His dark eyes found mine and my lip trembled.

My voice wavered as I said, “I need to call Elliott.” I blinked away the tears blurring my vision. So much for trying to sort my shit. “I need to tell him to bring Kenrid here. I need to see him. I need to know he’s okay. That they’re both okay.”

I searched Damon’s body for signs of injury. He’d been hit with so many spells. How was he not injured? He seemed fine. No blood, no cuts, no bruises, nothing. Demons had to be immune to fae magic. It was the only explanation.

Damon sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap, cradling me like a child. I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck. The tears I’d been trying to keep away finally broke through.

“Are you okay?” I asked between silent sobs. “Please tell me you’re not hurt.”

“I’m not hurt,” he replied, rubbing my back in slow circles. “You are the only one who can hurt me, little d’laej.”

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