Page 67 of Forged in Blood

MALACHI

The doors open and students pour out of the building onto the pavement, laughing and talking. My girl will be one of the last people out. Alone, but no doubt with a contented look on her face. I admire her for not needing anyone else to complete her, but there’s a dull ache in my chest when I think about her sitting in her classes by herself, with nobody to laugh with or copy notes from if she zones out. I hate that for her, but I hate more that she believes she’s friendless because she’s the kind of person people don’t want to be around when that’s not remotely close to the truth.

I knew from the moment we met her that she was special. Xavier and Axl picked up on her unique scent, but her soul called to mine. The undeniable attraction went deeper than her being sexy and curious. And now I know why. Because she is inherently different from the rest of the world around her. An elementai. Unique. Powerful.

And humans, while they lack the knowledge to even begin to comprehend her kind of power, there is something in their baser selves that senses it. An old survival instinct. And that’s why they shun her—they’re afraid of her, and they don’t even know it. And she has been so used to that treatment all her life that she doesn’t notice when the type of creatures who are inherently drawn to her try to befriend her.

She walks out of the building, and as I expected, she has a smile on her face. She shields her eyes from the sun, and I take a moment to study the sinful curve of her hips and the toned muscles in her thighs in those tiny skirts she insists on wearing.

The second her eyes find mine, that soft smile of hers spreads wider, lighting up her whole goddamn face. And fuck, it burns me up from the inside knowing that she smiles like that for me. I adjust my rapidly hardening cock, my mouth watering at the promise of tasting her and fucking her as soon as I get her alone.

I jog toward her, and her grin grows stronger with each step I take. “Hey, Malachi,” a nasally voice says as I pass, but I pay no attention.

My girl does though. That incredible smile falters as she glances away from me, and I want to rip out the tongue of whoever dared speak my name like that in front of my girl.

I reach Ophelia and shield her body with mine, grabbing her jaw and directing her attention squarely back to me. “Right here is the only place you need to be looking, sweet girl.”

Her cheeks turn the same color as her hair. “Hi,” she whispers, sounding nervous even when she has no need to be.

“Hi, baby.” I take her backpack from her and shrug it onto my right arm, slinging my left one over her shoulder. “Did you have a good day?”

“I did actually. Did you get some sleep?”

“A solid seven hours. So I’m good to go all night.”

Her breath catches in her throat, making me laugh. I run my nose over her jawline. Fuck me, she smells so good that I’m tempted to bite her right now in front of all these people. Bite her, then throw her up against the nearest tree and sink my dick inside her. “I’ll take it easy on you, sweet girl,” I assure her.

Her blue eyes widen. “Do you want to bite me too?”

I lick my lips. “Since the second I first smelled you.”

Her brow furrows. “But I’m just one person. And if you all bite me… I kind of need my blood to, you know, live.”

I run my knuckles over her cheek, and the way she looks at me, so full of longing and a trust that I haven’t earned yet, makes warmth spread in my chest. “We can’t take too much blood. It’s impossible.”

Her frown deepens, and that cute spot between her eyebrows pinches together. “Why impossible?”

I lean closer and she shivers. “It’s evolution, baby. Once we bite you, we’re incapable of harming you, and that includes taking too much blood.”

She blinks. “But you bite people all the time.” Her voice is little more than a whisper as we make our way across the quad.

“But you’re different, sweet girl. I thought you already knew that.”

“I don’t understand, Malachi. Last week, you told me that I meant nothing, and now all three of you…” Tears steal the rest of her sentence. I stop and cup her face in my hands, kissing the salty water from her face. Even her tears taste incredible.

“That was cruel, baby, and I’m so sorry. It fucking breaks me to think of how much we hurt you. But we weren’t allowed to taste you. We were ordered to push you away. A vampire’s oath to his sire is unbreakable.” I press my forehead against hers. “Tell me you understand?”

She sniffs. “I guess I do.”

I sigh and hug her to my chest.

“Was I forbidden because of my blood? Because the professor knew you’d get sick after one taste and need more?”

I nod. That and so much more, but now isn’t the time to tell her everything. And not only because I’m thinking with my dick and my primary goal is to get her somewhere where I can have her alone, although that’s the main reason. It will take me at least another ten minutes to get her to the house, but we just passed the library. I pick her up and wrap her legs around my waist.

“Malachi, what are you doing?” She giggles. “People are watching.”

I nip her neck. “Let them watch. I heard you’ve been neglecting your studies, fucking around with my brothers instead of having your head buried in those books. So I’m taking you to do some studying, naughty girl.”

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