Page 59 of Forged in Blood

He inches closer. “That is the quickest and surest death, but unfortunately not the only one.”

“Are you messing with me? Is this some kind of trick to get me to?—”

His hand goes around my throat, and he pushes me back against the desk and steps between my thighs. In spite of every rational cell in my body shouting that this is bad, a helpless, hungry whimper tumbles from my mouth as his body presses flush against mine. He rests his lips against the shell of my ear. “Do not underestimate me, Ophelia. This is not a request. I will not allow Axl to perish when you are so easily capable of saving him. Now, you will come with me, and you will give him what he needs. Do you understand me?”

I feel the power radiating from him, aware that he could easily snap my neck with a mere twitch of his fingers. What the hell have I gotten myself into? “Y-yes,” I rasp.

He releases me, but his eyes stay fixed on mine while I rub at my tender skin. “Let us go.”

He turns, and having no choice but to obey, I grab my raincoat from the peg on the door and follow him out of the building into the fresh air. Heavy clouds darken the sky, but the rain seems to be held at bay for now.

“What does this mean?” I ask, practically jogging to keep up with his pace. “Why is my blood so special? Can all people make vampires sick? Will he get sick again? Will he always need my blood?”

He shoots me an annoyed look over his shoulder, then frowns. “Do you always ask so many questions?”

“When I’m about to have my soul feasted on by a creature of the night, yes!”

His frustration is palpable and makes the damp air even heavier. I should try to dial it down a little, but my innate curiosity won’t let me. There’s so much to know, and he’s infuriatingly uncommunicative. “Can you at least tell me if I’m going to be his snack bag for the rest of my life? Because that would put a big dent in my life plans.”

He turns and gives me his full attention once more, and I almost wish he hadn’t because the fiery look he gives me makes my knees wobble. Why do I feel as though he’d like me to be his snack too? But that’s ridiculous. A vampire as powerful as Alexandros Drakos would take whatever he wanted from me. Still, I can’t help but notice the electricity that always seems to crackle between us. “He will not get sick again. And you will not need to be hissnack bagunless you choose to be.”

“Well, that’s good, then. Axl gets better and I can go on living my life. Better yet, I never have to see any of you assholes again.” I shove my hands into the pockets of my raincoat. “That’s all good.”

His sideways glance tells me he doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame him. I’m not sure I believe myself.

I’m notin any way prepared for the sight that greets me when I walk into Axl’s room. He lies curled up in the middle of his bed, his dry, cracked lips trembling over chattering teeth. The pallor of his skin makes him unrecognizable. As I draw nearer, I can see his usually sparkling chocolate-brown eyes are matte black. Bloodshot and drawn, they stare right through me, dominating his pale features.

Malachi puts a hand on my arm. “Careful, Ophelia. He’s not himself.” I shrug him off. He doesn’t get to pretend to care after what he did.

“He poses no danger to her.” The professor’s calm tone carries across the room.

I take a step closer, feeling no fear because I sense that he’s right, although I have no evidence to base that assumption on. I’m so driven by my feelings around them all, especially Professor Drakos. I seem to operate with my senses rather than any logical thought processes, which is probably a good thing given that they’re, you know, vampires.

Axl’s nose wrinkles. He sniffs the air and croaks, “Ophelia?”

I glance behind me at the professor, looking for guidance, and he simply nods at me to go on. I sit on the bed beside Axl. “I’m here.”

His teeth snap together, and he snarls but makes no attempt to bite me.

Xavier and Malachi stare at the two of us, then shoot a worried glance at the professor. “Fuck, Alexandros. Give him permission,” Xavier pleads.

I blink. “Permission?”

Alexandros steps farther into the room, rubbing a hand over his jaw and staring at Axl with such pain on his face that it makes my heart ache. I’m so out of my depth here, thrust into a world where I have no idea of the rules.

“Alexandros!” Xavier snaps. “He would never disobey you. You know that. Let him feed.”

I swallow hard, my pulse spiking. Feed? That sounds so brutal. Once the professor gives permission, what then? Do I only feel safe because of the power he still wields over Axl, even in this near-rabid state?

I don’t have any more time to worry because the professor’s commanding voice fills the room. “You may bite her, Axl.”

As soon as the words leave the professor’s lips, Axl’s hand is on the back of my head. I yelp with surprise when he sinks his sharp fangs into my skin and begins to suck, so gently that I don’t feel any pain. Instead, warm waves of pleasure roll over me. To my mortification, I moan. Loudly.

With a grunt, Axl flips me onto my back and pins me to his bed while he drinks from my neck. It shouldn’t feel this good, but pleasure engulfs me like the warmth from a fire on a winter day. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around him, holding him close as euphoria snakes through my veins, warming my limbs and setting my core aflame. It feels so good that I wrap my legs around his waist and shamelessly grind against him despite our audience. My brain screams at me that this is wrong, but I’m unable to stop my body from responding to his.

He lifts his head and licks my blood from his lips, his brown eyes sparkling once more. “Holy fuck, Pyro,” he says with a grin.

“Are you okay now?” I whisper.

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