Page 51 of To Quench Her Thirst

Addie began to feel faint and cold. The world was so far away now and the air was getting thinner. The g-forces caused by their upward ascent made her dizzy. Then the freezing wind ripped the black cloak right off her body, whirling it away into the purple sky.

“Please, Drake!” she heard herself moaning, not even knowing if the huge creature could hear her. “Please, just take me to the ship and put me down! Put me…down.”

The last sentence started as a shout…and faded to a whisper. The wind pressure and cold were too much for her. Though she tried to stay conscious to see where they were going, Addie couldn't manage it. Black flowers began to bloom in her field of vision. They spread and spread until they filled the entire sky.

Then everything was gone and Addie knew no more.

30

DRAGO

Drago woke up naked in the landing field right beside his ship. He felt shaky and weak and confused—just as he had after the Drake had taken over his body during his manhood ceremony.

My Drake!

Suddenly he remembered feeling his other half coming out and not being able to stop him. The Drake had been determined to fight the giant spider that had been menacing Addison…and that was the last thing he remembered.

But wherewashis Fated Mate? Looking around frantically, Drago finally located her lying several meters away from him in the tall grass of the field. He staggered over, praying that she wasn’t injured or dead. Oh Goddess, if his Drake had hurt her…

She was lying motionless on the grass, apparently unconscious. At least she wasn’t dead, though—he could see her chest rising and falling. But her soft, curvy, naked body was covered in cuts and scratches.

Drago was horrified.

Goddess, what did he do to her? How did she get injured?

He searched his memory but it was a blank. Clearly he had blacked out, just as he had the first time his Drake had come out.

Guilt filled him. Once again he had lost control of the beast that lived inside him and once again someone innocent had paid the price for his weakness. Only this time, it was the woman he loved—his Fated Mate—who had been hurt. And he had been too ineffectual to protect her.

Grimly, he knelt beside her. There were some glass shards in her hair which he brushed carefully away. Maybe that was the answer to her many cuts and slices. Drago wanted badly to heal her—but he didn’t know if he deserved to. He had failed her in so many ways—first he’d been unable to protect her from the giant spider and then he couldn’t even protect her from his own Drake! Would she ever forgive him?

Whether she did or not, Drago knew he was never going to forgive himself.

31

ADDIE

Addie woke up to find that she was being carried in someone’s arms, but they weren’t walking very steadily. In fact, it was the swaying, staggering gait that had woken her.

She looked up blurrily and saw Drago above her. There was a sneer of effort on his face and a look of concentration in his golden eyes. He looked like a man who was carrying a heavy burden up a hill and was determined to get to the top, no matter how difficult it was.

The heavy load is me!Addie realized with dawning horror.Oh God, he’s having a really hard time!

“Drago?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Huh?” He looked down for a minute. “Oh, you’re awake.”

“Yes, and I can walk on my own.” Addie struggled to get down and he nearly dropped her.

“Wait a fucking minute!” he growled irritably. “Don’t want to hurt you!”

Stopping in the middle of the field—(Why were they in a field? Addie couldn’t remember)—he set her carefully on her feet, though he kept an arm around her, presumably to keep her from falling over.

Addiedidfeel weak—though not as weak as the big Kindred looked. Normally he could pick her up like she weighed no more than a pillow but now he was almost panting.

“Are you okay?” she asked him anxiously.

He barked an unhappy laugh.

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