Page 96 of Fallen Star

She screams, trying to push him off with a blast of wind.

But his jaws close around her neck, biting down, sending blood spurting out in a crimson arc.

It splatters across my face—rich, intoxicating, andalive.

A drop reaches my lips.

The taste.

The hunger erupts into an inferno, and my fangs descend, sharp and aching with desire.

Before I can process what I’m doing, I’m on my feet, and a blast of air magic sends Ghost stumbling back with a startled growl.

He hits a tree, shaking snow from its branches.

With the snow leopard out of the way, I pounce on the dark angel with inhuman speed, pinning her to the ground and holding her there with strength I didn’t know I had.

Her midnight eyes widen, and I lower my head to her neck, sinking my fangs into the place where Ghost’s bite broke her skin.

Her blood floods my mouth, and the world explodes, every nerve in my body surging to life. It’s rich and electric—the most wonderful thing I’ve ever consumed in my life. This is pure power, ancient and potent, singing through my veins with each desperate swallow.

She struggles beneath me, her wings beating uselessly against the snow, her hands clawing at my shoulders. But I barely feel it.

Nothing matters except the blood. The feed. The primal satisfaction of taking what I need.

More. More. MORE.

I drink deeply, the world fading away until there’s nothing but the rush of her life pouring into me.

Her struggles weaken, her pulse fluttering under my lips like a dying bird. She’s so delicious. I want—no, Ineed—every last drop.

But then, through the haze of bloodlust, a single word breaks through my mind.

Zoey.

This dark angel might know where the other one took her. But if I drain her dry, we lose our only lead.

I willnotlet lack of control over my hunger destroy our chance of finding her.

So, with every ounce of willpower I possess, I wrench myself away from her neck. My fangs retract, leaving a raw ache in their place, and I shove her limp body away from me.

Her chest still rises and falls in shallow breaths.

She’s alive.

Barely.

I stare down at her, heart pounding, head spinning as I process what I just did.

Shame rises inside me.

I don’t want to look at Riven. I can’t.

But I have to.

So, I wipe the blood off my face and turn to face him.

He’s frozen in place, his silver eyes wide with horror.

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