Page 26 of Eternally Yours

“Getting undressed. Here. Now. I’m... not sure.”

Even though her explanation was disjointed, I understood what she was trying to say. She was nervous about changing in front of me. “I can pull over somewhere, or at a rest stop if you prefer to wash up again.”

As I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, I noticed a small smile trace across her lips. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice low and flat. “I’d rather wait until we arrive, but thank you.” Turning from me, she continued to stare out the window.

She was still in so much shock from the incident she was struggling to process it all. I thought about reaching over and caressing her cheek, hoping to offer her some warmth, but the memory of her skin against my fingertips when we’d been so close back at my apartment was still too fresh in my mind—and in my body.

Touching her would ignite things inside me, and right now was not the right time. Truth was, if I was being honest with myself, there would never be a right time because touching her would lead me down a treacherous path.

Siring her had bonded us. We’d always be able to sense each other’s presence and thoughts. Even feel our pain and joy. It was why we had a rigorous selection process, to ensure we weaved strong, viable connections within families and potential mates. To avoid giving the gift to unfit, unstable, dangerous people who could weaken our coven.

My first mistake was siring someone who hadn’t been vetted. But my stupidest decision had been to let her drink from me after she had turned, especially from my neck. Doing so released our mating hormones and the pull to be with each other would now be too intense to avoid.

And now we were going to be alone in a secluded cabin. For who knew how long.

She was thinking about it too. I could sense her thoughts as well as if I could read her mind. But more than that, her scent gave her away. The sweet scent of her nervousness and arousal filled the car.

Fuck. Me. My gums throbbed with fire. After everything I’d been through the last twenty-four hours, I was beyond exhausted and in need of blood. And damn if I didn’t want anything more than to sink my teeth into her neck and taste the warm, liquid silk coursing through her body. The thought nearly made me pump the breaks and pull over on the shoulder.

I wanted to feel her skin. To kiss her lips. To make her mine. More importantly, I wanted to soothe her pain. Pain I’d caused her when I took her human life and gave her a life of exile and dishonor. Maybe my need for her was a mix of our bond and the guilt anchored to my gut, but it was just as potent as if we’d been a chosen pair.

And that was the exact reason I could never touch her, no matter how badly I wanted to. God knew the last thing I needed right now was to be bloodmated to…

Hell. I wasn’t even certain what Loren was. Up until she left my apartment, I thought she’d been a vampire, but the instant she faced off with the wolf it was as if a different instinct awakened in her, almost as if she’d been able to communicate with it.

I glanced at her again, taking in her delicate frame. Loren had sunken into herself, her body appearing even smaller as she held herself, her arms tightly crossed around each other. Seemed improbable she was the same girl who’d torn into Budrow only hours ago. All that raw energy and power. Her strength and dominance. Where had it come from?

Vampirism was known to enhance human traits, both the good stuff and all the shit you’d rather stayed buried. I didn’t know her well, but from the little I’d experienced at the apartment, Loren struck me as someone who as a human had been kind and tender. A bit shy, maybe. Closed in. Her vampire had been a bit bolder, but still reserved. What I saw in her eyes when the wolf threatened us? That was something entirely different. An alpha bristling with controlled rage.

Perhaps that part of her had been dormant until she was bitten by both wolf and vampire?

Could it be possible? A hybrid birthed from a terrible accident? But how? The beasts the Order bred in their labs were merely genetically modified wolves. They weren’t known to be carriers of any contagion that could corrupt or mutate human tissue. Our own scientific sect had made sure to collect samples from beasts we’d taken down. Something else had caused the strange mutation.

And I wouldn’t rest until we got to the bottom of it.

Chapter Ten

Nicholas

“I’m sorry I left.” Her words were so sudden, it took me off guard. “I… I know you told me to stay, but I had to see my father.”

“And how did it go?” I asked, trying not to sound harsh. I wanted her to open up to me. To let me know her better.

She thought for a minute, eyes focused on the road in front of us. “I couldn't help the craving. I almost…” She swallowed, as if remembering a painful memory. “I don’t think I can go back.”

My jaw tightened. She didn’t say it, but I knew she was thinking it. I could feel her thoughts as if they were my own. Loren blamed me for taking her life away. Her father. “It’s hardest at the beginning. But in time you will learn to control the cravings.”

She shifted in her seat and pivoted toward me. “Will I be able to see him then? Can I go back to my life if I can control it?”

“Maybe. I don't know. Loren, listen. There's something we need to talk about. Back there, with the wolf…”

Her breath intensified, and she turned away.

“What really happened back there?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” she snapped. “I turned into…” She paused, the silence between us charged with uncertainty. “One of you,” she continued, her voice tinged with disgust.

The words stung. I hated what I’d done to her. That I hadn’t given her a choice, but she didn’t know anything about me or my kind to be making any type of assumptions. “Don’t mistake me for what you became back there. That wasn’t all vampire. In fact, I don’t know what it was.”

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