Page 8 of Eternally Yours

Blood...

The realization hit me like a pile of bricks, and I ripped my mouth off of him, my stomach now roiling in disgust. My esophagus burned with hot bile, and for a moment, I thought I might throw up.

My gaze, though, remained locked on his wrist, which was pulling together and healing itself before my very eyes. Part of me wanted to lunge for him and taste the buttery sweetness of his blood again and feel him growing rigid underneath me.

What’s wrong with me?

Drinking someone else's blood? Wanting to fuck a complete stranger?

Terrified, I looked up at him. His eyes had changed. No longer a brilliant green, they were mostly black, the pupils dilated so large there was barely any color left. His jaw was clenched tight and his body was stiff as a board as he stood next to me on the side of the bed. Looked as if he too was fighting a pull he couldn’t explain. The woman’s hand pressed firmly into his shoulder, and it seemed to be the only thing keeping him from leaping onto me and doing God only knew what.

Worse still, I really wanted to know what would happen if she did let go.

Chapter Four

Nicholas

What the fuck was that?

The intense possessiveness that overtook my body the instant her lips had latched onto my wrist and she began to pull blood with her tongue set my body ablaze. I’d wanted more of it, more of her. She’d moaned as she drank from me, and the sound made every nerve in my body vibrate with arousal. I’d never wanted a female like this, let alone a human one.

It had taken every ounce of strength I possessed to not reach down and taste those swollen, crimson-streaked lips. But I wanted more than that. The scent of my blood coalescing with hers was intoxicating. It called to me like a siren. My cock was so hard, I was almost overtaken with the need to mate with her right then and there.

Fuck.

If it hadn’t been for Catherine, I may have done something completely stupid. Mating her after she drank from me would seal our bond. I wasn’t ready for that. Hell, as gorgeous as she was and as fucking good as she probably tasted, the last thing I wanted was to be bonded to anyone. Not when the last time I’d been this close to sealing a bond, it had only brought death and pain.

Catherine’s steady presence was a godsend. Her strong grip on my shoulder was the guiding force that kept me focused. And not just at that moment. She was there when I lost Elizabeth a century ago. When my carelessness and my family’s arcane ways cost Beth her life. Cat had sheltered me when I chose to fuck it all to hell and leave my family and the throne behind.

And here she was again, saving me from my mistakes once more.

Because there was no doubt I was close to making another mistake with this woman. As if siring her wasn’t bad enough, letting her drink from me had stirred things inside I hadn’t felt in a century. It had to be the bloodbond between us. That was the only explanation for it. Otherwise, why did I feel such a strong attraction? Such a fierce possessiveness? Up until she found me in that alley, I’d never met her before.

Gazing down into her sleepy, sea-blue eyes, I tried to convince myself that our connection had been merely chemical, but as I peered further down into the ocean of her gaze, I felt the need to know more. Something inside me wanted to explore the attraction.

Fuck.

My draw to her could cloud my judgment. I’d screwed up her life already. Bonding her to me would put a target on her back.

“Nic,” Catherine warned. “I need to get back.”

“You’re right,” I sighed, ripping my gaze from Loren. “I’ve kept you too long. If they find out you’re gone—”

“I’m a smooth talker. You know that,” she assured me, but I knew how strict the coven’s rules were.

Glancing back over at Loren, I wondered if I would be able to keep myself at bay once Catherine left. At least she’d closed her eyes and was breathing heavily, seemingly lulled by the feeding. She would rest for a while in order to complete the transformation. After that, I had no clue what I’d do or how she’d react once she realized I’d turned her into a vampire, robbing her of her mortal life and everything she loved.

At the moment, she looked so peaceful I couldn’t stop staring at her. Reaching over, I wiped the blood off her lips with my thumb, the feel of her mouth sending a shock wave through me that shot straight to my cock.

“You can’t mate her, Nic,” Catherine said as if she had read my thoughts.

My eyes remained razor-focused on Loren, absorbing every ounce of her beauty.

“Nic,” Catherine said harsher, this time able to pull my attention away from the woman I wasn’t sure I could resist. “Once your father catches wind that you sired a vampire outside of the selection process, the Council of Seven will call you forth for judgment, especially after the way you left the coven. As next in line, mating her will create an uproar.”

The mention of my father was enough to knock me back into the present. “You assume I’m interested in becoming the next leader of the coven. There’s a reason I left.”

“Your father hasn’t lost faith in you. He believes once you get this rebellious streak out of your system…”

---