Page 51 of Make Me Bleed

Oh, my bear wants to mount me. He wants to claim me. It’s a shifter’s pure impulse, their drive, to find and take their mate…but Hankknowsthat we’re fated. We have the rest of forever to enjoy each other once our bond is finalized.

He got to knowme. My fears. My wants. Evenmydesires when he pleasured me, then I returned the favor because I wanted to. Not because it was my purpose, but because he’smybeloved and I love to see him come…

He came in a completely different way. He’s here, and unless I use my influence as his mate to stop him, my sweet honey bear is going to go grizzly and rip Julian to shreds. I just know it, and while the other vamp definitely deserves it, the part of me that’s determined to be as self-sufficient as ever has this urge to stop the challenge before it can be issued.

“It’s okay, honey,” I call out, trying my best to calm him. After all, that’s what Elise does. I can take care of myself, but I’m not as brave as Bridget. I’m not as strong as Hank. I’m not as ferocious as Conall… but I can be a peacemaker.

As Hank hesitates, I’m suddenly reminded of the words Julian threw at me when were still in the house.

Level-headed. Respected.

Controlled.

Like he controlled me by freezing me out along with all of the other vampires when I first arrived, leaving me lonely and in need of a friend after Bridget moved in with Conall. How he left me desperate for blood, thinking I would turn to him instead. How he waited until I found my mate to decide to proposition me to choose him instead.

Okay? It’s not okay.

And the dark expression that flashes across Hank’s rugged features tells me that he agrees as he starts lumbering my way.

He’s trying not to scare me, I realize. The echoes of his roar are still rolling around my sensitive ears, and I’m sure I reacted as terrified as the rest of the villagers when it sounded.

That’s what happens when a bear roars. It’s the same as a wolf’s howl. Some primal instinct warns you against catching the predator’s attention—but I have all of Hank’s.

Or, I should say, Julian’s bruisingly tight grip on my arm does.

Hank’s honey-colored irises blaze with tempered fury. He’s still in his skin, though his fangs are playing peekaboo with me as his frantic gaze reassures him that I’m still in one piece before he turns it on Julian—and his expression turns wild.

“Let her go,” he snarls.

I have enough time to glance up and catch another of Julian’s calculated looks before he shrugs again.

“If you say so,” the vampires agrees readily right before he sends me flying through the air.

CHAPTER 17

ROGUE

Julian didn’t just release my arm. Hank’s earlier roar had drawn the attention of most of my fellow neighbors. Doors had opened, the other villagers rushing outside, and they all watched in a mix of horror and confusion as Julian let go of my arm, then gave me such a rough shove with the flat of his palm that I was flying backward through the air before slamming down on the dirt.Hard. My back connects with the earth, all of the air knocked out of me until the only thing I can do is gasp in a bid to replace it.

Hank was already running toward me, arms pumping, bicep muscles bulging against his t-shirt sleeves the moment Julian struck me. Recovering quickly—both because I’m a vamp and because Ihaveto—my head snaps toward my beloved. Surprisingly, Hank is still in his skin, though I can just about make out the outline of his bear hovering over him as if his beast is desperate to be released.

His fangs have grown longer. Thicker. His fingers, too; they’re now huge black claws. He swipes at the air, cheeks hollowed in fury as he veers his path just enough to reach me instead of Julian.

Next thing I know, he’s crouching at my side, swooping me up gently in his brawny arms. My heart swells as he shudders, regaining control so that his murderous expression becomes one of pure concern.

“Lise,” he rumbles, nuzzling my temple, my cheek, the top of my flattened hair, “tell me you’re okay.”

I lift my hand. There’s dirt smeared along the edge of it from the ground. I don’t care. I cup Hank’s stubbled cheek. “You’re here.”

His chest puffs up. I feel his heat pressing against my side. “You think I let my mate leave my den without followin’ her to keep her safe? I know you told me to stay behind so I don’t fuck things up with the mayor, but when I saw you runnin’ and this asshole chasin’ ya…” He growls under his breath. “He touched you. The other bloodsucker touched my mate.”

“Who says she’s yours, beast?”

In the safety of Hank’s arms, I forgot for the moment the threat that Julian possessed. I guess I believed he would take the opportunity to flee while I had all of Hank’s attention. That’s what a rational male would do.

Only he’s a rogue, and his dark eyes have bled to red as he refused to move from the spot where we were standing when he pushed me.

With his strength, I must’ve flown a good twelve or so feet. The force of the hit left a crater in the shape of my ass and my cranium. I wince when I see it. Though the pain from the impact is a memory now, that’s visible evidence of how hard Julian hit me.

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