Page 24 of Bleed for Me

“Ouch! That one hurt,” she slurred.

I didn’t care, though. Not until I realized how big of a gash I’d made. My heart raced, but the sight of the blood pullingoverpowered it. My mouth was on her again. This time, the blood flooded into my mouth. Once I’d licked it all up, I rose again, viewing the damage and winced. The white of the meat stared back at me, telling me right then that the cut had been too deep.

“Seven,” she breathed. “Seriously, we should stop. I’m not feeling well.”

“Just a little more,” I urged. “I’ll stop after a little more.”

Her hands slipped, falling on the mattress at her sides. Taking that as a sign to keep going, I made another slice above the last one. Then another. Once I was sated, I leaned back, my cock twitching as the high flowed through my body. Tossing the knife down on the mattress as promised, I eased back into her pussy until I was buried to the hilt. She didn’t make a sound, though.

I thrusted hard, trying to get a reaction from her, but nothing. Glancing at her face, I realized then that her eyes were closed. She did mention she wasn’t feeling well, maybe she’d dozed off for a minute. Reeling back, I slammed into her over and over again, but her body didn’t respond. Not even her pussy.

Odd…

“Courtney?” I asked.

Not even a flutter of her eyelids.

Horror swept through me, my pulse thrumming loudly. “Courtney!” I shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking.

Nothing.

Pulling out of her, I placed my fingers to her pulse point. Not even a faint flutter.

Oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “Fuck!” I roared. The long gash around her side was continuously pooling with blood, even though I knew I’d sucked it clean moments ago.

I’d been so terrified after what happened that day. At least it taught me my limits, so now I could drink from someone without killing them. Blood loss hadn’t even fluttered through my mind when I was doing that to her. I didn’t expect to take too much, but that cut on her side…

I grimaced.

Courtney was the only person I’d ever loved. Except for…except for Archer, not that I’d ever tell him how I truly felt. We had plans. To go to the same college, to build a life together. She wanted kids, a nice house, stable careers. I took that from her. I took itall.

Sighing, I laid back on the mattress, my eyes drifting toward the ceiling. If I’d never done that to her, I never would have methim. So, there was some good that came out of it. It just sucked that it happened at the expense of her life.

SEVEN

ROSALIE

Unease trickled through me as I eyed the foreign object on the floor near my door. It was wrapped in gifting paper with a pink bow on top. With cautious steps, I moved forward and scooped it off the ground. The item bent in my hands, clearly a book of some kind with something hard attached to it—like a box. Maybe Alex had it sent to me? He didn’t mention any gifts at visitation, though. Frowning, I started peeling the paper off of it, my breath catching when I realized what it was.

A coloring book with a box of crayons.

Suddenly, it didn’t matter where it came from. A small smile pulled at my lips as I stared at the bright image on the polished cover. A unicorn with a rainbow behind it and hearts floating around the animal. This would definitely help to pass the time.

When the knock sounded at my door, much earlier than anticipated, I tossed the book and crayons on my bed.

Gloria stepped inside. “Hey.” She beamed. “So, I have some good news for you today.”

Were they letting me out? My heart skyrocketed into my throat at the prospect. Did they realize this had all been some kind of mistake?

“You’re going to the East Wing.” She smiled. “No more being locked up in here.”

My shoulders dropped. Itwasgood news, just not the news I was hoping for. She looked around the room, noting my giant bags that were sprawled all over the floor and the few books that took up the empty side of my bed.

I wanted to go home. More than anything. Mom needed me right now, and I needed Alex. Tugging my lower lip between my teeth, I turned around and moved back to my bed. With slow movements, I started stuffing my belongings into the bags, my mind elsewhere.

“Stop letting me win,” Daisy complained, folding her arms across her chest.

I bit back a smile. “Letting you win? Why on earth would I do that?”

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