Page 84 of Shadow Bound

“Youshackledme to a tree?” I gasp as I attempt to break the chain.

“You can keep trying, but if those chains are strong enough to hold a pissed-off rogue wolf, they can hold a lying vampire.” He steps back from me so he can take in his handiwork. “I must say, I like you tied up like this, Beau.” The assholesmirksat me.

“Ransom! This isn’t fucking funny.” I tug at the chains again, but he’s right, they’re not budging.

Cocking his head, he says, “Want to know what else isn’t funny? Finding out that the woman I’ve fallen in love with is planning on letting herself die instead of just telling me the fucking truth.” His words freeze me in place. I stop fighting the shackles and stare at him, mouth slightly agape.Did he just say…“Tell me the truth, Isabeau, I want to hear it from you, just like I should have heard it from you to begin with, not Winslow or Ranger.”

“Ransom…” I plead.

“Tell me what I am to you,” he growls. “Tell me, Beau.”

“You don’t understand, I—”

“Tell me!”

I heave in a breath, forcing air into my tight chest. “You’re my bloodmate.” My answer is just barely a rasped whisper. “You’re my bloodmate and I unknowingly started a bond between us that can’t be broken. I took away your choice of picking your mate. I wasn’t about to do it again by making you feel guilty or like you had to choose me—that youhadto complete the mating bond.”

“You were taking away my choice by not telling me! Did you miss the part where I said I’ve fallen in love with you? Of fucking course I’d pick you, Beau!” He throws his hands up in frustration. “I’d pick you a million times over. I’d pick you to share my bed at night, I’d pick you to watch my back in battle and I sure as hell would pick you to be my mate. I was already planning on making you mine, but now I don’t have to, becauseI’malreadyyours. I didn’t understand how you were able to get under my skin so fast. It felt impossible, but now I understand. I never stood a chance at resisting you, not when the blood that pumps through my veins was made for you.”

My heart is shattering in my chest. The love I’ve never had and didn’t know I wanted is standing before me, willing and ready, but I still can’t accept it. “Ransom, we can’t do this.Ican’t do this; I will kill you. Everyone thinks that I’ll find the strength and just be able to stop once I’ve had enough of your blood, but I know myself. I’ll snap and lose control.” My eyes are burning.Why are my eyes burning?I want to touch them, but with my hands shackled above me, I can’t move. Blinking rapidly, I feel the wet drops fall down my cheeks. Am I…crying? That’s it. He’s finally gone and fucking broke me.

“Shh, baby.” Ransom comes closer and holds my face while he kisses away my tears. “It’s okay. You’re breaking my heart with these tears.”

“I need you to understand why I can’t do this.” My voice wavers as my head, that’s still held in his big hands, shakes. “If I hurt you, I won’t survive it. You mean too much to me to risk it.” Iwantto say the other words, but I’m not ready. Not once have those words been uttered from my lips, I’m not even sure I knowhowto say them, if I even possess the capability. Then again, up until a minute ago, I didn’t know I could cry. “I can’t do this,” I repeat.

He rubs his thumbs soothingly over my cheekbones, wiping away any moisture that falls from my eyes. “Oh, my sweet girl,” he coos. “Who said I was giving you the choice?”

“Wha—”

His hand that was softly holding me moves down to my jaw, where he holds me in a bruising grip. With his other hand he reaches for something in his back pocket, I see the flash of silver and the sound of metal. A flask? He unscrews the top and the smell hits me.

Blood.

“No—” is all I get out before he’s prying my mouth open. I fight him as hard as I can, but my chained hands mean I can’t push him away and his body presses me to the tree, keeping me firmly in place.

My jaw clenches tight, but his grip on my chin and jaw forces my lips apart. He pours the contents of the flask into my mouth, my first instinct is to spit it out, but his hand clamps over my mouth. “Swallow it, Beau,” he orders, his silver eyes flashing.

I’ll never get used to how delectable Ransom’s blood is to me. It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted. Just that small amount has energy roaring through my veins like lightning. The monster inside of me that was already resting close to the surface breaks through. My fangs descend and I feel my eyes shift into the crimson color. I swallow the mouthful greedily, groaning at the intoxicating flavor.

“That’s a good girl,” he praises. Ransom looks at my face, I know he can see the signs of the bloodlust there but instead of looking nervous, he looks thrilled, like it was exactly what he wanted. “Want more?” He lifts the flask, waving it in my face.

What game is he playing?

I shake my head, willing myself to be stronger. “No,” I croak.

“Yes, you do.”

“No.”

He holds my mouth open again and pours more of his blood inside. I don’t even pretend to fight it this time, I swallow it immediately. With that last bit of resolve evaporating, so does my leash on my monster.

Frantically, almost desperately, I pull on the chains, wanting to get to the real source of the blood before me. I don’t want it out of his flask, I want the real fucking thing. Crazed with hunger, I thrash and kick against the tree, wanting my hands free so I can grab him and pull him to me.

“You want my blood, baby?” Ransom taunts, holding the key to the shackles up for me to see.

My crimson eyes dart between him and the key that will grant me my freedom. The rational part of my brain is screaming for him to not release me, but that part of me isn’t in the driver’s seat right now. The hungry side is, and she wants her fangs in his neck as soon as possible.

He reaches up and places the key into the palm of my shackled hand. Confused, I stare at him not understanding his plan. It takes me a couple of seconds to put the pieces together, but I finally put together what he’s doing. He wants me like this, he wants me in this frenzied hungry state because the second he lets me go, I’ll pounce on him. I won’t be able to stop myself and this time Ransom isn’t going to bother stopping me because hewantsthis.

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