Page 19 of Blood Submission

Chapter10

Dante was thirsty.So thirsty, in fact, that he knew the female, his main blood source at the moment, would not survive unless he fed her some solid food and let her regain her strength. Even with his blood to revive her, he’d be taking a chance. She was only a human, after all. And the fatigue she’d succumbed to while driving throughout the night had not escaped his notice. Her being too tired to travel any further was one of the reasons he’d opted to stop at this hotel for theday.

But now he wondered if the head drooping and the sleepy eyes had just been a ruse, a way to throw him off track so she could take off on him as soon as she’d seen her chance. A grudging respect was beginning to grow for this human. That little stunt of hers had taken him completely by surprise. Something that rarely happened.

The second reason he’d had her stop was because he didn’t trust her to drive through the middle of the day without yanking the blanket off him and letting him fry in the sun. She was frightened of him, but not frightened enough.

Starving her would only impede his own feedings, though. There were other ways to gain control over his little mouse—like that book in her bag. There was definitely more to that than she was telling him. It was important to her, and he would find out why…in time. First, however—

“Stand up,” he ordered. His new friend needed to go outside before they settled down for the day, and he didn’t trust the woman to stay put if he left her alone in the room. She would run again. He’d never been more certain of anything in hislife.

A horrific ache hit him in the direct center of his chest at the thought of her getting away, stealing his breath. Startled by the feeling, and not at all liking what it fucking implied, Dante snuffed the emotion, cloaking it with anger. Tilting his head to the side, his fangs shot down and his upper lip lifted in a sneer as he waited for her to get her ass ingear.

Turns out, she wasn’t stupid. She immediately jumped up out of the chair at the sight of his displeasure. Or maybe it was the growl that visibly raised the hair on her arms that spurred her into action. Whatever it was, she obeyed and now stood waiting for more instruction. He took her arm and issued a silent command, telling the dog to follow. The cat meowed at him in question, and he let it know that it could come aswell.

When the woman realized they were all heading to the door, she dug in her heels. “Fraidy doesn’t go outside.”

“He’ll befine.”

She glanced back over her shoulder as he opened the door and forced her outside. “But what if he runs out into the road?” A thread of genuine fear was in her voice.

“He won’t.”

“He will. He does it all the time. Which is why I don’t let himout.”

Dante stopped and glared down at her, calming his rising temper with effort. “The fucking cat will befine.”

She glanced over at her pet where he was sniffing around the edge of the parking lot with the dog. “But—”

“He won’t leave. I told him to stay by us. And unlike his human owner, the cat will actually follow my orders.”

Her eyes snapped up to his face. “Unlike his owner, you’re not sucking the life from his veins every chance you get, either.” A look of horror crossed her features as soon as the words left her mouth, but then she took a deep breath and her jaw set in that stubborn way he was beginning to recognize. Crossing her arms, she refused to back down. Dante narrowed his eyes, but held his tongue. He wasn’t about to waste his time arguing with this human, and turned away before he did exactly as she’d accused just for the fuck of it. And if he took her vein out of anger, he’d kill her for sure. Or, at the very least, have to wait days for her to recover, which he couldn’t afford to do. With the shape he was in, he’d do best to feed daily. And he needed to get home. Finding a new traveling companion didn’t appeal to him, either.

“Why don’t you just use your vampire mind control and make me do what you want?” she asked, purposefully provokinghim.

He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled down at her. “Because that would take all the fun out of it, little mouse.”

The woman paled and looked away. But then she surprised him. Again. “My name is Laney.”

Yes. Laney.

The name meant “torch of light,” if he remembered correctly. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a light anywhere in the world bright enough to pierce the darkness within him. But he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to return the gesture. She wouldn’t live to tell anyone about him anyway.

“I am Dante. Dante Gabor.” Not wanting to give her any ideas that he was getting soft, however, he added, “Not that you’ll ever have the chance to tell anyone about me.” He mentally called the animals back to him and ushered them all back into the room before she could say anythingelse.

Once inside again, the woman—Laney—stood awkwardly to the side as he made sure the heavy curtains were pulled across the blinds that covered the one and only window. The bed was off to the side, and there was little chance the sun would hit him there, but he didn’t like to take any chances. Then he locked the door. When he turned around, he found three pairs of eyes looking at him expectantly. He pointed to the corner of the room, and the dog obediently went over and lay down. The cat followed at a more sedate pace, sitting next to it and swatting at the tail that couldn’t seem to keep from wagging.

Dante inhaled deeply. Fear. He could feel the female’s fear. Could smell it from where he stood. It beckoned to the darker side of him, to the ancient predator inside of him that he exulted in letting out. Her fear aroused him. He liked her afraid. He wanted to devour her, literally. And sexually.

And yet, at the same time, the intensity of his cravings for her made him…uncomfortable. He didn’t want her to run from him. He wanted her to desire him the way he desiredher.

For he did desire her. He wanted her blood, yes, but also her body. Possibly even her soul. The realization was eye opening, and left him staring at the woman trembling in front of him in amazement. Her eyes shifted away when she noticed his unwavering stare, and Dante growled with displeasure that he was no longer the object of her attention.

He approached her as one would approach a cornered animal, admiring the way her spine straightened and how she stood her ground in spite of her diminutive size, and the way her blood pounded through her veins. He could hear it—every beat of her heart. Each step he took made it beat faster until he could visualize the blood rushing through her arteries. By the time he was within touching distance, her breath came in short, erratic pants.

Stopping just inside her personal space, he waited for her to look up. But she refused, keeping her eyes on the center of his chest. “Look at me, little mouse.”

Still, she refused. So he took her chin between his fingers and forcibly tilted her face up until she had no choice. He looked into her brown eyes. The rich color tinged with green specks of fear. “I’m not going to hurtyou.”

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