Page 12 of Forced Vampire Mate

Ah, so he’d had the same thought process I had. I shook my head, emphasizing my weakness. “I just wanted you to know… he can feel it. He can feel me dying. And it hurts him. So please let Thessa go. Please. The temples… scare her…” I made my breathing more labored. “Please…”

I trailed off and made myself go limp, my eyes rolling upward.

He leaned over, his fingers pressing against the pulse in my neck. My hand lashed out, and I grabbed the hand with the knife, yanking it to the side as I threw my head at his. My forehead cracked his nose open, and blood gushed. Draven let out a howl as he recoiled. I brought my other hand forward in a powerful thrust, punching him in the wrist. His grip on the knife loosened enough for me to twist it free. I slashed him across the throat and sprang away, clawing my way through the trees.

A garbled shout came after me. The sounds of pursuit soon followed. I pushed all my strength into my legs, my breathing labored as I dodged trees and crashed through brush. The sounds of the shouting grew closer, and I knew I didn’t have much time. I pushed myself harder, envisioning the layout of the forest. I ducked through a pair of birches, and the ground fell out from beneath my feet. A glint of water rushed to meet me, and I had just enough time to suck in a lungful of air before I plunged in.

Bubbles swirled around me. I kicked hard, twisting my body to point downward. The clear water grew murky with clouds of red as I reached the bottom of the lake. I grabbed handfuls of weeds to hold myself down.

Luken’s emotions speared through the bond. Pure panic. I closed my eyes and tamped down on the bond, trying to block him out. I didn’t need his panic to mess with my head.

And I didn’t want him to feel me die.

I wasn’t sure how long I managed to stay there, beneath the surface, before my lungs threatened to give out. I kicked off, heading back to the surface. Darkness closed in around my vision as I battled for the surface. Something huge and dark blocked the light, and I cringed back. Draven would not be so kind now that I’d escaped him once—

Strong hands grabbed me and dragged me from the water. I tried to fight the need for air, but my lungs had other ideas. A familiar scent wrapped around my nostrils as I pulled in a sharp breath.

Luken dragged me from the water and laid me on the beach. Water dripped from his hair as he leaned over me.

Fuck.

“No,” I groaned as he lifted his wrist to his mouth. “Don’t.”

He bit himself, blood welling against his tanned skin. “Drink it, Elara. You’re bleeding out. You need to heal.”

I shoved at him weakly. What was he doing here? How had he gotten here so quickly? Was it a trick? I pressed my lips together tightly, but when he brought his bleeding wrist near me, the scent of it was too much. He smelled like Luken. Hesitantly, I licked out. His blood filled my mouth, and I groaned. The pain faded to the background, and I closed my eyes.

There was one way I could know for certain if this was Luken or if Draven was playing a trick on me. I opened the bond, letting Luken back in. I felt the sharp sting of pain in his wrist, the worries slowly fading as he watched the color bloom in my cheeks.

It was him.

And that was when the desire hit. I sucked hard on his wrist, filling my body with his blood. The lingering pain in my system only made my arousal hit that much harder. It was like a liquid fire in my veins. I wanted more. Needed more.

No! I wasn’t going to give in to this. I was going to control my own body, dammit.

Oh, but I didn’t want to….

Luken pulled away from me abruptly. We were lying on the rocky ground, my legs wrapped around his hips. He was hard and ready for me, but he pressed his hands to either side of my head and pushed himself away from me. Desire lingered in his amber gaze.

But he still showed more restraint than I had.

“We have to get moving,” Luken said harshly. “Before they figure out you went into the lake.”

Chapter 7

One of my arms looped around Luken’s neck, my head resting on his shoulder as he carried me. We’d heard the elves calling to each other in birdsong some time ago. Luken instantly pulled me into his arms and started running through the forest. I was still weak from Draven’s attack, slipping dangerously close to unconsciousness.

“Am I going to be a vampire now?” I asked when Luken started to slow.

“You’re closer, but it wasn’t quite enough to push you all the way over,” he answered. “I can feed you more of my blood if—”

“No.” I pulled myself straighter and squirmed in his embrace. “Put me down.”

Luken lowered me to my feet. He held my waist until I was steady, then we started to walk side-by-side. I tested myself. I was stronger, almost fully healed. There was still some pain in my stomach, but it would go away soon enough. I just needed to move my body now, to make sure that the scar tissue remained flexible as I healed.

“What’s so wrong with being a vampire?” Luken asked. His dark eyebrows pulled together into a V as he studied me.

“I was born human. I like being human. Becoming a vampire will change a fundamental part of me,” I said honestly. It wasn’t the first time he’d offered to turn me full vampire. Even though I knew I’d be stronger, faster, if I accepted, I couldn’t convince myself to do it.

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