Page 29 of Forced Vampire Mate

Chapter 14

“Poison,” Luken grunted. “Need to get back to camp. Rest. Warmth. I’ll be…” he trailed off, his breath hitching.

“You’ll be fine,” I blurted, finishing his words for him. I looped my arm around his waist and heaved, helping him to his feet. He leaned heavily on me, his head resting atop my shoulder. My heart squeezed, but I forced myself to laugh. “Oh, I see how it is. You’re faking to make me do all the work.”

Luken chuckled. “Of course. How else am I supposed to get close to you?”

We painstakingly made our way up the beach and back to the boulders. I kept ribbing him, and he teased me back. His skin was unnaturally pale by the time I eased him back to the ground. His pupils were huge, and the pain coming through the bond made my tattoos feel like they were on fire. I cupped his face with my hand as he lay on the ground, staring at the sky above us.

“Luken?” I turned his face so he looked at me. “What do I need to do? What poison is it?”

He licked his lips. “Not sure. I’ll be fine. I just need to rest.”

His eyes closed, and a spike of panic went through my chest. I tapped his cheek, making him open his eyes again.

“You need to stay awake and stay with me,” I told him, breathless with my fear.

A crooked smile crossed over his lips. “Ah, so you do care.”

“I care that you don’t decide to be lazy and just give up on all of this,” I shot back, my hand still on his face. He was always a little cool, at least when our bodies weren’t pressed together, but his skin was cold now. Frigid. “I should start a fire. Warm you up.”

Luken’s fingers wrapped around my wrist. “Don’t leave me.”

Fuck! How could he say that with that look in his eyes? He looked… small. Afraid. The feelings that came through the bond were a testament that he wasn’t sure he was going to be okay. The pain was getting worse, and he was frightened. My heart stuttered. It wasn’t right for him to be scared. He was the strongest person I knew. He was always in control.

“I’m not going to leave,” I told him. “You’re going to get better. We’re going to get Thessa and Darcie back, and then we’re going to live at the palace. We’ll fuck every night and… and we might even have kids. Do you want children?”

That crooked smile grew more pronounced. “Only after the Gods are defeated.”

His eyes shut again. I tapped his cheek, but he didn’t respond. When I checked his pulse, mine skyrocketed. I count fewer than ten beats per minute. What was his normal heart rate? This couldn’t be good. What could I do to—

Oh.

It was obvious.

I glanced around and snatched up the knife that had clattered to the ground. Without letting myself think or fear, I slashed it across my wrist. Red welled in the cut, dribbling down my arm. I quickly put my wrist to Luken’s mouth, opening it slightly so the blood would get inside. I stared hard at him as he lay, limp and unresponsive.

Then, his tongue swept across my wrist. He swallowed and jerked. His eyes snapped open, and he cupped my arm with his hand, bringing my wrist more firmly to his mouth as he began to suck. The pressure was strange at first, painful even. He pulled me tighter and growled as he drank.

His nostrils flared, and I felt a surge of arousal through the bond before he shut it down. I yelped, startled at how quickly he’d done it. Why? Before I had much chance to wonder, he’d lunged. His hard body pressed against mine, pushing me up against the boulder behind me. He growled again as he pressed his face into my neck. His fangs scraped against my skin, and I groaned, heat flooding through me. I tangled my hands in his dark hair and pulled him closer.

“Yes,” I moaned, my voice raspy. He needed more blood. He needed to heal.

Luken bit me. My body arched to his, my legs parting automatically. My skin was too tight, and I needed these clothes off. I clutched at him, letting my eyes shut. The sheer relief at having him close, having these feelings sweep away all my confusion, made me moan again. I undulated against him, seeking friction as my clit throbbed.

I closed my eyes, letting myself get lost in the sensation. My tattoos seemed to pulse, calling out for my bare skin to touch against his. My fingers skimmed over his sculpted chest, and it felt like he warmed under my touch.

He pulled back, panting. A prick of pain still stung on my neck and wrist, but it was nothing. Luken’s thumb brushed against my cheek, then the other one.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. His voice was rough, pained. “I’ll stop.”

My cheeks were cool where he touched them, and I realized he’d been crying. I opened my eyes again and stared up at him, at his amber eyes locked on mine. My fingers splayed over his chest, and relief washed through me when I saw the dark mark was gone. He’d healed.

“That’s what you needed,” I murmured. “You needed my blood.”

His body was still pressed up against mine. The bond was shut tight from his side, but that didn’t stop me from feeling his desire. His cock strained against his wet pants. And here I was, in nothing but my bra and panties. It would be so easy—

But abruptly, I was furious. How could he do this? How could he drag me out here without telling me what his plan was, only to turn around and nearly fucking die? How could he shut me out of the bond when I was searching for ways to save him? How was I supposed to save Darcie without him?

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