Page 38 of Life Blood
“Fuck that!” I stood up, and Cole was at my side in a blur of motion. I looked up into his eyes. I wouldn’t allow them to interfere with my emotions this time, and strangely, they didn’t. “No one is staking a claim on me, especially fourvampires. Strongest vampires alive or not, it’s not happening.”
“This is what we’re all afraid to admit to you,” he said with a pained expression. “I’m sorry if it scares you, but it’s the truth of what is happening to us. Trust me, it’s not easy to come to terms with the fact that you’re the only woman that any of us will…” he stopped, chewing on his bottom lip.
“Will, what?” I demanded.
He looked over at me, and his hand reached for my face. The electric current that followed his fingers as he ran them along my jaw was indescribable. Without thinking, I reached up and took his hand, resulting in some kind of an explosion of overwhelming feelings for him. I stood paralyzed under this strange connection that we were having as I held his hand.
“Do you feel this?” he asked, eyes dark and voice raspy.
“Yes.” I was trying to catch my breath and was doing a horrible job at it. My body was reacting passionately, and I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want it to end. The aching sensation that knotted in my belly and throbbed down toward my legs put me in some kind of erotic trance I couldn’t escape if I wanted to.
“Whether you ever want us or not, we’ll respect your decision. In fact, we won’t take you or fully claim you until we’re sure you’re ready for us. Please tell me I’m making sense.”
“So this is all sexual, then? The blood, me, the bond?” My head was trying to get back into the game while my body viciously fought against all reason.
He pulled his hand away from mine, and another rush of emotions left me standing there and feeling like an idiot.
“It’s not only sexual,” he said. His face returned to the serious, all-business Cole, “It’s so much more than that. You are ours to keep, love, protect, and kill for if we have to. Our lives are yours.”
“I can’t process this,” I said truthfully.
He smiled, “We’ll gain your trust. You’ll become more comfortable around us, and maybe then, you can. Hopefully, you’ll understand how intense our relationship with you will be. We felt it when Logan connected to your emotions. He sensed it. That’s when we all knew and felt the change in us. No other woman will ever share our bed, our emotions, or ever have our commitment apart from you.”
“Oh my God,” I said in disbelief. I inhaled and let out a long exhale, “So you are all worshipping some weak little human now?”
He laughed. “Worshipping you?” he arched an eyebrow, “Sweet Elle, worship is such a generic word to describe how we feel about you.” His lips twisted, “The only one who is still fighting this—and it’s only because of his stubborn nature—is Zac. That’s why he was such an asshole tonight.”
“I don’t blame him,” I answered. “I can’t even imagineoneguy would feel like this toward me, much lessfourfreaking vampires.”
“The hardest part for all of us will be that we don’t like to share.” He cracked a sexy half-smile that I was sure could cure cancer, “So right now we’re trying to focus on things other than having you to ourselves. We want what you want, and right now, you want security and comfort. That is why you feel like you do when you are with us. Your feelings of loneliness and helplessness right now are extreme. All four of us sense it, and it easily surpasses the sexual attraction that is very dominant in each of us.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” I asked, hardly able to look at the perfection of the man—vampire—who just admitted he had to fight off the urge to have sex with me.
“It’s all of our fate. And if fate wants this, then you’ll adapt to it soon enough.”
I folded my arms. This was seriously laughable. “So if I understand you correctly…you and your cousins all want a piece of my ass, and you also love and worship me now?” I laughed, and he joined in.
“I guess that’s the best way to look at it,” he shrugged.
“What about my blood? Is this need to be protective of me all about you drinking my blood? Is that the real pull to me?”
“We would never drink your blood,” I heard Braden say as he approached us from behind “Ever.” His face was serious as he looked at Cole. “I think she’s had enough shit go down in the last few days that we might want to give the info dump a rest.” He looked at me. “All you really need to know is that you don’t feel the bond yet, but we do.”
“Because you’re vampires with heightened emotions?” I asked.
“Yes,” Braden’s velvet voice touched my soul with every word. “Right now, can you just trust that we’re here to protect you? The rest will come in time.”
“Do any of you have a magical vampire sleeping remedy for me?” I said, done with the conversation. “I need to go to bed.”
Braden smiled and took my hand, and an electric jolt of love energy hit me like a ton of bricks. “Boots will stay with you. Cole, get Logan back up to the house.” He brought his arm around me, and I couldn’t resist the energy pull to melt into his side, feeling protected and comforted in that instant. “Logan has an ability that he can use to help you sleep and wake up fully rested. I think if he doesn’t help you, you might have nightmares.”
“Thank God.”
“Sleep well, Elle,” Cole said, and I could hear the strain in his voice. He was probably pissed he gave me too much information, but that was on me. I wanted all the details, and his devoted ass had no other option but to give them to me.
My God, Logan had better do his magic quickly. I had school in the morning, and I was still trying to figure out how I was going to focus on anything after this disaster of a day.
How could my life have changed so instantly? I wanted someone to tell all of this to…someone who could verify that it was all really happening. I had no one. All I had were my thoughts and a life that would never be the same again.
