Page 52 of Life Blood
I had just enough time to spot Elizabeth glaring at the two of us before Zac brought his lips down to mine. He pried them open with his tongue, and my body started to fire back up, but I ended the kiss without making a scene.
Zac ran his hand down my bare arm, and a trail of goosebumps followed, “Damn, baby, your ass is in trouble with us four.” He winked before he ran off in a blur to his motorcycle and sped away.
I turned and made eye contact with Elizabeth. Without hesitation, I lifted my chin and gave her a wink. “You girls were right, I am one lucky little human.”
Her glare turned hostile when Logan came up to my side, “You ready for this,Ellie baby?” he teased the new nickname Zac had given me.
“You heard or saw?”
He smirked, “There isn’t a vampire in here that doesn’t know what went down between you and Zac out there. I’m just glad he’s not being an asshole at least.”
“Yeah, quite the opposite,” I stopped him, and his blue eyes looked at me in confusion.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I was more wondering ifyouwere okay. I don’t want you to be upset about what happened between Zac and me.”
Logan smiled, “He needed to experience the bond for himself. I’m glad he’s on the same page with us now. Am I pissed? Eh, I can show you a better time, it’ll just have to wait until we get Braden healed,” he said confidently. “And Zac is right, we are the four luckiest vamps alive. If what just happened to you is any sign of what we have to look forward to, all five of us are going to be in for a treat.”
“Can you shut up already and make sure Braden is okay?” Elizabeth snapped.
“Fuck you, Liz.” Logan responded dismissively. “And stay out of the damn house.” He stopped and looked at her. “In fact? Get your pathetic face off the property and help Zac.”
“Are we ready to do this?”
“Yes. Cole’s setting everything up in a room upstairs. The smell of your blood is going to fill the cabin, so we’re kicking everyone out of the place until we know Braden is healed.”
“Okay.”
“You have your energy back? I could, in fact, kick Zac’s ass for using it all up while we’re trying to save our cousin’s life here.”
“Yeah, don’t think he or I saw that ever happening. A simple apology talk ended up turning into an R-rated film for everyone in the lodge to hear.”
Logan laughed, “Well, you deserve an award. It was fucking awesome.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.” I shook my head.
He eyed me as we walked up to the second floor, “Definitely.”
“Alright. Don’t flip out, but I need to admit I hate needles, and I want to get this part over with. I’m still doing it either way though.”
“She hates needles, I wonder how she’ll take to fangs,” Logan teased as he nudged me in the arm with his elbow.
I knew I was never going to hear the end of this, but I was also grateful that I didn’t catch any flack for it…at least, not from Logan.
Chapter Twenty-One
The blood donation process went smoothly on my part. Cole was quick with the needle, and I focused on the emerald starburst pattern of his irises instead of waiting with dreaded anticipation for the pinch of the needle.
As soon as my flesh was pricked, his irises began to swirl. A dark green swirled with the lighter emerald color, almost hypnotizing me while I watched them dance. He was somber, lips closed tightly together, and I could tell he was concentrating on much more than just making sure my blood flowed through the tube he had set up. Logan was quiet too, and when I looked at him, I could tell he was holding back and in the same state Cole was in too.
Luckily for me, by the time they’d drawn my blood, no one had lost their minds and tried to ravage me for blood. Now, we just had to hope there was enough to give to Braden to start the healing process.
Since they didn’t know how Braden would react to receiving my blood, Cole and Logan thought it would be best if I weren’t in the room when they gave it to him.
Cole suggested I cover up my scent with the smell of chlorine from the pool, and I didn’t argue with that. A swim sounded great and I wasted no time getting out to the pool while they gave Braden my blood.
I walked to the deep end of the pool and dove into the water. I opened my eyes and let the pool swallow me up. I swam under for as long as I could before I resurfaced and floated on my back.
