Page 50 of Blood Lust
Nakia’s steely eyes crinkled in humor. “You are my queen, but know this, I don’t need your protection. I’ll kick their asses if they want to fuck with a wolf.”
“Looks like someone is starting to develop his alpha behavior. Send him out to run it off with the other two who are trying to figure out how three alphas get along in one pack without killing each other.”
“He’s right.” Nakia brushed his lips over mine. “Your body leaves mine in agony. I want you, and even when I get ahold of you, I don’t think it will touch the appetite that’s growing inside of me.”
I bit my bottom lip. “That’s good to know. I look forward to you proving that to me.”
Zac whistled loudly at the back door. “Let’s go, boy. Time to go run it off and pack it up with your alpha buddies.”
Before I could say anything to Zac, Nakia laughed and rolled his eyes. “Just so you know, I’m not ashamed of what happened at that hell hole when we were young. It was a catalyst to bring me, Zane, and Bren to all of you. They may not admit it, but we needed this. Finally, the fates have paid us back for the hell we went through as young and dumb shifters.”
Nakia shifted, and the dark brown wolf bounded through the room and outside to the back of the estate.
“Well, holy shit. We have a grateful shifter. That’s a first,” Cole said with a laugh. “What the hell did you see in him?”
I looked over at Cole. “I think since the bond is nearing its completion and you all are taking this juiced up power out of me, that iffatewanted you to know, then maybe you would’ve seen it too. It’s between Nakia and me unless you all decide to get on board and he trusts telling you his story.”
Braden coughed out a laugh. “She doesn’t see it yet, but she’s already successfully taking her place above us all.” He turned to me, “Zac’s a fucking chicken shit, and after Logan told him what we go through drinking this blood of yours, I’ll go next.”
“Is it that bad?” I looked over at Edgar and Lucas who just stayed quiet and oddly patient as we did this blood-drinking ceremony. “Do my vampires have to do this, or can we call it now?”
“The way the others have taken alpha powers from this, Zac and Braden should drink too. Not just to even the power between all of them, but so all of them are powerful in fighting that witch. You are providing the strength they need to go after the darkness. You also have more than enough power in you still. It’s wise to let them feed. They can handle it. Logan did.”
“This is bullshit, but Edgar’s right, we need all the juice you guys can get for when we kill the witch.”
“Let’s do this, baby,” Braden said. “We’re ready. We’re all in, and we’re definitely not letting Logan, Cole, and three wolves have a leg up on supernatural power if we could help it.”
“I’m yours, baby.”
Braden chuckled. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Just trying to make this blood that you’re probably going to gag on sound delicious.”
Braden brought me into his arms, kissed my neck on both sides, healing all puncture woods, and then my vampire’s razor-sharp fangs were buried into my neck.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The guys all referred to me as their queen after they had each consumed my super alpha blood, but it wasn’t true. We were all equal parts now. This new power we gained by dividing it up equally between all of us, and me now having seven alpha—somehow getting along—was serving to complete us as one unit. One seriously powerful unit.
While we had a window of breathing room, it was up to me to hone in on the powers I held. After my blood was drained and distributed evenly to the wolves and vampires, I could think clearly again; but the downside to not being cranked up with super blood was that the unwanted vampire side of me needed to feed soon.
First order of business was to get Jen and Shane’s bodies out of the house and into a fire. I stared ahead blankly as I watched blue flames engulf the bodies of my former best friend and Shaman Shane. I should have been grief-stricken. I should have been devastated that two people—one who meant the world to me at one time not long ago—were dead because of me. I should have felt some kind of emotion, shouldn’t I? I felt nothing. I wasn’t sorry. I wasn’t upset. I wanted it to be over. Maybe it was a defense mechanism, but the crazier my life got, the more I stopped reacting.
“I’m sorry you have to see this, Elle,” Cole said as he took my hand. “I think doing this as soon as possible was imperative given the fact that I don’t know what the fuck is going on with the Shifted. I didn’t want to take a chance that they could take Jen or Shane.”
I nodded numbly, knowing it was probably for the best on all counts that this was done immediately.
“You don’t need to worry about the Shifted,” Edgar said. “After Roman and his covens—wherever they might have been sent—have stopped the ones they were taken away with, the Shifted will stay where they belong until the time that was prophesied. Jon called them before their time.”
“So theywillbe back?” I asked, really not wanting to hear the answer.
“They have been foretold since the dawn of time,” Edgar said solemnly. “Unfortunately, they will most definitely be back. All we can do is hope that time is far away.”
Edgar took my arm and led me back into the house.
“Lucas is working on finding Roman and their covens, the guys are working out their new connection as equal alphas, now we need to work on you,” he said with a smile. “You need to know how to harness your energy and use it to help everyone when you go to war with the witch. She is ancient, and if you let your guard down in the slightest, she can snap her fingers and blink all of you out of existence.”
“We don’t want that,” I said, rubbing my sweaty palms together. “What the hell do we do then?”
