Page 61 of Addicted in Blood
It was vague and cryptic, but perhaps it was enough for now.Either way, he was going to think I was nuts, but I’d rather have them prepare for the worst.If the dream had been prescient, and whoever was behind the Poppy wanted to make a bigger statement than killing a handful of rogues, who better to attack than an alpha near The Wolf’s territory?Especially if they assumed Devon’s beast was out of control.
Maybe I should have contacted Sergi before The Wolf.He’d been monitoring the Poppy situation, but with everything going on with Devon and the House, it was doubtful he was staying on top of it.Who was I kidding?The wolves wouldn’t even be on his radar now.What a perfect opportunity for an ambush.
A noise made me spin around and reach for my dagger.No one was there.Another sound—the scraping of metal.He was coming.I stepped toward a spot of daylight and slowly turned, searching the shadows for movement.
On my second turn, he was there.
At the edge of the receding darkness, his large misshapen body lumbered toward me.It wasn’t until he got within twenty feet of me that I could see the torment in his icy-blue gaze.Fear.Anger.Pain.Regret.When each emotion flickered by, I envisioned Devon in his true form.Fear for my safety.Anger at my disobedience.Pain from his physical torture.And regret.It was the last one that almost did me in.
I didn’t know if it was regret for not seeking me out sooner, or regret for our future that would never be.The emotions washed over me, but my own sense of loss for something that might never be didn’t make me sad.It made me spitting mad.No one was going to take away our future.I wasn’t exactly sure what that future was, but what I knew, deep in my heart, was that this wasn’t the end for us.It wasn’t the end for Devon.Not like this.
Simone might never find the real killer.Devon might have to face the Council, but he’d do it in his true form—not the beast.That was the only thing I could guarantee.
I opened my arms wide and waited.His steps were tentative, as if I were a magnet drawing him in as he fought against the beast.
“Come to me.I’ve missed you.”The tears fell without warning, and maybe they were the exact push needed to force Devon the rest of the way.By the time he reached me, he was shaking his head no, but he couldn’t stop his momentum until he was directly in front of me.
His appearance hadn’t changed.The ridged forehead was still prominent, and his face contorted as if caught between two forms.His fingers still ended in long, sharp nails, and the tips of his fangs showed.
He was a man stranded in the desert, and I was his oasis.The thought made me smile.
“I’m here to give you what you need.”
When he took a step back, I reached up and caressed his face.“I’m not here for Devon.I’m here for his beast, and I’m not afraid.”I stepped toward him and threw my arms around his waist, laying my head against his chest, listening to the quick staccato of his heartbeat.His arms hung by his side, and he refused to touch me.
“Listen to me, beast.I’m here for you.Push Devon aside.He won’t help you.Only I can help.”
He struggled, trying to push me away, but I locked my hands behind him and held on.It was like harnessing a tornado, and we danced across the debris-littered floor.
My foot caught the edge of something hard, and I let out a squeal but refused to let go.Devon wasn’t expecting my legs to go out from under me, and it pulled him off balance.We crashed to the ground, and we rolled once before stopping with me on top.I took immediate advantage, pressing my lips to his, letting my weight go limp on top of him.I ran my tongue over the corners of his mouth, distorted, and somewhat ghastly.The taste was part Devon, part dead deer.
I closed my eyes and pushed back the bile.I refused to back down.
He responded.
Maybe it was Devon, maybe it was the beast.It was passionate and hungry.It had been five days since we’d been apart.It shouldn’t have been that big of a deal.We’d never had a chance to talk about what was between us.Was it just the sex or the companionship?Perhaps it was something deeper that neither of us were ready to share.It didn’t matter.The heat he exuded and the demanding kisses set my blood on fire.
I was so caught up in the moment, I almost forgot the reason behind this ploy.While my body said just go with it, my mind held on to the last thread of reasoning.I reluctantly pulled away from his kiss and moved my lips down his neck.Then I bent my head to the side, my neck exposed.
“Drink from me, my beast.”
There was a tug of resistance, and I mentally cursed.“You gave me your blood when I needed it the most.Now it’s time to return the favor.I’m not scared.I trust you.”
His heart raced.It pounded against my chest as he held me locked in his embrace.I didn’t move, my neck exposed.Waiting.
Then his fangs punched out, and with a growl, his tongue licked the vein seconds before his teeth broke skin.I jerked.It wasn’t so much from the pinch of skin, but from the unexpected sensation of him drinking my blood.
There was a definite erotic feel to the intimacy of Devon—or rather, the beast—at my neck.My skin tingled, and I wondered if he was drinking too much.I didn’t care.His tender sucking was intoxicating, and his occasional lick to clean the blood from my neck aroused me.
Then the chills began, and I knew he’d reached the danger point.
“Beast.That’s enough.”
I wasn’t sure he heard me, or if I would need to fight him off.I didn’t want to, and more importantly I wasn’t sure I had the strength.But he only suckled twice more before pulling back his fangs.He licked my neck for any blood he’d missed, and I pictured a bloody pool on the floor.The fact he had enough restraint to stop after my only asking once made me question whether the beast was more than just irrational hunger, or if Devon was gaining more control over it.
He rolled over, his arms crossing over his stomach until he was in a fetal position.I wasn’t sure what was happening and discovered I didn’t have the strength to stand.Or crawl.I did manage to roll over and place a hand on his hip.His body shook, and for the first time since leaving New Orleans, I wondered if I’d been wrong.
Had my blood poisoned him instead of cured him?Several terrifying minutes passed, and after a volley of violent jerks that was like riding a bull, he fell still.
