Page 38 of Queen of Darkness
“Because I’m not strong enough, Jo. With shifter blood in her, she will beat me. Every. Single. Time. There isn’t anythingIcan do about that.”
My eyes narrowed at the emphasis on that one word. “What are you trying to say?”
Aaron watched me in silence for a long time. “There isn’t any way I can beat her,” he said softly. “Butyoucan.”
“Me?” I said, confused. “What?”
“You can fight her. And win. You can be stronger than her, Jo. Than anyone.”
I recoiled away from him as I understood what he meant. “You mean if I feed on live humans.”
“Or shifters,” he said. “Like her blood slaves.”
“How can you suggest that?” I gasped, stunned.
“Think about it, Jo!” he said, punching a fist into his other palm to emphasize his point. “Wehaveto find a way to beat her. Which means we’re going to need someone as strong as her. Who can beat her in a fight. Think of all thegoodyou could do.”
“But you want me to feed on people!” I shouted, backing away from him, into the room itself. “On real people!”
The idea of feeding on someone had a dual effect on me. My mind and soul were thoroughly and utterly repulsed by the idea. My wolf agreed. She didn’t mind the kill at the end of a hunt, but she didn’t want tofeedon them in that sense. Yet we were opposed by another presence, a dark, nonsentientHungerthat had me all but salivating at the idea, pushing the memories of the near-sexual ecstasy of feeding to the forefront of my mind.
I gasped and heaved, my chest rapidly rising and falling as I tried to calm myself. I couldn’t let it get to my head. Feeding produced unparalleled pleasure in me, but I had to remind myself it wasn’t real. It was fake.
“Feed, yes.Notkill. You’ll have to pull away at the last moment. But then you go to another. And another. I’ll be there with you, Jo. I will ensure you don’t kill them.”
I stared at him, horrified at how he kept pushing the plan and at the building arousal inside me. I wanted to hate it with my entire being, to deny it, but I couldn’t. There would always be a part of me that was excited at the idea of feeding, and it shamed me.
“How can you endorse this plan?” I whispered.
“Because, Jo,” he said solemnly, “if you make this sacrifice, think of how many people you willsave. The blood slaves, present and future. Any newborn female vampires who will be hunted to the death, without ever realizing why, despite having done nothing wrong. If you take this burden onto yourself, all of that will go away.”
I shuddered. “I can’t do that,” I protested. “You … you ask too much of me. I’m not that strong.”
Aaron looked ready to push his argument, to try harder to convince me. He opened his mouth, eyes wide with fervent intensity. Yet, something stopped him dead in his tracks. He blinked twice and then abruptly calmed.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “It was worth a try.”
I sagged slightly at the change. “Does that mean you’re going to leave now? Because I won’t do what you want?”
His face crinkled into a mighty frown. “What? Of course not, Jo. I wouldn’t leave you.”
That hadn’t beenquitewhat I’d asked, but I could see how he would think so.
“I was serious when I came to your door and told you that I wanted you,” he continued. “I want you to be mine, Jo. That hasn’t changed. Not one bit. I care about you a lot. I told you something drew me to you, and now I know what it was. You had vampire blood all this time. We just didn’t know it. But whether you’re willing to go that far to fight Elenia or not, it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
“Okay,” I said, not sure what else to say.
“I want you. I want to bewithyou, so I’ll respect your decision on this. If we have to go up against her, just the two of us as we are, then so be it. I’ll be at your side until the end, Jo.”
I looked away, blinking back unbidden tears, not entirely sure where they’d come from. He was serious, I could tell that much, but why was I ready to cry over it?
“I’m sorry,” I said, desperate to fill the silence with something, anything. “For getting so mad at you. I know you’ve tried hard to make up for it. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Me neither,” he said with a wry smile. “But I respect your opinions and your decisions. I won’t always agree, though, and I expect the same from you. It’s not whether we fight or not that matters. Wewillfight and disagree. It’s what happensafterthe fight that matters. That’s what’s important to me. Any couple will fight. That’s normal and healthy, in my opinion,when it’s done right.”
I looked at him, taking something entirely different away from what he’d just said than what he’d intended.
“Are you saying we’re a couple?” I whispered.
