Page 13 of Dead to Rights
Moving like liquid lightning, Finn grabbed him by the wrist and spun him around, pinning him between the sink and his muscled frame. Eyes wild, nostrils flared, he jerked Noah’s hand closer, his gaze locked on the beads of crimson that trickled down his injured finger.
Another growl vibrated in his broad chest, and his lips parted, revealing the glistening tips of elongated canines. Then he dipped his head—slowly, deliberately—and wrapped his lips around the scraped knuckle.
Despite the precariousness of the situation, Noah couldn’t help but respond. The first swipe of Finn’s tongue across his skin sent a shiver down his spine. The next, tickled the hairs at the back of his neck and made his pulse jump.
And the third went straight to his cock.
“Hey.” His voice sounded fragile, weak, and naturally had zero effect. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Finn! Snap out of it!”
It took another few seconds, but Finn finally lifted his head, a small spark of recognition shining in his dark eyes.
“That’s good.” Gentling his voice, he stopped trying to fight the grasp on his wrist and leaned into the vampire instead. “Look at me. It’s okay.”
“Noah?”
“Yeah, it’s me. You’re okay.” He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, but his hand still trembled as he reached out to cradle Finn’s cheek. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Finn responded, closing his eyes and nuzzling into Noah’s palm.
“What do you mean?”
“Something feels different.” Placing his hand over Noah’s, he held it tighter to his face. “This helps.”
“Tell me about it,” he suggested, trying to keep the guy talking until the bloodlust had passed. “What does it feel like?”
“I’m sorry,” Finn answered instead. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, you didn’t hurt me.” The incident had startled him, but nothing about Finn’s touch had been painful. “And you don’t have to—”
“Wow, something smells good.”
He closed his eyes and choked back a groan as the familiar voice rang in his ears. His brother really did have the worst timing.
“Oh, hey, Noah. I didn’t know you were coming over.”
Finn reacted as well. Only, instead of irritation, he chose violence.
His lips peeled back from his teeth, and a dark, territorial snarl ripped from his throat. The next thing Noah knew, he had been spun around again, his back now pulled tight against Finn’s chest with a strong, muscled arm locked around his waist.
“Whoa, what the hell?” Keegan demanded, his brow creased in confusion as he stared at them from the other side of the kitchen island.
Of course, his brother’s mate didn’t have quite the same reaction. Guiding Keegan behind him, Rune stepped forward, his massive frame radiating with protective energy.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but we can talk about it.” As he spoke, he crept toward the end of the island. “How about you let Noah go first, though?”
To his credit, Rune had a lot of experience in managing Finn’s slips in control, but somehow, Noah didn’t think the usual tactics were going to work this time.
“Come on, cowboy,” Rune coaxed. “Let him go.”
Rather than comply, Finn’s arm tightened around his waist, and his other hand came up to rest in the center of Noah’s chest, the hold both defensive and…possessive. Then he spoke. Just one word, tinged with a growl, that changed everything.
“Mine.”
Chapter five
Mine.
The word cycled on a loop in Finn’s mind, each repetition only strengthening the conviction.
