Page 19 of Bite of Passage
“I’m…good.”He should leave her in her world and take the man.Safer for her.Or was it safer for him?A human had attacked her in her house.
Thump-thump.Thump-thump.
Her heartbeat’s steady drumming screamed at him.
Damn it, he couldn’t think clearly.His vision tunneled until he could see nothing but her neck.Need a taste.Just a small taste.
“Home,” he forced out through clenched teeth.There he could guarantee her safety from other humans.Perhaps not from himself, though.
Can’t breathe.Need blood.
He stepped away from her.With little effort he lifted the human by an arm and tossed him through the portal.On instinct, he grabbed her hand and jumped.
When she caught her balance against the wall after their arrival, her head swiveled to take in everything.“Why did you bring me with you?”
He stepped away from her to clasp his hands tight.If he didn’t, he’d grab her.He’d bite her.She’d taste like bliss.Calm your mind.
She cleared her throat when he didn’t answer.Why had he brought her here?
“Because,” he grumbled.
“I don’t belong here.”She pointed at her attacker.“Why did you bring him?”
“Breakfast.”He met Serish’s gaze where he stood at the doorway with his lips set in a hard line.The mage didn’t seem surprised by the fact that he’d stepped through a magical doorway and brought two humans back with him.Serish would know what to do with the prisoner.
Gemma smelled of fear.Her heartbeat picked up again.
Forming coherent words in his tangled head to comfort her didn’t come easily.“I don’t want to hurt you, Gemma.Don’t want to bite you.”He chinned toward the guy on the floor.“But he’s going to die.”
Her heart pounded so loud that he could follow the movement of blood through her body.Those must’ve been the wrong words to calm her.
His voice came out hoarse.“I need blood.It’s been too long.Your blood…your heart pounds too fast.”He thundered, “Calm.The fuck.Down!”
“Calm down?Calm down!”She whipped around as if disoriented.“How?You just said you’re going to kill…” She pointed at the human on the floor.“Is he breakfast and I’m lunch?”
Serish giggled.
The noise startled Skarde and Gemma both.
“Don’t mind me.”Serish held up his hands.“This is great.”
“Come.”He clamped down on her wrist and tugged her to his bedroom.
He slammed the door after she entered in a clear signal to Serish to stay out.
His bedroom was a mess of weaponry, armor, and discarded clothes since he’d ordered everyone in the household, including Serish, to keep out for the past few weeks.He didn’t make any attempt to straighten the bed.
He turned his back to her in order to block out the sound and smell of her heartbeat.Why the hell did I bring her into a closed room?
A small voice in his head advised he brought her here to taste her, fuck her, and then he’d kill her.I refuse to kill her.That means no biting.
But… He fought the blood hunger pushing to bite her.He would press her deep into the soft bed or lift her up and let her slide onto him, to be inside her…so deep.
That’s what fate or destiny or whatever magical forces conspired to bring them together wanted.He refused to provide the expected ending to whatever storyline that destiny wanted him to enact.No one, be it a god or witch or whatever other magical being worked behind the scenes, got to manipulate him.
His father’s voice flitted through his brain: “Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye.”What’s meant to happen will happen.
“Not helpful,” he muttered out loud.When alive, his father had been an asshole who gave shit advice.
