Page 46 of Twisted By Darkness

“You’ll laugh, but the smell of blood makes me nauseous.” She reaches the towels out to me. “Here. Try to staunch the blood flow.”

I can’t laugh, not now. Accepting the towels, I sit next to Donatello and press one of them to the wound on his shoulder blade. It’s such a tiny hole. How can it bleed so hard? The red liquid races down his back and pools into the waistband of his pants.

“How am I going to feed him?” I ask as the silence grows heavy. “Do you have blood bags?”

When I turn, Alicia is already by the door. “No. I don’t need to drink blood.”

I blink twice at her. “Then how?”

She cocks her head, lips twisted. “The blood of mages is very rich in magic.” And she leaves, closing the door behind her.

My heart thrums in my ears. I gape at Apollo. “What was that supposed to mean?” Then the possibility hits me. “I could heal him!” And before anyone says anything else, I close my eyes and reach out for all the shadows in the place.

I suck them up, willing that warmth to pool in my chest. Curling my fingers around Donatello’s thigh, I will my magic to heal him. I breathe the shadows out into his body, and beg them to let him live.

When I’m done, I open my eyes and pull the towel from his wound. With a wet gush, the blood seeps out.

“It didn’t work,” I squeal out.

“It felt good, though,” Donatello says with a small smile.

“He won’t heal while there’s poison in him,” says Apollo. “That’s how the poison works. We need the antidote first.”

I bare my teeth in rage. Isn’t there anything I can do right? “Okay. Then how am I going to help? Why does my blood have anything to do with it?”

Donatello makes a face that would be a smirk if he wasn’t in pain. “You don’t need to do it,inamorata. Giulia will be done in no time.” But his voice fails him, scratches, and his cheeks have turned perfectly white.

Realization hits me like a stone. “Shit.” I straddle his thigh, riding him higher so my face is closer to him. “I’m so fucking dumb.” And I shove my hair out of the way. “Bite me.”

“Hell no,” Apollo says, reaching out to push me away. “He can take the blood from any of us. Why does it have to be you?”

“First,” I shoot back, “Alicia said there’s powerful magic in my blood. It might help more than you would. Second, I don’t think he could bite Tristan. His skin is too thick. Third, when he’s had enough of me, he can still bite one of you. We don’t know how long Giulia will take.”

“She’ll be fast, I know it,” Donatello insists, but I hate how his eyelids grow heavy.

“Bite me,” I insist, shoving my neck against his face.

“What if he drinks too much?” Apollo asks, fingers digging into my arm, still trying to hold me away. “I can’t pull you from the bite. That would rip your neck off.”

“Then I will suck his soul from him.” I stare into Apollo’s eyes. A promise. Anything for him to feel safer, and let me help Donatello.

He seems to hesitate for a moment, then steps away. He doesn’t look happy, but he clenches his jaw and says nothing else. I meet Donatello’s eyes and nod once. He stares at the beating pulse in my neck for a moment, licks his lips, then kisses the skin just under my jaw.

My eyelids flutter shut even against my sense. I can’t help but enjoy the caress. Don brushes his lips down the sensitive skin, his breath making me shiver. He kisses my pulse once, locks the skin between his lips, sucking it hard, then bites me.

I wince, my arms tightening around him, but it’s just a nick. He presses a hand to my hip, the other to the small of my back, locking my body against him, and then he sucks. Warmth travels through my body, lighting my blood on fire, and shoots straight to my clit.

“Shit,” I breathe out and my hips buck against his thigh. The second my clit connects to his leg, another jolt races through me. It’s like touching an exposed wire. My skin bumps with gooseflesh.

Apollo’s hot fingers curl around the back of my head. “Is he hurting you? Tell me if he’s hurting you and I’ll fucking end him.”

Donatello sucks another mouthful of blood and I tremble with sheer lust. “No,” I moan out, and this time it’s impossible to hide what’s going on.

I don’t know what it is, but the way he’s sucking me is ridiculously hot. My arms tremble and my head drops back. Lust like nothing I’ve ever felt rushes through me. My nipples pebble and ache, and dampness covers my panties.

Someone takes the towel off my hand. Good. I’m in no condition of staunching any wound. My body thrums, and I readjust so my knee touches Donatello’s crotch. His hardness is clear, twitching against his pants. I lock my thighs around his and move my hips, seeking release.

“What the fuck?” Apollo whispers.

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