Page 55 of Prey

The physical aspect was there from her injuries, but it was the mental portion that had me worried. God, she was so fucking scared and close to breaking. Seeing her held before me and the terror on her face, it didn’t hold the reaction I would have thought it would. Fuck, I’d stood up to Julius to try to get her back because of it. And her…wearing that fucking dress. The red one she said she wouldn’t choose because I’d like it. She was trying so hard to be strong, but she couldn’t fight the bond. It was another reason I knew she wouldn’t be able to kill me. It would be impossible for her to. She was a sitting duck, just waiting to get devoured by the evil monster inside of me.

“Tessa?”

Her heartbeat increased. But nothing. No thoughts. No words. I focused harder, waiting to see if she’d say something. She didn’t.

A few minutes went by and I called to her again. The jump in pulse repeated, but nothing.

I knew the area I was in wasn’t blocking what we shared from the tie, but something had to be. Her? Had she somehow discovered a way to keep her thoughts from me? It didn’t seem possible. Nothing with her did. Even Julius made it seem odd that he got nothing from her blood. Something about her intrigued him. Enough so that he wanted to replace me at the table. He had to know something about her that I didn’t. She was human. I was one hundred percent sure of that. So what was it?

I paced, trying to ignore the dark red cloth from the corner of my eye. I stared ahead and with each turn, found just how hard it was for me to disregard. The sweetness pulled at my core and I heard a sound escape. God, what was I going to do?

After I do what is necessary, you will take his spot at my table. Julius’ statement came surging back into my mind and it sent my anger flaring. How could he think turning Tessa would make it acceptable for her to take my spot? That position would go to Marie if I died. Tessa wouldn’t even be able to function for the first year after her change. His words didn’t make sense, and yet, I knew he had meant what he said. Fuck! I couldn’t stand this. Already, I could feel my skin turning hot at the confinement. The trapped sensation left me in a craze and the evil part of me was creeping in. Obsession with my prey was pushing back through worse than ever and I yearned to smother mon chaton in my passion. To wrap every part of who I was around her until she couldn’t breathe past the potency of who lurked inside.

“Tessa? I waited and said it again, this time more forcefully. The isolation crept in, even more without her response. Over and over, I called out to her. Each time getting more uncontrolled and frenetic. Not a single thought appeared. Hours went by and I sat in the corner, staring at the bloody material that left me fevered. It taunted me to be held so I could breathe the sweet smell in deeper. Its intoxication of my space would have me gone soon, and there’d be no coming back until the deed was done.

“Tessa!” Desperation left my internal voice cracking. I began to go to her dress, only to stop myself. I had to drown out the smell. Buffer it somehow.

“Oh God, Tessa, please answer me. I…need you.” My hands came up to my face, cupping around my nose, trying my damnedest to make the scent fade, even just a little. Minutes went by and nothing worked. I tried not breathing, but I couldn’t calm myself enough to focus on stopping what came so naturally.

I pushed from the floor to stand again and slammed my fist in the cement wall as hard as I could. Small pieces flaked away and once I started, I couldn’t stop. Chips fell into chunks, but I knew the wall was so thick I could spend years going at it and never break free of the prison that held me. Blood ran from my knuckles and I looked at it in horror as her scent mixed with mine, perfuming around me, so delicious and tempting. My tongue ran over the substance before I could even process what I was doing. The smallest taste sent my nails extending and a hiss exploding from my mouth.

Power surged through me with the likes I’d never felt before and I projected it out in an explosion as I yelled through the overwhelming craving. The ripple against the shield blew back against me, slamming me into the wall. The action only had me lifting and charging right at the bars, over and over. Pain engulfed my shoulder but it didn’t stop me from yanking against the thick metal that my hands could barely fit around.

Small sobs broke through and I suddenly realized she’d felt my pain. How long had she been crying? I didn’t know.

“Marko?”

The soft tone of her voice left me breathing out raggedly. I fell to my knees, noticing my stomach clutch to my ribs with the deep inhales.

“I’m so sorry, mon chaton. Run and don’t ever stop. God…fucking start running.”

Fire enflamed my throat and I looked over. Not inches away sat the piece of her dress. I groaned through the torturous spasms that contracted the muscles as I tried to swallow the need away.

“We can’t put this off any longer. I’ll be waiting.”

My head lowered to the floor and the monster in me began to take over completely. I was disappearing as my mind spaced out. Any humanity I held was vanishing to the place it had been before, for hundreds of years. That Marko wouldn’t exist come sunset. The Marko I was just before I met her wouldn’t either. I’d never been made to go through anything like this and I feared what I’d become once this was over. Something was happening. I was changing. There would be nothing left of Tessa when I got done with her, and I knew if I didn’t have her in my life, there was no hope for anyone. Julius would have to keep me here or kill me. No one would be safe. I’d be the monster both vampires and humans feared.

Chapter 25

Tessa

The levels of fear that existed always seemed to amaze me. When I thought I couldn’t be any more afraid, something came along and proved to me that the sensation ran to depths our human minds couldn’t even begin to process.

As I looked in the mirror, staring into my nearly black eyes, I couldn’t stop the chattering of my jaw. My whole body continued to jerk and shake violently and I knew it was because of Marko’s state of mind. He wasn’t right. Hadn’t been now for hours. And it was only getting worse. The fact that I was changing because of how far gone he was terrified me the most. I looked every bit the demon I had no doubt resided inside of his body. And I wasn’t even his kind. The blood within in me was enough to change who I was. It knew its true Master and rushed through my veins, calling to the one man I feared, yet loved, more than anyone. Even in my last hours, I couldn’t deny what was true. I loved Marko Delacroix and no amount of fear or hate would be able to get rid of that.

“I want you taste you, mon chaton. I want to tear you apart.”

My eyes closed. The mantra had been repeating now for hours. Every few minutes, he’d say something along those lines and I’d continue to ignore him, but the threats didn’t come without consequence. Nausea left me lightheaded from all the shaking and regardless that the sun was up, safety wasn’t present. My throat burned horribly. My vision was only what I could describe as 3D. It left me completely panicked and anxious.

What was I going to do?

I opened my eyes, turning to look at the clock. The smallest detail became apparent in everything my gaze moved across and I knew this was how it must have been for the predatory vampires. The ones who were in the middle of hunting. They wouldn’t miss the smallest thing. Not a move, breath...or their victim’s pulse point. I bet it looks beautiful hammering away on the side of their neck. I ripped myself from my thoughts, staggering backwards. God, had I thought that? The bond. It was making my own cravings for blood come back. It wanted me to take Marko’s.

A moan poured through and I knew he’d heard me.

“You want my blood? I want to cover you in yours.”

A small sound escaped and I tried to stay focused. My eyes darted to the clock again. Almost four.

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