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But maybe it was reacting in ways he wasn’t expecting—or testing for. “What about the other ten? The ones that transmuted?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What about them?”
“They were half-breeds, just like me.”
His amusement fled, and his face became stony. “What do you mean?”
My laugh was bitter. “Have you never wondered why I am so fast, so strong? I’m not just a werewolf, I’m a vampire.”
He crossed his arms, eyes and voice flat as he said, “Impossible. Vampires aren’t fertile.”
“Except in the few instances when the change takes place within twenty-four hours of death. My mother was raped by such a vampire.”
“No.”
“Why do you think I was exiled from our pack? They allowed me to be raised out of loyalty to my mother, but once I hit puberty I was ousted.”
“No.”
He said it more forcefully this time, and I snorted. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like the fact you’ve been fucking a half-breed all this time?”
He didn’t answer. I stared at him, saw the sudden loathing in his eyes, and realized the words said in jest were true. Talon was a man who believed in the superiority of the werewolf race, but I’d never realized that opinion also meant he’d have little tolerance for half-breeds
“Our scans never indicated you were anything other than wolf.” His voice was flat, yet held a note of anger that caressed my skin as hotly as his lust had moments before
“They wouldn’t, because for all intents and purposes I am wolf. It’s not until you do a complete DNA check that you see the differences.”
For several more seconds, he just stared. Yet the force of his anger rose and rose, until it was a wave that burned through every fiber of my being. His fists clenched, warning enough that a blow was coming. I dropped my shields and reached desperately for his mind—only to hit a psychic shield. For the first time in two years I noticed the thin wire entwined through the white gold chain at his neck. He was shielded against mind intrusion, had been for as long as I’d known him
A laugh bubbled through me. So much for all my cautious restraint over the years
His fist hit my stomach, and the laughter gave way to a desperate battle to breathe
He continued to hit me, again, and again. I shuddered, twisting and fighting to be free, the need to tear him limb from limb as fierce as the need to survive
“Coward,” I spat between blows. “Step closer and try that.”
I was trembling, aching, bloody. Everything had gone red, only it wasn’t blood. Rage and the wolf had control and the consuming pain meant nothing
I wanted, needed blood
If he took one step closer, I could grab him and rip him to pieces. My fingers curled in anticipation. I wanted to taste him. Wanted to tear my teeth through his sweet flesh, and watch his blood pour from his body. Wanted to see it mingle with mine on the fine gold carpet
He either didn’t hear or didn’t want to hear. As he drew his fist back for another blow, the door to the left of us crashed open and Talon was ripped away from me. I closed my eyes and howled in anger and frustration
Hands were on me, shaking hard
“Riley? It’s Qui
His voice was muted, lost in the roar of need. I lashed out, raking his cheek with hooked fingers. The smell of blood filled the air, stirring the lust to greater heights. I twisted, thrusting my fingers into my mouth, sucking the blood and skin from under my fingernails. It was a sweetness that made me salivate, yet there was nowhere near enough of it to satisfy the hunger in me
“Riley—”
“Don’t take off those chains,” a second voice warned flatly. “She’s in bloodlust, and could kill us both if you set her free.”
“So what in hell do we do?”
“Not we, you.” The second voice was vaguely familiar, though his name failed to traverse the haze of heat and lust filling my mind. “You’ll have to fuck her while she’s chained.”
“For Christ’s sake, look at the mess—”
“You have no other choice. Four of us barely controlled her when we were trying to treat her wounds. The bloodlust triples her strength.”
Qui
He forced a breath out, a sigh that was somehow filled with anger. “Take care of that bastard, then, and make sure he can’t escape.”
Fingers caressed my face. I turned, snapping at them, catching nothing but air
“I will,” the second voice said softly. “But I’m afraid that’s not all you’ll have to do.”
“What?” There was an edge in the rich tones that suggested anger
“She needs the taste of blood.”
“I’m a vampire. She shares my blood willingly, and she treads the path to becoming a vampire.”
“I know, but she is part vampire anyway, so maybe she’s immune to the curse.”
“Gift, not curse.”
It was tightly said, the anger more evident this time
“Either way, it is a chance we have to take. You could survive what I ca
There was a pause, then, “Wolf-sharp.”
“And she won’t just bite, she’ll savage. I may be wolf, but I dare not risk such a bite, especially given it’ll taken more than a few minutes to cure her thirst. She’d more than likely suck the life from me. Nor can we call in a medical unit, simply because few doctors have seen a werewolf in bloodlust, let alone know how to treat it.”
Qui
“Keep an eye on everything while I do this.”
“Be careful.”
“I’m not a fool.”
The door slammed, and silence fell. The scent of sandalwood caressed the air, suggesting Qui
Material rustled. A zipper slid down. Shoes were kicked off. Anticipation quivered through me, bloodlust and moon lust at war through my system
His fingers pressed into me, and the moon heat surged, momentarily overwhelming the red tide. His touch slid back and forth through my slickness, and pleasure stormed through every nerve ending. Then he slipped two fingers inside, stroking hard. I shuddered, writhed, until it felt as if every fiber of my being was about to tear apart from the sheer force of the pleasure. Then everything did shatter and I howled the glory of it to the moon I couldn’t see
But it was nowhere near enough to satisfy the hunger
He stepped closer. I snapped at him. He raised an arm and pressed it against my mouth. I reared back enough to rip into his flesh, tearing deep. He made no sound, but as his blood filled my mouth, he thrust himself into me, stroking hard and deep. It was a sensation unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Ecstasy itself
He made love to me hard and long, until the quivering in my body eased and the lust faded under the taste of his blood and sweat. Eventually, there was nothing left but sweet relief and the need to sleep. It was a need I was finally able to give in to
When sanity finally resurfaced, it was to the awareness of satin rather than wall pressing against my spine. The room was filled with a dusky light that spoke of sunset, and my body was sated, the aches distant. But all I could taste was blood. All I could remember was the rich flavor of his flesh as my teeth tore and slashed…
My stomach roiled and I clambered off the bed, ru
When there was nothing left to bring up, I flushed the toilet and leaned back, closing my eyes. Beneath the taste of bile, blood still lingered. I had to get up and find something sweet to rinse my mouth out with; otherwise, I’d be sick again. But right then, I didn’t have the strength to move