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I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this.
And oh, God, I hope I never do.
2
I’M NOT DYING
“Oh, God.”
My fingers dig into my stomach as pain sears through me. I roll over onto my side and curl into myself, groans slipping between my lips as ripples of agony continue to course through my abdomen. My mind is foggy from sleep, and I start to panic.
This is it. The death Bernadette predicted might happen when I decided to ask Jesse to turn me. My witch blood is revolting against the vampirism, and after I die, so will my mate. He’s destined to waste away to nothing, and my selfish desire to spend forever with him brought us to this.
I’ve destroyed us.
On instinct, I try to breathe through the pain. I shoot upright, my chest heaving as a gloriously delicious scent wafts up my nose. My eyes search every corner of the room, searching for the source. Bitter saliva pools in my mouth, and it burns my throat as I swallow it down.
Shit. It’s not saliva. It’s venom.
I swing my leg over the edge of the bed, pushing myself upright slowly as another cramp ravages my insides. I know what this is. Jesse warned me.
I’m not dying. I’m hungry. Starving.
And I smell blood.
My head jerks toward the door as the relaxed thumping of a nearby heart reaches my ears. My mouth floods again, and I ignore the sting as I swallow thickly.
“We’re coming in. Try to relax, Eden.”
Jesse’s voice reaches my ears, drowning out the heartbeat for a moment. His confident, firm tone calms me a bit, and by the time the doorknob turns, I’m comfortably certain I won’t leap on the human he has with him and rip his or her throat out. The door swings open a crack, and Jesse pokes his head through the opening. His gaze searches my features, then he nods and pushes the door the rest of the way open, stepping inside.
A woman steps through after him, but she stops behind him like he might somehow protect her should I lose my head and attack. Seeing that fear in her stance calms me like nothing before, and I let my shoulders drop as some of the tension drains out of me.
Then another ripple of pain shoots through me, and I hiss through my teeth. My mind goes blank save for the intense need to feed, and I lunge forward. I have no control of my body. I’m a wild animal intent on survival at this point.
Jesse jumps into my path, his hands gripping my shoulders as he stops me in my tracks. He stares into my eyes as I fight against his hold on me.
“Eden, stop. Calm down. You can control this.”
A serene calmness settles over me, and I cease my struggles. I don’t know if it’s his hold on my heart or some aspect of his mind control abilities taming the beast inside, and honestly, I don’t care. I’m just thankful he stopped me from…
I don’t even want to think about it.
“You good?” he asks.
I nod disjointedly. “I am now. Thank you.”
He releases me, then turns slightly to motion to the woman behind him, urging her forward. “This is Meredith. She’s here to feed you. She’s a willing donor, and you must not abuse her, even unintentionally.”
I take a step back, horror washing over me. Now that I have my wits about me, the thought of biting this poor woman is repulsive. Despite the painful hunger, I don’t know if I can do it. Jesse must see the war going on inside me, because he gives me a sad smile and takes both of my hands in his.
“You can do this, Eden. You just take a couple of swallows, a few ounces, at most. It won’t hurt her if you’re gentle, and she will receive intense pleasure in return.” At my wide eyes, he chuckles and leans in closer to whisper, “Not that kind of pleasure. That is reserved for me, alone.”
I shiver at his words, then go still as a new thought occurs to me. I can bite him now. I can give him the same apocalyptic experience he’s given me with every sting of his fangs. Heat floods through me at the thought, then extinguishes as another hunger pain doubles me over.
Jesse puts an arm around me and leads me back to the bed. Once I’m sitting, he calls Meredith forward. She looks a little nervous, yet somehow still excited, like the anticipation is driving her wild. Her green eyes are bright with golden flecks as she meets my gaze, her blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail to bare her neck.
“I’m pleased to be of service to you, your highness,” she murmurs.
