“Do it now,” she whispered.
The rhythm of her heart rang in his head. It was the only way. He knew that. He had no other choice.
But what if he took too much as he had before? With all the blood they’d taken from her already, she couldn’t spare much more. What if he couldn’t stop this time? What made today any different?
He didn’t care as much about himself. As a soldier in this war, he was prepared to die fighting for what he believed in. It was a possibility he faced every day. But she was innocent, caught in this dark web through no fault of her own. If he did nothing, she would be forced to endure the most unspeakable horrors and she would die anyway. Fury ran cold in his veins when he thought of Pavlos even laying a finger on this beautiful woman.
This was his woman. His life. Mine.
To die in the arms of the man she loved.
Mackenzie, I love you. If anything happens, if I’m not able to stop, I pledge that I will die with you.
The skin of her neck was soft and delicate against his lips. Running his tongue over her pulse, he felt the blood rushing below the surface. With his hands chained, he wouldn’t be able to slip them up to her temple and put her into the light calming trance they used when they fed. She’ll feel everything, he thought.
“Hurry, Dom. Just do it.”
“I love you, Kenz.” He closed his eyes and bit.
He heard a pop and her sharp intake of breath when his teeth pierced her vein. As her sweet blood filled his mouth, she leaned her body into his and relaxed against him.
“Yes, love,” she whispered, stroking his hair.
She was every bit as amazing as he had remembered. Actually, more so. With every swallow, with every beat of her heart, he could feel himself getting stronger and more powerful. Her blood was transforming him into a better version of himself. He yanked at the chains holding his wrists and ankles, and they snapped like dry twigs.
Blackness loomed ahead, beckoning him, but it held no sway over him. This woman in his arms was willing to give herself to him completely, to trust him, to love him. And he loved her. Wanted to complete her, to make her happy, to be her everything.
Her pulse continued to flicker against his lips, filling him with her lifeblood. His hunger was sated, his need fulfilled. And he knew that he’d taken enough.
Dom sprang from the pile of silver chains and was shocked at the speed and efficiency with which he killed the guard. Aftervaporingunder the door of the viewing room, he solidified, strapped on his own weapons again, and unlocked the door before Mackenzie had even managed to push herself to her feet. Was he really moving that fast? He did feel so much stronger with her blood in his system, maybe even stronger than when he’d drunk from her at the cemetery.
He swept her into his arms and in an instant he wasrunning down the hallway again.
“Dom,” Mackenzie whispered in his ear as she clung to his neck. “Where are you taking me? Aren’t you going to kill Pavlos?”
“Your safety overrides everything. We areEnlazado por la Sangre,and you’re the most important thing in my world. I will not leave you unprotected.” For once, he was going to think before he acted.
“But, Dom, he killed my father and?—”
“I have no intention of letting him slip away. It’s daylight. He’s not going anywhere. I will not leave you in order to get my revenge. I’ll wait until the other teams arrive.”
He sprinted up the stairs three at a time, his feet barely touching the treads, and burst into the upper hallway. The exit door loomed ahead at the end, hanging sideways in the jamb and casting a long, triangular beam of sunlight on the gray linoleum.
As he approached, the smell of rotten meat assailed him.
He skidded to a stop and Pavlos stepped out in front of him.
“Well, well, well. You are tenacious, aren’t you, Serrano?”
He shoved Mackenzie behind him and palmed a short blade.
“I see you’ve finally discovered the profound effects human blood can have.”
He was so fucking tired of hearing the sound of that voice. He took aim and threw the knife. Before it reached him, Pavlos sidestepped it with surprising agility.
But Dom was ready. With his left hand he threw another blade and grabbed the rawhide handle of thebrindmahlwith his right. He swung the coil once over his head, flicked his wrist and sent the long tail of the silver-laced leather flying. It circled around Pavlos’s neck with a snap. Dom jerked his hand down, and Pavlos fell, clutching his throat. In the span of a heartbeat, Dom was on him. He pulled out a long blade, and in one downward motion, separated Pavlos’s head from his shoulders.
Footsteps reverberated behind Mackenzie as she lay on the floor. Dom slammed her into the doorway and covered her with his body. A man and woman in street clothes ran toward them.
