If she’d warned them of our presence here, or sent in a rescue request, the humans would have come prepared. And they weren’t ready to face us at all. They were all just standing around the edge of the field, waiting for the plane to land.
It was almost here, the silver siding glistening in the sun and setting my senses on fire. Darius had used Juliet as a distraction. Now Calina was offering herself to be mine.
And I wasn’t about to decline such a delectable gift.
I wrapped my free hand around the back of her neck, tugging her to me while I kept my opposite arm free with the pistol pointed at the ground. “Let’s see how trusting you are,” I whispered against her mouth.
Then I struck at her throat, piercing her vein without subtleties.
She grabbed my shoulders, her fingernails digging into the cotton fabric of my long-sleeved shirt. A soft little moan parted her lips, her mortal form reacting to the endorphins of my bite.
I allowed her to feel each pull as I pressed her into the tree, my body hard against hers. Ready. Hot.Desiring.
I didn’t hold back, letting her experience every inch of my strength and power as I dominated her with my mouth. She didn’t fight. She didn’t scream. She just melted into me and used the grip on my shoulders to keep herself from falling.
It was erotic and intoxicating, her essence a drug against my tongue that set my own blood on fire.
I listened as the plane landed behind me.
I listened as humans disembarked.
I listened as Damien confirmed there were no vampires in the party.
I listened as Darius suggested we observe the Vigils and wait for them to show us the entrance.
I didn’t pause to agree. I didn’t have to. He knew how to proceed as my second-in-command. Just as he would know what I was doing now to Calina.
She was right—her blood was exactly what I needed. It gave me focus. It dulled the ache in my head. But it stirred a new torment inside me, the yearning making my muscles tense as I fought the urge to strip her and fuck her against the tree.
Her grip faltered, her limbs shaking as she encircled my neck to hold on while I devoured her.
Too much, I thought.I’m taking too much.
And I needed her to be coherent for the next task.
I eased my fangs from her flesh, my veins burning from the necessary restraint. She swayed against me, her proof of trust exquisite and beautiful and so fucking hot that I considered letting Darius handle everything for me in the server farm.
“You’re addicting,” I accused against her neck before slicing my tongue open across a sharp incisor. I dabbed the wound in her skin with my blood, encouraging her to heal quickly.
Then I captured her lips and kissed her deeply.
She jolted in surprise, her shock an aphrodisiac to my predatory senses. I bit my tongue again, forcing more of my blood to pool inside her mouth.
With my hand still clamped around her nape, I gently drew my thumb along the column of her throat, telling her to swallow without words.
She obeyed.
And damn if that didn’t make me even harder for her.
“They’re heading inside,” Damien said into my ear. “Are you planning to join us in this massacre, or do you want to stay out here and continue playing with the doctor?”
A low growl rumbled in my chest, my irritation at the interruption momentarily overwhelming my instincts.
“Jace,” Darius added, his voice low. “You can fuck her on the plane after we get the files.”
My jaw ticked, drawing a warning sound from my chest that had Calina trembling against me. The little vixen had utterly seduced me with her exquisite essence. “You and I are going to have a long chat later about your unique blood type.”
I stepped back, only to reach forward again as she nearly fell. Her limbs shook, her lips swollen and decorated with little specks of blood. She licked them off with a visible shudder, her pupils blown wide.
