“Easy, shh, it’s okay,” Mike soothed as the glow from her watch went out, and he realized he’d scared the shit out of her. The rush of her pulse sounded like drums in his ears. “Easy, Mollie.”
Ever so slowly, she relaxed in his arms. But she placed her hands against his shoulders and kept her arms ramrod straight in a useless attempt to hold him back should he try to sink his fangs into her.
“I won’t hurt you,” he whispered, but her anxiety didn’t ease.
In the dim light filtering through the branches, her face remained pinched, and her eyes narrowed though he doubted she could see much of him now that her watch was off.
“You… you were having a nightmare, I think,” she croaked.
He frowned as he recalled the dream that had gripped him in its bleak depths. In the nightmare, they were attacked, and he was unable to save her. She’d died in his arms after countless vampires fed on her. He’d been helpless to protect her, and even in his sleep, the loss of her tore his heart from his chest.
“Your eyes were red when you opened them,” she said.
“It was the worst nightmare I’ve ever had,” he admitted, closing his eyes; she couldn’t see them, but he knew they were still red.
“I didn’t want to wake you, but you were making noise, and I was scared you might hurt me in your sleep.”
“Never. I would never…” His voice trailed off as a hideous possibility occurred to him and self-hatred unlike anything he’d ever experienced swamped him. “DidI hurt you?”
“No. You were holding me tight, but you didn’t hurt me.”
Mike’s shoulders slumped. “Good. I swear to you, Mollie, I will defend your life with mine.”
Mollie eased against him, but she didn’t remove her hands from his shoulders. “I believe you, Mike, but you scared me.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, and his head fell forward.
Mollie finally relaxed her arms and leaned toward him. She couldn’t see him, but she heard the distress in his voice. When her arms slid up to his shoulders, his head bowed until it rested against her chest, and he inhaled a deep breath. Sensing he’d been more upset by what happened than she was, she threaded her fingers through his hair and held him against her as she sought to comfort him.
Mike’s arms locked around her waist, and he held her close, savoring her warmth. His dream was so real that the bloody image of her haunted him as he clasped the very much alive version closer.
Lifting his head, he gazed into her green eyes, which were vivid in the shadows hugging the contours of her face. He cupped one of her cheeks and ran his thumb over her silken skin before drawing her closer.
Mollie didn’t resist when he pulled her to him, and his lips unerringly found hers in the dark.He can probably see me better than I can see him.
Mike’s hands flattened against the small of her back as her mouth opened to his invasion. He tasted the heated depths of her in long, leisurely strokes. He’d never felt this in sync with a woman before; there was no hesitancy or uncertainty with Mollie as she countered each of his thrusts with ease.
Because she belongs to me.He did not doubt it anymore, not after that nightmare. The woman in his arms was his mate, and he didn’t know how he would get them both out of this mess alive. But no matter what it took, he would make sure she survived.
When Mike’s hands dipped down to the bottom of her shirt, Mollie didn’t stiffen against him as she had last time. She knew this might be the only chance they would have to be together. They had no idea what tomorrow held on this island and, vampire or not, she wanted this man.
When his hands slid under her shirt, Mollie gave herself over to the exquisite sensation of his large palms moving against her flesh. Tomorrow they would go back to fighting for survival, but tonight, she would lose herself in him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mike senseda giving in Mollie as she leaned in to him with a sigh. His cock strained against the zipper of his jeans as the overwhelming urge to possess her consumed him.
Easy,he cautioned himself.Take your time and enjoy her.
He wanted to savor her for hours, but the knowledge he was about to take his mate for the first time had his vampire nature trying to take over. His fangs pricked and lengthened with the impulse to sink in to her delicate throat.
She’s in so much danger on this island, and I can make her stronger.
But the transition from human to vampire could take hours, it was excruciating, and she would have to feed soon after. She could drink only from him, but he would have to consume lots of blood beforehand to sustain her. He’d only had animal blood since arriving here, and he hadn’t fed today.
He couldn’t change her until he was better prepared and they were somewhere secure. Then…
His thoughts trailed off when she rested her hand on his cheek, instinctively calming him with her touch though she couldn’t know how close he was to unraveling.
