“You have to feed,” he said. “You’ll feelbetter once you do. When the worst of the transformation was overand you settled down, I went to the kitchen and consumed enoughblood to support you so you can feed on me now.”
His words caused nausea and hunger to twistin her gut as her eyes fell to his neck. “I don’t know how.”
“You didn’t know how to walk either, but youlearned. Your instincts will lead you through this; let them guideyou.” He tenderly brushed the hair back from her face. “You’ll feela whole lot better after you feed.”
Still, her apprehension kept her immobile onthe bed, but she couldn’t tear her gaze off his neck. The beat ofhis heart thudded in her ears as his blood pulsed through hisveins. She’d never heard anything like it before.
Her eyes turned red as they remained latchedon his throat, but she still didn’t move toward him. Shehadto feed, but her fingers twisted in the sheets as her anxietygrew.
“Here,” he said and bit into his wrist.
When the delicious aroma of something sweetand spicy filled the air, saliva rushed into her mouth and hercanines lengthened. “Oh,” she breathed and slapped a hand over hermouth.
Julian smiled as he held his wrist out toher. “You’ll get used to the fangs.”
She lowered her hand from her mouth as sheprodded her fangs with her tongue. “I can’t get them toretract.”
“That’s because you’re starving. Once you’vefed, you’ll have better control over them and yourself. You have tofeed; it’s the final step in completing your transformation.”
The vivid red beads of blood on his skincalled to her, and the scent of it… well, the smell was pureambrosia.
Gingerly clasping his wrist, she brought ittoward her. She’d tasted his blood before, but this was different.Before, she hadn’t craved it the way she did chocolate during herperiod. Before, it hadn’t made her feel as if she hadn’t eaten inweeks while her stomach rumbled loudly and saliva filled hermouth.
So hungry.Thoughts of hurting himfaded beneath her incessant thirst.
She couldn’t stop herself from bringing hiswrist to her mouth, and with a cautious flick of her tongue, shetasted his blood. Not only did hunger burn through her, but so diddesire as his blood awakened another instinct—one that screamed ather to claim this man ashers.
She lifted her eyes to his and bit into hiswrist. Blood filled her mouth, and his breath hissed in, but itwasn’t from pain as his gaze remained riveted on her lips. Shesighed when her hand landed on his thickening erection. She rubbedit through his sweatpants while his blood filled her arid veins andspread through her cells. Her lingering soreness faded away as hisblood filled her.
Her nipples hardened, and the stronger shefelt, the wetter she became for him. Unable to stop herself, shetugged at his sweatpants as she grew desperate to get them off. Heshifted on the mattress and tugged them down his legs beforethrowing them aside. Keeping hold of his wrist, she pulled him withher as she lay back on the bed and spread her legs.
When she opened her legs, Julian climbed ontothe bed. The scent of her arousal and the pull of his blood werepushing the boundaries of his restraint. He couldn’t hurt her, buthe felt almost mindless in his desperation to complete thebond.
When he buried his cock inside her and sankhis fangs into her throat, a sense of calm descended over him.Thiswas it! This was what the demon had been so desperateto achieve, and now, she was his.
For the first time in months, all he felt waspeace as the clamoring need to kill faded while Aida’s blood andlove filled his body and mind.
Every thrust and every drop of blood broughtthem closer. As their minds mingled, neither of them could tellwhose pleasure and love they experienced… their own or that oftheir mate.
CHAPTER 49
Aida leaned against Julian’s side as Cassidy’sbeautiful voice filled the barroom. Closing her eyes, she listenedto the reassuring beat of his heart as it drowned out the numerousother heartbeats surrounding her.
She wasn’t hungry, Julian kept her well-fed,but the rush of human blood filling the room was a temptationalmost as loud as the piano. When her fangs tingled, she turned herhead into Julian’s neck.
Inhaling the scent of him, her stress eased.She felt more in control of herself when she turned back to thestage. Life as a vampire was strange, but with Julian, Cassidy, andKyle to help guide her, she felt confident in her ability tocontrol herself.
After her transition, she decided to call outof work for the rest of the week. She’d required more time than sheexpected to adjust to the brightness of the world and the noise.She also couldn’t part from her mate.
She returned to work today, and tonight wastheir first night out of the apartment since her transformation.Work was difficult at first, but she found herself slipping intoher old role as easily as her favorite pair of jeans
Before returning to work, Nicolette insistedshe bring a doctor’s note with her. Aida was more than a littleannoyed by this. She’d never called out before, and though shewasn’t really sick, Nicolette should have trusted her even if, inthis case, that trust was misplaced.
However, she couldn’t tell Nicolette thetruth. She didn’t think “I might eat the customers” would go overtoo well with her boss.
Besides, providing Nicolette with a noteproved to be simple. By the time Julian finished speaking with her,Nicolette believed Aida had brought her a note stating she hadpneumonia for the past week.
Three days ago, Mollie, Mike, and Julian’sparents came for a visit. They only spent the night, but Aida lovedseeing them again, especially Mollie. They sat on the roof andstayed up all night talking until they were too exhausted to speak.Then, they’d sat with their arms around each other and watched thesun glint off the windows as it rose over the city.
