“I’ll tell you everything and answer any questions you have. No more putting it off. I can’t. Not if…not if I want us to live.”
She presses a kiss against my forehead, and I close my eyes, relishing in her nearness. I can’t believe I’m too weak to be feral. I would think I’d be uncontrollable and feeding off her, whether she likes it or not.
I’m also grateful. I don’t want her to be afraid of me, and if I were feral, she might be.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed, get some food in you, take a nice hot shower, and then, we will take it from there, okay?”
I’m not fighting her anymore. The fighting is only killing us.
She wraps an arm around me, and we both groan, her from bearing most of my weight, and me from having to move an inch. I hiss with every step back to the bed, sliding my feet across the floor.
My eyes catch on the side of her throat. I can’t help but stare. My vision pulsates, bursts of red exploding like fireworks with every beat of her heart. Blood is a rushing river flowing in her veins.
My mouth waters. My instincts return.
I can bite. I’ll be quick. She’ll forgive me, right?She’ll understand eventually that I had no choice but to take the next step in the mating process.
I’ve already started it.
When I licked her wound and her blood coated my tongue, she became part of me. The problem was that it wasn’t enough blood, only a tease to ease the ache. The next step is drinking from her, fangs in her throat, preferably while she’s riding my cock. And then the third step, she’d drink my blood. Lastly, I’ll come as deep as I fucking can inside her, marking her, claiming her as mine.
And then she’ll be mine for all eternity.
No. No. I can’t do that to her. I have to give her the choice.I have to control myself. I’m better than temptation, even on my deathbed.
“Here we are.” Nariko is slow and gentle, easing me down on the bed.
I’m grunting and sneering with every motion. “Fuck,” I hiss. “Sorry for the language, Sugar. I’m not myself.”
She tucks a pillow behind me and fluffs it up, easing me back to get me comfortable. Her care warms my slow beating heart. Nariko lifts my legs onto the bed next, then covers me with the blanket, pausing when she notices the blood on the comforter.
The rain slams against the window harder, thunder rolling in the distance, and it’s loud enough to vibrate the clock I have on my nightstand.
“I’m surprised you’re not out there.”
Nariko takes out everything that was in the tote, setting it on the bed one by one. Whatever it is, the smell warms me. It reminds me of a time when I was a child—a time I haven’t thought about in decades.
“I checked the radar. There are no supercells. It’s just rain. The team is out. They are getting footage for our social media accounts, updating our followers with what has happened.”
“Are there no supercells anywhere else? You storm chasers travel, usually, don’t you?”
She unscrews the top of a thermos, pours hot tea into a travel mug, and then hands it to me. “Drink.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I blow on the steam and take a small sip. The hot liquid soothes the back of my raw throat and warms my stomach. “It’s delicious. Thank you for—” I stop talking when I notice something in the aftertaste.
I lift the cup to my nose and inhale, staring down at the reddish liquid. “Did you put your blood in this?”
Nariko ignores me, pulling out a plastic container of what seems to be soup. She even pulls out a spoon.
I take another sip of the tea, focusing on the blood. The more I drink, the more my pain fades. Even the ringing in my ears dims. The colors in the room become brighter. While a slight ache is still there, I can breathe better now.
“Open,” she demands, scooping a spoonful of soup.
“Nariko, you don’t have to feed me.”
She points to my hand that isn’t holding the mug. “You’re trembling. While I’m feeding you, you can talk to me about what’s going on between us.” The spoon hits my lips, and she huffs in annoyance. “Open, Oakley.”
I do as she says, not wanting to fight with her. The soup is delicious. I moan, the flavors healing every weak and bleeding spot in my body. Then, there’s the blood.
