Page 76 of Bonded Through Bite

Now she’s drinking properly, big gulps, one after another, draining me. “Blood,” I say more evenly and Olivia pushes a glass into my hand. I drink it down but barely feel it. She’s a wolf shifter but not a strong one, and Samantha will need all the strength I can give her.

She starts to pull back and I dig my fingers into her nape, grounding her in place. A soft whimper escapes her, but I don’t care. She’ll keep drinking until I say so, until I’ve nothing left to give her. The amount she’s taking is starting to take its toll, but it’s not nearly enough to revitalize her.

“More blood,” I say.

“I might need some too,” Santiago says, his voice hoarse from throwing up. “The poison… it’s some potent shit.”

I glance over to see him leaning against the couch, pale as death, eyes bloodshot and fangs out. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him brought that low and I itch to help him. Give him blood, even if just a sip.

He meets my eyes and shakes his head. “I won’t drink from you. She needs it all, trust me. Every drop.”

She does. I don’t doubt that, but that’s not the only reason he’s refusing and from the looks of it, he knows it too. Jere moves to the drink cart and pulls out a clean glass. Before I think to question it, he lashes his wrist and fills the glass.

“Here,” he says, thrusting it into Santiago’s shaking hands. It’s only then I notice Olivia bringing me another glass of her blood.

“Thank you,” I murmur and guzzle it down. She immediately goes to fill it again, but the alpha stops her.

“That’s enough, Olivia,” he says and turns to me. “You need more—she needs more.”

I nod and wait. He’s still holding Samantha up, so he maneuvers her a bit to free one hand and offers it to me.

“Drink. I give it willingly,” he growls.

We both make sure not to jostle Samantha and then I clamp down on him. The moment his blood hits my system, I fly. The power in him is ancient, passed through generations, and it’s not just wolf I taste in him.

Entwined with the taste of earth is the flavor of spring water, fresh and clear. And beyond that are other things that tempt me. Inhaling his essence, I get a whiff of storm and wind, a hint of something soaring high above clouds. Everything in him screams predator, one who’s on the top of the food chain.

I don’t sense any weakening in him, despite the blood he’s losing. But I do feel Samantha getting stronger. She’s now drinking in earnest and I can sense the alpha’s blood hitting her system. Relief cools the rage and terror boiling in my gut and I relax a bit. I can be patient now, as long as she keeps drinking.

“Alpha Zack,” Olivia tries to say something, but he growls over her.

“Don’t interrupt.”

“He’s taking too much,” she tries again.

“I’m fine.”

“Alpha Zack,” the other wolf butts in too. “Maybe⁠—”

“No,” Zack says, full of alpha command, and even Samantha shivers.

“But—”

“She needs more,” Santiago interrupts Olivia this time.

“I don’t care what she needs,” Olivia mutters.

“Olivia,” the other wolf—what the fuck was his name—says and takes her hand.

“It’s not right…”

I tune them out and focus on Samantha. She might have a point or not, but I don’t care. The only thing that matters is Samantha and what she needs. More blood. Powerful blood.

Beating sounds thrum against my senses. The wolves are getting louder when they are agitated. Bodies readying for action. The irregularity of it annoys me. I want a steady beat. Strong beat, not this… fluttering.

“Samantha, dove,” the alpha says, wonder in his voice. “Dove,” he whispers again, leaning closer.

And I freeze, every muscle in my body turning frigid. The fluttering gets stronger, forcing me to become aware of every beat. One after another, until each of them thrums against my body.