Page 115 of Blood & Claw

Ailsa’s body stiffened. Here, it begins.

Was he about to shove himself away from her, to draw his blade and ward her off?

Heartbeats slid by though, and he didn’t. “And do you ever have the urge to tear my throat open too?” he asked, breaking the weighty silence.

Ailsa’s gaze dropped to his throat. She wanted to lie, but she couldn’t. “Aye … sometimes, I watch your pulse … here” —without thinking, she reached out and traced a pointed fingernail beneath his jawbone, skirting the edge of his windpipe— “and imagine what your blood tastes like.”

His breath hitched. He stilled under her touch, yet to her surprise didn’t yank away.

His nearness, the scent of leather and fresh sweat, and the underlying metallic tang of blood made her pulse skip. Saliva filled her mouth, and she swallowed once more. Hard.

“And now?” His voice was strained.

“I can smell your blood … I can hear the thud of your heart. It calls to me.” Her pulse lurched. What had she just admitted? “I’m sorry,” she gasped. “It’s … awful.”

She drew her hand sharply back, but his fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her.

“Is that any worse than me turning into a clag-doo and nearly ripping you apart?” he asked gently. “When you were up that pine, I could smell you. All I wanted was to tear my fangs into your flesh.”

“But you know the reason. It wasn’t really you … but these thoughts … I have no idea where they come from.”

Their gaze drew out.

His nearness was making her lightheaded, as was the fact he was remaining seated this close to her, even after her admission. She hadn’t expected him to take this so well.

“We’ll find out why,” he replied, a crease furrowing between his eyebrows.

She gave a bitter laugh. “How?”

His fingers flexed on her wrist. “Does Kayla know about these … urges … of yours?”

She shook her head. “The bloodlust has been a recent change.” She paused then. “A couple of months ago, I started having spikes of rage … but I didn’t talk to her about them. I hoped they’d go away.”

“Well … when we find your mentor, you two need to have an honest talk.”

“You think she has the answers?”

“I think she’s been keeping things back from you.”

Ailsa stilled. “Why would she do that?”

His tawny gaze seared hers. “To protect you, maybe … who knows.”

Sickliness washed over her. “What if the truth is terrible?”

His lips quirked. “It might be … but not knowing is worse, believe me.”

“But—”

“You’re strong, Ailsa. You’ll handle whatever Kayla tells you.”

She sucked in a deep breath. “The bloodlust scares me. At Gateway, I had a dream … about you.”

He inclined his head, his eyes hooding. “Aye?”

“Aye.” Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe. “We were …” Her voice trailed off then, her cheeks growing hot.

“We were what?”