AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I frowned, holding my side. "I thought I covered them all."
Antoine traced a finger along the neckline of my shirt, pulling it down exactly where a bruise hid beneath. "The blood is closer to the surface now. It's not much of a distinction, and I wouldn't have been able to decipher the smell had I not been aware of them." His lip curled up on one side. "Besides, your movements gave you away."
I winced. "That bad, huh." I let out a long sigh. "I don't know how I'm going to handle another day of training, let alone hunting. I can't even eat without being in pain."
"That is where I come in." Antoine stared down at me purposefully.
My brow arched at his tone. Then my eyes widened, and I shook my head, waving my hands in front of me. "Oh, no. I can't take blood every time I get hurt. I like my dreams vampire-free thank you very much."
Antoine pursed his lips to one side and then said, "You are being ridiculous. Is dreaming of me so bad you would rather be in pain?"
I opened my mouth to say, "Yes, the fuck it was," then stopped. The worry clear on Antoine's face made me pause. Was the inconvenience really worth the pain? Yes. My life was surrounded and consumed by the Durands. Even my thoughts weren’t safe with Rayne's abilities. The only part of me that they didn't take over completely was my dreams. The question was whether or not Antoine's sanity was worth my squeamishness? No. It wasn't.
Letting out a deep breath, I sagged in defeat. "Fine. But just this once."
"And you will take a vial of my blood with you -"
"Hell no." I jerked back from him, crossing my arms over my chest. "I won't be treated like an invalid."
"If you would let me finish," Antoine snarled, flashing his fangs.
My eyes narrowed. "Fine. What were you going to say?"
"You will take a vial of my blood -"
"Why your blood?" I interrupted again, causing Antoine to groan. "Sorry, sorry. Go on."
Antoine watched me closely for a moment before continuing, "For emergencies. I do not want you to be bleeding out on the sidewalk and those hunters leaving you to die. Before you argue," Antoine held his hand up, cutting me off. "I trust you to keep yourself safe. I do not trust them. Do this. For my peace of mind."
I thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
"Thank you," Antoine cupped the side of my face and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. "I know how hard it was for you not to argue with me."
I grimaced. "I'm not that bad, am I?"
Antoine gave me a look that said, do you really have to ask. Then said out loud, "It is part of your charm, no doubt. However, the reasoning for you to take my blood with you is because I am your master-" I opened my mouth to tell him no the fuck he wasn't. Antoine placed a finger over my lips. "Whether you believe so or not is irrelevant. You are bonded to me, and thus, that makes me your master for all metaphysical purposes."
"Fine." I jerked my head up and down.
"Since I am your master, my blood is more potent for healing serious injuries."
All the huffiness in my sails went out. I sagged. "I guess that makes sense." My phone dinged with a text message. I pulled it out and glanced down at it. "Ugh. They need me to come in now." Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I lifted my gaze to Antoine's pale one. "If we're going to do this, we need to do it quickly."
Antoine sighed. "I'd have preferred to exchange blood in a more...sensual setting, but as time is of the essence..." He unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeve and pulled it up, exposing his wrist.
I arched a brow, smirking. "What do you want me to do? Bite you? I kind of lack the necessary equipment-" Antoine cut his wrist with the nail on the opposite hand. "Okay," I drew out the word, the blood seeping out of the bite, not at all appealing. "I guess that solves it."
Holding his wrist out to me, Antoine flicked his head in my direction. "Come, it will close soon."
Wrinkling my nose, I took the offered wrist and leaned down toward it. I tried not to think about what I was doing while I wrapped my mouth around the bloody wound. My eyes squeezed shut while my jaw worked. A coppery sweetness filled my mouth, and suddenly all the unpleasantness of the act vanished. My hands tightened around Antoine's wrist, pulling him tighter to me as I swallowed quickly.
I could feel the muscles in my body relax and heal. The bruises no longer hurt, and I suddenly didn't want to head into work today. A low moan escaped my throat as I leaned my body closer to Antoine's. Rubbing myself against the side of Antoine's front, I was pleased to find that he wasn't exactly unaffected by my actions like I was.
"Piper," Antoine breathed against my head, his hand touching my hair. "You must stop."
My eyes flicked up as I sucked harder, the wound healing beneath my mouth. I whimpered as the liquid came slower, no matter how much I urged it out. When I couldn't get it to come out faster, I bared my teeth, preparing to bite down.
"Stop." The commanding power of Antoine's voice froze me in place, my mouth open wide. "Release me." My hands instantly let go of Antoine's arm and stood, frowning at my actions.
