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I stare at Ivy as I walk with her in my arms, and begin my counting exercise that keeps me from pouncing.
Five things Iseeabout my prey: silky brown hair, pink heart-shaped lips, athletic and curvy build, firm thighs, breasts that are slightly more than a handful bobbing in a pink sports bra.
The serpent comes back, his tongue darting out because he wants to lick her nipples that have been chilled by the night air.
I clear my throat and do my best to focus.
Four things Ifeelabout my surroundings: cool autumn air on my face, the snap of bramble underfoot, the stiffness of my cock, the night air on my fingers. Two in the morning is when my kind are out and about, so even though I’m not in the vampire part of town, that doesn’t mean her death would go unnoticed.
Three things Ismell: Ivy’s coconut shampoo, the salty tang of her skin from her sweat, her coconut deodorant, the rubber of her sneakers, the faint waft of an exhale from her parted lips. I take a longer inhale to see if I can detect her arousal, but no such luck.
That was far more than three things.
Two things I cantaste: my venom. Always my venom. I’m not sure I can taste anything else. This is where it’s always tricky for me. If I can make it past this, I know she will remain unharmed. I swirl my tongue around my mouth, but the temptation to bite into her is still rampant. I stop beside a tree for only a second and do my best not to jostle her as I snap a twig off and shove it between my teeth.
There. I taste bark.
And venom. So much venom.
One thing Ihear: cicadas. They usually vacate the area if a vampire is near, but I can still hear them in the distance.
I did it. Relief floods me that I am still myself, and the monster didn’t take over.
But when Ivy’s eyes open and she takes in my face, my footsteps slow. She is beautiful, that is undeniable. But she is a witch, so beauty is of little consequence. Witches are a manipulative menace, and selfish as the day is long.
“You can’t take me there,” Ivy says with a little more control in her voice. “Into the woods. Please.”
No matter how diligent I am at showing the serpent in my mind that there is no hope he will make a meal out of this snack, when Ivy says, “Please,” he perks up hopefully.
“You’re in pain. I won’t hurt you.” I assume she understands that I am a vampire, and I could very easily drain her dry. Yet perhaps she hasn’t put that together yet, being that she clearly trusts me to carry her wherever I wish.
Doing the right thing has never been less rewarding.
I open my mouth to tell her the rules of tethering which, as a witch, she should already know. Though, being that she’s not from here and there’s not much magic in her bones that I can sense, perhaps her education is lacking, as well.
But my words never hit the air because a shifter’s roar stills my steps.
“What the…” I begin when I hear the pounding of a massive animal’s tread on the road ahead. I shuffle us off to the side to make room, but when a huge black bear comes into view, I can tell something is wrong. Is he being chased?
“It’s Vincent or Leo. One of the Alphas,” I tell her. “Something is wrong.”
She reaches up and grips my nape. “I’m the thing that’s wrong,” she admits, her eyes regaining their focus. “Leo is the thing I am tethered to.”
8
Leo
Panic pushes me forward through the night, not caring where I am going, only that the pain stops. I need to find her. Why did I talk to Ivy like that? Why did I push her away?
I know I’m not built for having people in my space, and this is further proof.
My arm burns until I see a figure in the distance near the shifter bar that’s closed for the night. I race in the direction of relief, my steps slowing when the pain lessens. A sigh of pleasure rolls through my entire body. Now that I’m not in so much pain, I can take in the details of my surroundings and see more clearly the figure I am running toward.
Lean, studious build and skin so pale it nearly glows in the dark? What is a vampire doing in the shifter part of town? And who is he carrying?
Rage kindles in me when I make out the chocolate waves that spill over the side of his arm.
Ivy. He’s got Ivy in his arms. Vampires aren’t allowed to drain magical creatures and still live inside the city limits. My vision tunnels, preparing to maul the man who harmed Ivy until I see her head tilt in my direction.
