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Blood Hunger (An Adult Paranormal Romance) (Deathless Night Series #1)

Page 21

by L. E. Wilson


  He raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

  She scoffed at his innocent look. “For someone who has spent the past few days ‘fighting his attraction’ to me, you seem awfully damned unconcerned now that you’ve fucked me. After getting me to practically beg you to do it!”

  “Emma…” he began warningly. He didn’t like her talking like that. He knew she was trying to adjust to their new situation, but he’d had no idea this crap was flying around in her head.

  “Oh! And managing to convince me that it was my idea for you to feed from me. Let’s not forget that.” Pushing on her temples with her fingertips, she closed her eyes tight. “You even managed to get me to drink your blood. Therefore completing this so-called bond that you, just thirty minutes ago, were supposedly so dead set against!” Dropping her arms back down to her sides, she glared at him, her hands curling into tight fists.

  Nik was trying really, really hard to concentrate on what she was saying. But she was so fucking hot when she was all riled up. Her eyes were bright green with anger, and her face was flushed with color. He could hear her heart pumping hard, her blood rushing through her veins. Her chest, braless in his shirt, rose and fell provocatively with each hard breath. He wanted to throw her down and fuck the rage out of her until she was limp and sated and happy again.

  With that thought in mind, he took a step towards her, automatically ducking when a branch flew past his head. Emma jumped, momentarily startled by it. She really had no control over her powers, did she?

  She threw out a hand. “Don’t even think about it,” she growled, stopping him in his tracks.

  He cocked his head to the side and studied her. Quickly reaffirming to himself that he’d much rather be fucking her than arguing with her, he went to take that last step that would bring her within his reach.

  Only to realize that he couldn’t. His little witch had, quite literally, stopped him. And he didn’t think she even realized it.

  His vampire mind quickly thought up and discarded various things he could use to get her to lose her focus, but the truth was, he needed to know.

  “Do you really think that about me?” he asked quietly.

  Other than a barely discernible softening around her eyes, she held her ground.

  “Alright.” Arms at his sides, he looked her straight in the eye and wrenched open his soul a little more. Why the fuck not? “I’ve been alone for more than 600 years, Em.” Shaking his head, he corrected himself. “No, not alone. Just lonely.”

  “Lonely? What about Eliana? And the girls that came before her?” She rolled her eyes at him, trying to call him on his bullshit. “You can’t tell me there weren’t others. I mean, look at you. You have to be aware of how you affect women.”

  His eyes were self-depreciating as they returned to her. “Yes. I’m well aware.” An unattractive thought entered his head, sobering him. “What about you, Emma? Are you only attracted to the way I look?”

  “It certainly doesn’t hurt,” she snipped at him. “It seems to be your main weapon, after all.”

  He wasn’t sure that he deserved that, but he decided to let it go for now. Hell, maybe he did deserve that. He scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to articulate what he was feeling. But all the thoughts and feelings sprinting through him all came down to the same thing. “They weren’t you, Em.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Nothing he was saying seemed to help.

  Nik heaved a deep sigh. “What do you want to hear, Emma? You want me to tell you that there were others before you? Fine. I’ve fucked other females before you. I’ve fed from other females before you. Hundreds of them. Maybe more. Over and over again. And I fucking liked it.”

  She flinched at his harsh honesty, jealousy and hurt fighting with the anger flitting across her face.

  He reigned in his temper, softening his tone. “But, they weren’t you. You didn’t even exist yet for most of that time. But from the moment I first saw you, before I ever got within twenty feet of you, I wanted you. Just you.”

  His eyes drilled into hers, willing her to believe him. “I’ve never felt that way about anyone else. Ever. Not in all of my years. And I hadn’t even spoken to you yet!” A sweet, yet slightly sad smile lifted the corners of his beautiful mouth. “And then, when I kissed you that night at your house, and tasted you, and realized exactly what you were to me, all I could think about…ALL I could think about…was that I couldn’t do this to you. Even if I could manage to complete the bond without killing you, I couldn’t disrupt your life, force you to be with me. I couldn’t tie you to me like this. I just wanted to protect you, and…” His gaze wandered off to the wilderness around them as he tried to vocalize what he’d been feeling then.

  She interrupted him to ask, “Protect me from what?”

  Unobtrusively trying to move, and finding he could now, he quickly closed the distance between them. “From me. From this never-ending life.”

  Lifting his hand, he took a soft, reddish blonde curl between his fingers. “I can stand here and make all kinds of excuses for what happened earlier. I can say I was messed up from the fight. Or I can admit that I’ve been feeling more mortal every day since tasting you, and I don’t want to die. But, the truth of it is,” Letting go of her hair, he gently took her lovely face between his large hands. “I’ve been stupid. I’ve been so stupid. And I only realized it when I was watching you drink from me. I really don’t want to be alone anymore. I want to be with you. Only you, Em. Would you consider staying with me? Please?”

  He felt her relax as the anger left her. “I’m not just attracted to your looks, Nik. Although I would be lying if I said they weren’t part of it.”

  Nik leaned down and kissed her on the head, before pulling back to dazzle her with his smile. “Well, you’re not so bad yourself you know.”

  His smile faded as he got serious again. “You make me happy. Just being with you makes me feel more at peace than I can remember being in a long, long time. I’ve never felt this way before with anyone else.” He lovingly memorized every feature on her face. “I’m exhausted from trying to fight this thing with us. Give meaning to my ridiculously long life. Let me make you happy, Em. Let me love you. Let me protect you. I know this is kind of strange. You’ve only known me for a few days, and I’m asking for a very long forever. And I know a relationship like this is way different than anything you’ve ever wanted or hoped for, but please, let me try.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m being such a raging bitch,” she apologized.

  He cracked a grin at her description of herself. “It’s a lot to adjust to in just a few days.”

  When long seconds went by without an answer from her, Nik began to squirm uncomfortably. Running his hands through his hair, a telltale sign of his feeling stressed, he offered, “Look, just think about it. Ok? Please?”

  ***

  Her mind was already pretty much made up to stay with her vampire, but she wasn’t quite ready to put it out there just yet. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to let him wonder for a while. So she agreed with his request. “Ok. I’ll think about it.”

  Could she really do this? Commit herself to this male? Well, yeah, crazy as it sounded, she thought maybe she could. She’d never wanted to be with anyone more. The fact that he wasn’t exactly human anymore made no difference to her. If anything, it made it easier. Who else would accept her and all of her “quirks” without batting an eye?

  She thought about the rock smashing into the wall and the branch flying over his head.

  His having quick reflexes helped a lot too.

  Could she handle an immortal life with Nik? Watching all of her friends and family grow old and die while she was still young and healthy?

  Well, she had no friends, not really. And Keira was her only family. Maybe she could find a vampire mate too? She smiled a bit at the wishful thought.

  Nik opened his mouth to say more, but then seemed to think better of it. “Ok, then.” Reaching out,
he took her small hand gently in his. Turning it over, he placed a kiss on her palm. “Let’s just head back to Aiden. I’m not sure what he thinks he found out here, but I’m not seeing any signs of anyone else other than your monsters.” With obvious reluctance, he dropped her hand again and shrugged. “Maybe that’s what he saw.”

  As they started walking again, Emma asked, “Is Aiden ok by himself in that cave? I mean, nothing would find him in there, right? If the others still haven’t showed?”

  Nik looked back at her, a disturbed expression on his face. They’d been so distracted by everything that was happening between them, and not knowing those things were here…Had they left Aiden in danger?

  He picked up the pace as they continued on, breaking into a jog as they hurried back, Emma close on his heels.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Emma was practically sprinting to keep up with Nikulas as they rushed back down the tunnel towards the cave, a small flashlight in his hand to help her see.

  About twenty feet from the entrance, he stopped, putting his index finger to his mouth. Standing eerily still, he listened as Emma tried to unsuccessfully keep her breathing quiet. It didn’t impede his ability in any way, but he appreciated her efforts.

  After a few seconds, he gestured for her to stay behind him and stay quiet as they went ahead and entered the cavern. And after their last encounter, he wasn’t taking any chances.

  Aiden was nowhere in the room.

  Grabbing Emma’s hand, Nik pulled her behind him and away from the tunnel as he cautiously walked farther inside. There was no movement. No sounds. No one was there.

  Worried, he let go of Emma and did a slow tour of the place, looking for signs of a scuffle. Tilting his head back slightly, he scented the air for any unfamiliar scents. Nothing. The fire in the pit had burned down and needed more wood. The torches were still burning pretty good though. Aiden’s bag was where he had left it. Nothing was disturbed that was out of the ordinary.

  He scowled. Where the hell was he?

  Looking down at Emma sitting on one of the large stones, he asked her, “Do you see anything that looks strange?” She shook her head with a shrug. “Me either. So, where is he?”

  Emma just looked at him without answering. Her worried expression echoed his own.

  “Maybe he went to feed.” Nik was unconvinced even as he said it. Aiden had just fed a couple of nights ago; he shouldn’t need to drink again already.

  Not knowing what else to do, he glared into the fire, brow furrowed, hands low on his hips, trying to figure out where that damned Brit could be. He wanted to go look for him, but there was no fucking way he was leaving Emma alone. There was also no way in hell he was bringing her along into another potentially dangerous situation. Much as he loved his best friend, he would wait him out.

  He had just sat down next to Emma when he heard someone coming down the tunnel, whistling.

  He glanced over at Emma. They regarded each other with bemused expressions before simultaneously swiveling towards the entrance as Aiden came strolling in, not a care in the world.

  Carrying a head.

  A grey, bald, and quite mangled head.

  What was left of the neck was ragged and dripping blood, having been violently torn off of the body it had been attached to just a short time ago. The eyes were wide open and staring straight ahead, the shock of being killed so savagely still showing in their depths.

  When he noticed the two of them sitting there, a broad smile crossed his face.

  “Finally! There you are. It’s been bloody dull here since you two left. What’ve you been doing?” Casually dropping the disgusting head onto the floor, it landed in the dirt with a soggy thud.

  Nonchalantly, he plopped down on the rock next to it and put his blood-stained hands out toward the heat of the fire. “Why didn’t you put some more wood on the fire, mate?” When no one answered him, he looked back and forth between their baffled expressions. “What?”

  Nik was the first to regain his power of speech. “Whatcha got there, Aid?”

  “Hmm?” Eyes wide, he was the picture of innocence, as he followed Nik’s gaze to the head at his feet. “Oh! That. It’s a head. I tore it off of a beastly thing…I don’t even know what it bloody was. But it was creeping around our little hideaway here.”

  Recalling that Aiden wasn’t yet aware of what had happened while they were out, Nik filled him in. “Those are the same creatures that attacked Emma a few years ago,” Nik told him. “We just ran into some more of them ourselves, a couple of miles from here.”

  Aiden’s face lit up like it was Christmas morning. “Did you happen to keep the heads?”

  Nik shook his head. “No, man. Sorry. They don’t last very long.” Pointing with his chin towards Aiden’s trophy, they watched it as it started to flake away.

  “Bugger.” Aiden nudged at it with the toe of his boot in disgust. “I wanted to add it to my collection.”

  Emma asked hesitantly, “Your collection?”

  Still sitting next to her, Nikulas put his hand on the back of her head, smoothing her soft hair. “Yeah. Aiden has quite the collection of his foe’s heads.”

  “Um…” Emma tore her gaze from Aiden’s lunatic grin, looking up at Nik, who pulled his hand away with an apologetic look. “And where exactly are these heads located?” she asked with a surprising measure of calm.

  Aiden answered her before Nik could. “Don’t worry, luv. They’re hidden away. It wouldn’t be easy lugging them up to the apartment with all of those humans around. The smell and that, you know.”

  He sounded so seemingly sane while talking about things so obviously insane, such as head collections. Emma could only blink at him blankly.

  Nik was the one who broke the spell. “Still no word from Dante?” Aiden shook his head. “From anyone?” Another shake. “Where the hell could they be?”

  Resting his elbows on his knees, he contemplated the far wall for a moment before saying to Aiden. “Emma and I did a wide loop around this place. I didn’t see or scent anyone besides us, and those things.”

  “It wasn’t these piss poor vamps I scented,” Aiden told him. “It was someone else. Hard to tell who or what. The scent was kind of wonky.”

  “Wonky?” Nik asked him.

  “Mm hmm, the wily sods covered it up to confuse us. And they did a bang up job, I tell you. Even I can’t place it.” Despondently kicking away his disintegrating head, Aiden got up and grabbed some water out of his pack to wash his hands.

  “Well, I’m not going to waste my time worrying about it.” Nik stood up. “Daylight is coming, and tonight we’re going after my brother and Emma’s sister, with or without the rest of the guys. I’m tired of waiting.”

  Aiden finished washing his hands and came back over to the fire, throwing another log on there before joining them on the rocks. “And how do you propose we do that, Nik? Not that I’m complaining, mind you. You know I fancy a good fight.”

  Locking eyes with Emma, Nik answered, “I have no fucking idea.”

  ***

  Emma came back to consciousness as if in a fog. Disoriented, she lay still as she tried to place where she was - Hard ground digging into her hip and shoulder, some kind of lumpy pillow under her head, the smell of smoke from a low-burning fire, and she was cold.

  Except for her back. Her back was warm. She was laying on her side, fully dressed, knees pulled up in front of her, hands tucked under her cheek, facing the tunnel entrance from the other side of the fire.

  Why was her back warm when it was her front facing the fire?

  Then she felt the warmth against her back move closer, and a large, male hand swept roughly up her leg, over her hip and around her waist. The muscular arm that was attached to it pulled her even closer to the warmth, snuggling her entire length.

  Her eyes popped open wide, scenes from the last few days flashing through her mind. “Nikulas?” she whispered into the semi-darkness. Had he been here with her all day? The last s
he remembered before she’d drifted off, he’d been talking quietly with Aiden on the other side of the fire pit, ironing out their plans for tonight.

  “Shhhh…we don’t want to wake Aiden.” His husky voice was right in her ear, his breath tickling her, sending chills down her spine and making her shiver. Nik tugged her in closer, pulling her blanket up around them.

  Aiden? Her sleep-muddled brain belatedly noticed the soft snores coming from the other side of the fire. “What time is it?” she whispered.

  “We have about two hours until nightfall. Sorry I woke you up, I just…” He paused as he tried to explain, “I just needed to touch you.” His hand played with the bottom of her shirt. “Is that ok?”

  Emma gave the fading embers of the fire a worried frown. He should be sleeping. They couldn’t afford for him to not be at his best tonight. All of their lives depended on it. She crooked her head around to tell him so, but paused when he came into view. He looked…so vulnerable.

  “Um, yeah, it’s ok,” she whispered. She laid her head back down and moved her arm down so her hand covered his on her belly. Truth was, even if he wasn’t nervous about tonight, she was. And having a strong, handsome vampire wanting to hold her didn’t sound bad at all. She could use the reassurance.

  But as he hugged her to him again, she squirmed, his hand pressing into her lower belly…and her bladder. “Nik?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I have to get up for a minute. I have to…um…I need a moment. A human moment. Outside.” She could feel her face flaming as she tried to discreetly tell him that she had to pee.

  Nik’s big body stilled behind her, but he didn’t let go of her. Finally he whispered, “It’s still light outside.”

  She started to try to wiggle out from under his heavy arm. “I know,” she whispered back. “I’ll be quick.”

 

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