by Sara Snow
He was being so gentle, going so slow—it was agonizing. The anticipation was eating me up inside. I could tell by the strained look on his face that he was doing his best to hold back. But he wasn’t finding it easy to do.
“I won’t break,” I told him, and he paused. “You don’t have to hold back. I’m not that fragile.”
His fangs descended, and his eyes darted to my neck. “I’m not worried about breaking you. But from that first moment, I wanted to consume you—all of you. I craved your blood, and . . . I still do. If I lose control now . . . I just don’t want to hurt you.”
“What is it like?” I asked, and he closed his eyes. “What does the craving feel like?”
He stepped away from me and sat down on the bed. “It’s like being thirsty while in chains, and there is a goblet of water just before you.” He licked his lips and looked up at me from under his lashes. “You feel like you’ll rip the world apart just to have a single drop of it, but you know if you break free from the chains, you’ll lose control and waste it all. You’ll attack the goblet and spill most of what you had just been craving.”
His eyes rolled down my body, and even though I was still fully clothed, I felt naked. It was almost as if he was touching me with his eyes, and maybe I was crazy, but I wanted him to feed on me. I wanted to give myself to him in every way.
“That’s what wanting you feels like. I’m afraid I might rip you apart.”
I removed my shirt with shaky hands, and his jaw clenched so hard, I feared his teeth would shatter. After a few minutes, I was down to only my undergarments, and I shivered as he gripped the edges of the bed. I don’t know what it was—maybe simply the fact that he craved me so much, or perhaps it was just the love and pain in his eyes—but suddenly, I felt so brave.
“Elinor . . .” he drawled, and I stepped forward.
“I’m not afraid.” I began pulling my braid out and allowed my slightly curled hair to fall over my shoulder. “You’ll stop. I know you will.”
It took a moment to truly convince him I wanted this, but he soon laid down beside me and caressed me lightly with his fingers.
“Will it hurt?” I asked through barely parted lips.
He shook his head, his eyes on my exposed throat. “You’ll feel a small prick, but I’ll make it pleasurable. I promise you that.”
I nodded and moved to adjust myself beside him, but his hand moved so swiftly, pinning me down, that I froze.
“Don’t move.”
I didn’t nod or speak as my pulse hammered away in my ear. I closed my eyes, and he moved closer to me, his thumb on my side gently caressing my skin. I tried to contain myself as he kissed my shoulder, and my body slowly arched as he slid his hand from my side to under my back. He buried his face in my neck, and my breath hitched as his cool tongue swiped against my skin.
My father would definitely have a stroke if he caught us at this very moment.
Are you serious? Don’t think about your father right now!
“Now is the time to change your mind, Little Wolf.”
I realized then that my eyes had been closed the whole time, but as I opened them, my heartbeat skyrocketed at the sight of him. His cheek was next to mine, but I could see his transformed self’s pale skin and the black veins covering his cheek. He leaned up a little.
“Do it,” I told him, and a strangled cry fell from my lips as his fangs pierced my skin.
The pain was sharp and rippled across my neck, but as he had promised, it only lasted a second. My tense body relaxed as he started sucking, and I could feel my blood rushing to the surface of my skin. It was an odd sensation, yet a thrilling one. The only thing that mattered to me was the feeling of having his fangs buried in my flesh. I wrapped my hands around his neck as he settled his body between my legs.
Everything I’d ever imagined didn’t compare to this. A feeling of complete and utter bliss consumed me as his hold on me tightened. My canines and claws sprouted, a sure sign that I was feeling something extraordinary. As he pulled away to take a deep breath, a line of blood ran down the sides of his mouth.
We both froze as a drop of blood fell from his chin onto my face.
I smiled, and then we both started laughing. My body felt a little weak, but it was more from ecstasy and not from the loss of blood.
“Sorry.” He wiped a finger across my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I blinked slowly. I felt a little drunk but fabulous. I reached up and moved my hair from my other shoulder. “Please,” I pleaded softly. “Do it again, but this time I want more. I want all of you.”
18
Elinor
My eyes were closed, but I was wide awake. I'd felt sore before after hours of training, but never in such an intimate place. I welcomed the feeling, the slight ache, a reminder of something I would never forget.
Images of what Will and I had done a few hours ago filled my mind, and for the first time since the world started to fall apart, I felt happy.
I pushed away all thoughts of what was yet to come. I only focused on the here and now and how Will had wiped out any lingering doubts I’d had of how he felt about me. I was more motivated to move forward now that I’d learned about another one of Will’s abilities—one that was fatal to vampires—and that he’d be using it to help us.
I knew this wasn’t going to be easy for him—the moment he’d have to betray the Queen, his mother, to her face. But what she was doing was madness, and I was relieved he could see that. She wanted to expand her domain, but starting a war wasn’t the way to do it. The world had moved past barbarity, for the most part. Species no longer had to fight over territories. We came together and made agreements that worked for everyone. Of course, there were still ongoing feuds and a fair amount of racism between some species. But nothing big enough to start a war.
I couldn’t help wondering, however, what was going to happen once the Queen was dead. Would all the vampires die, and if not, would they elect another queen or king, allowing the cycle of bloodshed to continue? Had Will thought about that? His kind already disliked him. Upon finding out what he’d done, would they all try to kill him?
Or would they be too afraid to face the man who’d defeated the Queen?
One thing at a time.
First, we needed to be rid of the Queen, and then we could worry about what came next.
Will’s body, now warm after feeding, moved beside me, and the bed beneath us dipped, but I kept my eyes closed. He moved on top of me, and I tried to stifle the blush creeping onto my face.
I opened my eyes, and my blush quickly faded as I tried to make sense of what I saw. “Will, what are you doing?”
Above me, Will was in his vampire form, the sharp blade of a knife in his hand coming rapidly towards my face. I reacted, pushing against his chest, and he flew off me and landed across the room.
He sprang to his feet within seconds, his fangs on display as he hissed loudly. I rolled off the bed, my fangs elongating out of reflex. I was as naked as he was, but I didn’t care about that. What concerned me was that I didn’t know who I was looking at. Will’s eyes were filled with rage and murder, his skin covered in black veins.
“Will, what the hell are you doing? What’s going on?”
My body was shaking, my thoughts rolling over each other in a jumbled mess as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Will stood up straight from being hunched forward and his hand with the knife lowered. His eyes were bright red flames, redder and more murderous than I had ever seen them. And for the first time since meeting him, I felt afraid.
A chill went down my spine as his tongue glided over his fangs. “Will?”
He vanished out of sight, and I moved immediately, heading for the door. But he appeared right in front of me, slamming into me, causing us both to fall. We rolled on the ground, and a howl of pain escaped me as I felt his claws pierce my side.
I punched his face, the sound of his nose breaking echoing inside the empty room, and it sent him hur
tling backward yet again. I knew if I stayed, he’d kill me.
Pain like nothing I’d ever felt before bloomed inside my heart and began spreading across my chest as I ran out the door.
“Run, Little Wolf! Run!”
I was wrong about him—so wrong!
Tears blurred my vision as Will’s snarl echoed through the night, and I continued running through the forest, twigs grabbing at my exposed skin. I ignored the healing sensation of the wound on my side and pushed forward.
I could hear him chasing me, gaining on me quickly. When I tried to tap into my power, it was silent within me, and I cursed under my breath. I doubted any Guards were this deep in the forest, especially off our territory. No one would hear me if I howled for help.
Why? Why is he doing this? What the hell is going on?
“Elinor!” Will’s enraged cry broke the last piece of my heart that hadn’t yet shattered.
I didn’t know the man behind me. His eyes had none of the warmth that I’d become accustomed to. I had given so much of myself to him—all of me, really. But everything I'd received in return had been a lie. As my side healed, the blood yet to dry still running down my thigh, I knew I had to face reality.
My mind was still a tangled mess of wanting to understand what had gone wrong, but I wouldn’t get answers from him. Faelen had been right about Will. So had Cyrus. I’d foolishly put myself in a situation where I might die. And I deserved it.
Wiping at a tear, I wondered for a moment if I should shift. But if I did so, I’d have to slow down, and he’d catch up to me. I could already hear him on my heels. Now the soreness I had felt before wasn’t bringing me joy. I felt disgusted. I felt sick in every sense of the word, and I barely winced as I ran past some bushes and a twig slashed my thigh.
I could feel blood trickling down my thigh, but I kept running. I poured my energy into my legs to propel me forward. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional one that was slowing me down.
I clenched my fists, a feeling of relief filling me as the border to my pack’s territory came into view. I wouldn’t be safe when I crossed over, but the second I did, a howl like no one had ever heard before would leave my lips. And I would no longer be alone.
I’ll never forgive him for this!
I closed my eyes for a second because I knew that was a lie. Even now, running for my life, my mind was replaying all the moments we had spent together—the time we’d first met, and the many circumstances when he’d saved my life. My chest tightened, just thinking of the way he had looked at me mere hours ago as I gave myself to him.
I loved him—I truly loved him! How could he do this to me?
Without warning, Will tackled me to the ground, and we rolled for a few seconds, clawing and biting at each other before we came to a stop with him on top of me.
“Get off me! Get the fuck off me! How could you?”
“How could I? You’re pathetic!” Will laughed, and I screamed as his nails pierced my right upper arm, pinning me to the forest floor. “You thought you could kill the Queen? You!”
I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. As I lifted my left hand to hit him, he spoke. “Stop.”
My hand froze mid-air.
He adjusted himself so he was straddling me, his weight bearing down on me. “Lower your hand.”
My hand fell lifelessly. He was compelling me, an ability I had forgotten he possessed. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, though I tried to stop them. I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but I couldn’t help myself.
Above me sat William, son of the Vampire Queen—future Vampire King. The Will I thought I had known was gone.
I snarled and snapped my jaw at him, but he only laughed in response, a sinister sound. His eyes traveled up and down my body before he moved his right hand from behind him, brandishing a knife, and my heart skipped a beat.
“You don’t have to do this,” I pleaded.
“But I do.” He tilted his head and his ruffled hair fell to the side. “Don’t speak, Little Wolf. As much as I’d love to hear you scream, I can’t have you alerting your pack.”
I tried to open my mouth but couldn’t. My body was entirely under his control, and I closed my eyes as he cupped one of my breasts.
“You really are beautiful, I’ll give you that. Such a waste. You would have made a powerful vampire if turned.”
I hate you! I hate you so much!
I wanted to scream those words at him. I wanted to rip him limb from limb. The fact that I couldn’t, coupled with my throbbing broken heart, was only fueling my wrath. More than anything, I wanted to forget everything, to sink into the ground and cease to exist. I was a fool! A fool to have ever loved this monster!
I opened my eyes, but I shouldn’t have. I just laid there and watched as the knife’s blade pierced my chest and heart.
I sat up, gasping for air. Will was shaking me violently. I swiped my claws across his chest, but he moved back just in time to avoid a deep wound.
“Elinor, wake up!”
I paused, my breath hitching as I stared wide-eyed around the room. I was back in the small bedroom with Will, his chest wound slowly healing. I looked down at my naked chest, expecting to see a knife embedded there, but there was nothing. Then I looked up and saw Will looking at me with a mixture of panic and anger.
“I-I’m so sorry,” I stuttered. “I was dreaming.”
“I know,” he said, hastily putting his clothes back on.
I held my head as it throbbed. It had all been a dream. I placed my hand over my heart and began taking deep breaths to calm myself. I looked over at him. “Will, your chest. I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault. We need to go right now.” He picked up his shirt off the ground. “Fuck!”
I slid off the bed, now confused by how upset he was. “What’s going on?”
He pulled his pants up and buttoned them before answering. “What did you see?”
I frowned but told him all about the terrible dream. It had felt so real, and when I touched my cheek, I found it wet with tears.
Will pulled his shirt over his head. “I just had a nightmare as well. That can only mean one thing. My brother Cain is close.”
That’s not good.
I bent down to collect my clothes that were strewn around the room.
“What does my nightmare have to do with your brother? And what do you mean, he’s coming? Did he cause both of us to have nightmares?”
“Yes and no,” Will answered. “My brother’s power is the ability to control others’ fear. He can make that fear appear to you whether you’re awake or asleep. The closer he is to you, the stronger it affects you. Your fear paralyzes you, making it easy for him to kill you in the end.” Then his eyes grew sad. “But he only makes you see what you already fear. He can’t control what you see.”
Neither of us said anything for a moment. Then he walked over to me to cup my cheek. “You fear being betrayed by me, but you have no reason to, Elinor. I love you, and that will never change.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered back, but my heart still felt shattered from the dream. “It-it felt so real, Will. I thought you . . .”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “I know.”
“Okay, so then this means your mother knows about me?”
“I think it’s safe to assume that’s the reason Cain’s here,” he answered as he adjusted his cloak to cover his body. “My mother must have sent him to kill you. But I won’t let that happen.”
I grabbed his arm as he began walking towards the door. “What are you going to do? You can’t stop him. If you do, they’ll know you’re on our side. If your mother has learned about me, we’ve already lost one element of surprise. We can’t lose another.”
He ran a hand down his face, and I grew even more anxious, sensing his unease. I could almost see the wheels turning inside his head as his eyes darted back and forth.
“I have to. I’ll distrac
t him while you get back to your pack. You all have to leave immediately. Because if he gets there . . .” His words trailed off, and I swallowed hard. “Paranoia goes hand-in-hand with fear. He can make you all kill each other.”
He pulled a bottle out of his pocket and drank its contents, and within seconds, I could no longer smell his scent. Everything was moving too quickly for me. This wasn’t how I had imagined we’d part ways after what we’d shared a few hours ago.
He kissed my forehead, then my lips, and turned away, but I tightened my hold on his hand.
“What did you see?”
His jaw visibly clenched, and his eyes turned red. I knew he was trying to hide his emotions from me, but he was more rattled than I’d ever seen him. Will was always calm and collected, his voice rarely rising in pitch. But right now, he was unnerved, and that told me that his brother was a threat to all of us.
Well, he’s a general, Elinor.
“You need to go.” He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. “You need to go now.”
Elinor
My nails dug into the earth as I ran back to the pack house, and this time, when I called on my power to enhance my speed, it worked. Saying I was relieved was an understatement. I was still shaken by that dream but did my best to not focus on it.
Summoning my power like this was easy, but controlling the electricity I could feel simmering beneath my flesh was another matter. If Cain, as Will had called him, caught up to us and successfully turned me against my family, I wasn’t sure anyone would survive.
I shifted back into my human form when I got closer to my house, which was quiet, except for a few muffled voices. I rushed inside and found my father, Cyrus, and Darian in the living room.
When he saw me, my father got to his feet. “Elinor? What’s wrong?”
“They’re coming, he’s coming, a vampire general’s coming. And we need to leave tonight!”
“What are you talking about?” Cyrus asked, and I pinched the bridge of my nose.