“No way in hell will you erase one single memory cell from my brain.”
“Are you sure?”
She lifted her chin in determination. “I don’t want to live in a world where werewolves don’t exist.”
“Pack social behavior and norms will take some getting used to.”
She swallowed more brandy and wiped her lips. “I figure there is an alpha in every pack, kind of like the boss. No problem.”
“It’s not that simple.”
She downed the rest of the brandy. “Okay. Do it.”
Lev stiffened. She would be the first human he marked. He’d have to take care to be gentle, yet deep enough to make a permanent scar. “Now?”
“No use waiting. We can use the rest of the brandy as a disinfectant.”
“My bite will heal any further chance of infection.”
“Okay.” She removed her coat and then her sweater. Down to a long sleeved shirt.
“Pull up your sleeve or better yet take off your top.”
“I bet you say this to all your dates.” Rachel smirked.
“Only the ones with long golden locks and amber eyes.”
Rachel shot him an insufferable look and pulled off her top. Shivering in only her bra, she presented her arm. “Be quick.”
The shock of seeing her shapely breasts aroused him, but he focused on the task. Fangs emerged and claws extended. He drew her in. “Don’t move,” he half-growled.
Rachel stiffened and closed her eyes.
He positioned her arm and in three quick moves he clawed three clean, deep, but not dangerously so, slashes.
Rachel gasped and then passed out.
Lev sucked her wound, tasting her drugging blood. Delicious to the point of ecstasy, he forced himself to release her. He growled in frustration at letting go. As difficult as a man in the desert dying of thirst offered one sip of water when an entire liter was available. If he imbibed any longer, he’d be unable to stop. He’d given her enough of his healing saliva without draining anymore of her precious blood. He dressed her and zipped her into the sleeping bag. She would wake up refreshed and no doubt quite bewildered.
Chapter 12
Rachel blinked. Except for the flickering fire, the cavern was dark. She lay cocooned inside the sleeping bag. “How long have I been out?” She sat, pulling the sleeping bag with her to stop the frozen air. Lev did not appear cold the least bit. She raised her brow. Nuke wolf probably never gets cold.
Lev sat beside the fireplace and turned. “An hour. How are you feeling?”
“Groggy, like I have a hangover, but without the ill effects.” She gently twisted to work out the kinks, but oddly, there were none. “Well rested, actually.”
“That was from my bite.”
“Huh?”
“To heal your claw marks.”
All Rachel remembered about the marking was blinding pain and then nothingness as she passed out. The firelight provided enough illumination to see. She pulled up her sleeve and glanced at her arm. Instead of deep cuts, not to mention the sharp pain she expected, the slashes looked like old scars or claw mark tattoos. No angry red signs of infection. “Whoa, how did the claw marks heal so fast?”
“Alpha saliva has healing properties and works especially fast on humans.”
She fingered the smooth marks and stared incredulously at them. “We need to patent the formula.”