“Listen to me!” He held her tighter, growling each word against her throat. “Loren, please—”
She bit him.
She didn’t know how. It was like a switch being flipped. Her mind went blank the second she lunged, teeth bared. Hard muscle gave beneath her teeth, and she tasted blood…
Hisblood.
Her vision flashed red. Everything congealed into scarlet as a dangerous voice picked up volume as if whispered in her ear.Bite, tear, scratch. Fight!
No one can hold you back.
“Loren!”
The pain in his voice startled her from the daze. She blinked to find McGoven hovering over her. For once—maybe for the first time, since she’d known him—he looked afraid. No,terrifiedin a way that he hadn’t been, even when she’d gone off on Xavier or after fending off the men in the clearing.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Get off me,” she whispered, horrified. This time her fear wasn’t directed athimbut the half-moon-shaped wound on his chest, right above the collar of his shirt. Scarlet liquid welled from it, dripping ceaselessly.
God, what had she done?
She was shaking. She couldn’t catch her breath and panic had her teeth chattering together in a way that had nothing at all to do with the cold.
She had attacked a police officer. Not only that, but she’dbittenhim like some wild animal. She’d be lucky to turn twenty-one after spending a long stint in jail.
Oh, God.
“Let me go, please!” She twisted, trying to crawl away from him, hands digging into the mud.
He dragged her back and wrenched her around to face him. “Listen to me,” he commanded in a tone she couldn’t ignore. “It’s alright. Just listen—”
“No! I won’t!” The moment the shout left her mouth, she knew it was a mistake. Fighting back against him wouldalwaysbe a mistake.
She would never win.
His gaze narrowed into slits of silver, piercing her down to the bone. He was angry. Her defiance annoyed him. Maybe, strangest of all, she’d surprised him.
She waited for him to yell. Hit her. Maybebiteher? Grow fangs, sprout fur, and…
She tensed as he leaned down, his teeth bared. Rather than go for her throat, he pressed his mouth against hers.
31
It wasn’t anything cute and romantic, like in the movies.
He kissed herhard, forcing her lips apart and stabbing his tongue deep before she even knew what was happening. Instantly, she realized that his previous actions had been child’s play. This was a taste of his true power—his ability to turn physical contact into a weapon. Every motion was demanding. Taking.Punishing.Urging her to give in,submit, just like before.
Submit.The demand echoed inside her head, as loud as a shout.Give in!He didn’t give her the chance to refuse. His weight pinned her in place against the wet earth as his free hand fisted in her hair. At the same time, he freed her mouth and pressed his lips to her throat.
Mine.
Sharp teeth nicked the column of skin, drawing blood. From far away, Loren heard herself gasp. He bit her. Reallybither.
She should have struggled. Screamed. Not… Tilt her throat to give him better access. Sheshouldn’thave dug her fingers into the earth as his heat washed through her on a searing wave.
It was wrong. But, she couldn’t ignore the part of her that insisted this was right.Thiswas what she’d been unconsciously waiting for since the moment she faced him in the kitchen, wrapped in a blanket.
Contact. Acknowledgment. Claiming.