“Rylan!” That’s Malachi’s bellow. Close enough to rattle my bones.
Rylan gives himself a shake. He’s moving strangely, as if not quite at home in his body. Slowly, so so slowly, he releases one of my wrists and uses a claw to cut his neck. His blood joins mine on his skin, but I can’t quite make my body obey my command to lift my head and drink.
Something akin to true fear flashes over his face. “Fuck.”
“Feed her, you idiot!” That’s Wolf. He sounds almost…worried.
Rylan carefully slides his hand under my head, his claws tangling in my hair, and lifts me as he lowers himself down. My lips touch his neck and fire lashes my tongue. Another swallow and I’m able to latch onto him. Not as well as he could with his superior teeth, but enough that I can drink freely from him. Each mouthful of blood chases away the cobwebs that had sprouted in my head. I swear I can actually feel my body knitting itself back together, muscle and veins and skin.
Gods, he really fucked me up.
He’s already hard inside me again, and he starts to withdraw, but I dig my heels into the small of his back. I manage to lift my head enough to say, “Just a little more.”
It might be my imagination, but Rylan makes a sound that’s filled with relief. “Consider it done.” His grip on my head goes gentle and he moves against me, in me, leisurely as I drink from him.
This time, when my orgasm comes, it’s softer and nearly sweet and Rylan follows me over the edge immediately. He eases out of me, but doesn’t move away entirely. I’m shaking. Or maybe he’s shaking. I can’t tell.
Malachi and Wolf descend on us. Malachi yanks Rylan off me, his big hand wrapped around the other vampire’s throat and murder on his face. I struggle to sit up, but Wolf is there, climbing behind me and pulling me between his legs to rest against his chest. He has a knife in one hand and presses the blade to his forearm with the other. “You need more.”
“Malachi.” My voice is hoarse. I’m not sure if it’s from fucking or damage done by Rylan’s bite, and I don’t care. “Get your hands off him.”
“He almost killed you.”
“Let him go.” My words ring with a foreign power, making my tongue feel like it’s sparking. It surges out from me in an arrow aimed right at Malachi.
He drops his hand as if burned. Rylan staggers back a step and slumps against the wall. He looks like shit. Ifeellike shit. Tomorrow, I’ll be worried about how close we got to the point of no return. I’ll torment myself with how to balance the bond so it doesn’t happen again. I’ll do a lot of things. Tomorrow. “Just leave.”
“Little dhampir.”
“Leave.”
He hesitates, clearly fighting the command. I’ll regret this tomorrow, too. I close my eyes so I don’t have to see him stalk out of the room, and I almost manage to contain my flinch at the way the door slams behind him.
Wolf shifts behind me and I open my eyes. “I’m angry at you, too.”
“Be angry later. You need this.”
I ignore his uncharacteristic seriousness and focus on Rylan. “Sit down before you fall down.”
“Is that an order?” It’s a token of how out of it he is that his question is barely tinged with frost instead of its normal iciness.
I slump back against Wolf despite my best efforts. Damn it, he’s right. I need more blood. I’m dizzy and everything feels like it’s too far away. “You want to collapse because of pride? Suit yourself.”
Wolf presses his forearm to my lips. “Drink.”
I do, greedy pulls of his blood into me. I don’t know if it’s because Wolf’s Bloodline controls power over blood or if I’m just feeling better already, but I can actually sense it healing me. I take two more pulls and then push his arm away. “That’s enough.”
“It’s not enough.” Wolf’s arms tense around me as if he’s considering restraining me, but he finally lets them drop.
I fight my way to the edge of the bed and stand on shaking legs. Even with Rylan and Wolf’s blood coursing through me, I’m not going to be okay for a bit. But I’m alive and walking around, so that’s more than enough.
I stagger to Rylan, stopping just out of reach. For the first time since it snapped into place, the bond is quiet. It won’t last; I know that now. I’m still going to appreciate the reprieve.
For his part, Rylan looks just as shell-shocked as I feel. His body has gone back to normal. Vampire teeth. Human hands, not a claw in sight. I hesitate. “Are you okay?”
His smile holds no mirth. “I should be asking you that question.” His gaze lingers on my neck. I don’t know him well enough to read his expression, but it looks almost tormented. “This fucking bond. I don’t lose control. Not like that.”
“I’m fine.” My gravely tone threatens to make a liar out of me. I gingerly touch my fingertips to the newly healed skin of my neck. “By tomorrow, there won’t be a mark.”