“For you.Why for me?”
“Perhaps this mate thing goes both ways.”My mind races.“Maybe you need to feed me as much as I need to feed you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”I lean toward him, my lips only an inch from his.I breathe in, savor his scent, the fragrance of his blood on both our mouths.
Then his breath—it catches in the back of his throat, and when he exhales, the sound of it...
I close my eyes, still breathing heavily myself.
So close our lips are, and we both want to close the distance...
But something stops me, and something stops him as well.
We stand together, nearly touching, and in its way, it’s more erotic than the most passionate physical encounter between us.
Moments pass, and Rogan closes his eyes, inhales sharply.
“Fuck, princess.”
I inhale as well, and the sound of our respective breaths hovers in a cloud around us.
My belly is full, and my body sustained.
I've chosen Rogan over my father, and I’ve damned my sister to a life of servitude to the Vampire Brotherhood.
And in this moment—this precious moment with Rogan, the two of us simply shining in each other’s presence—I no longer care.
50
But shining in each other’s presence is short-lived.
A harsh wind whooshes us back to reality.
And—
“Rogan!”
My wolf is ripped away from me, and in a flash I’m standing in my stepfather’s presence.
And he’s smiling.His lips are curled into an evil grin.He sits on his demonic throne surrounded by darkness and evil.
“Kneel before me, Hannah.”
"Never."
I gasp as an invisible force brings me to my knees.
“You’ve chosen a lycan, Hannah.You’ve chosen a lycan over your mother, over your sister.Over your vampire king father.This is who you truly are.I always knew it.I always knew you were the embodiment of evil, and now here you are.On your knees.In front of your true king.”
“You’re no king,” I say through clenched teeth, trying like hell to get my muscles to move.
I’m full of Rogan’s blood.
I should be able to fight this.
Must. Fight. This.