“It makes perfect sense. I got the healer to safety, and I came back for you.”
His voice is so calm; it’s almost too calm. “I told you I was staying here.”
“You did.” A pang hits my stomach, and I cover my stomach with my trembling hands. “When did you get blood last?” he asks, confusing me at the change in conversation.
“I don’t know. You shouldn’t have come back for me. I want to stay here with the vampires.”
“No, you don’t; but we can argue about that later. Right now, you need to take my blood.”
“I can’t.” I take a step away from him; my restraint is cracking.
“You have to. They’re still watching, remember? At least pretend like you are, so they don’t come back in here.”
That gets me moving. I walk over to him and eye him warily before climbing onto his lap and straddling him. He goes still beneath me. “Act like you’re enthralled,” I tell him. “There’s no audio on those cameras.”
“No acting required,” he says in a low voice.
I lean forward and smell his neck. I groan because the scent of his blood is literally calling me. I drop my head onto his neck. “I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. How do you think we’re going to get out of here?”
“What?” I ask in confusion. My mouth is so dry, I can hardly swallow. My head aches, and I can’t concentrate on what he’s saying.
“We will have to fight our way out of here. Right now, you’re just going to be a liability.”
Those words jolt me. “I am not a liability.”
“You will be if you don’t get blood. Now, drink.”
“Bossy,” I mutter against his neck.
“You haven’t begun to see bossy if you continue to refuse what your body so desperately needs. Please. Take from me what you need.” I fight against the pull. “If I have to carry you instead of fighting, we’re both going to be in trouble. I don’t—" I bite true, and rich, decadent blood hits my tongue. We both groan at the same time. Raw hunger roars through me with a vengeance. I’m vaguely aware of Hunter talking to me in low tones, but I can’t focus on anything but his blood. “That’s my girl. Take what you need. I’m here now. I won’t ever leave you again.” The words sort of float around in my brain and then escape before I can latch onto them. I can’t get enough of his blood, and I can’t get enough of Hunter. He seems to be everywhere; he’s all around me in the best way. His scent fills my senses, his rich blood fills my stomach, and his muscled chest is hard against my body. “Sherese. Okay, Love, I think that’s probably enough. If you take too much, I may not be able to fight my way out of here. Then you’ll be carrying me.”
His words finally register, and reality crashes into me. I manage to release him, but remember to stay close, so it lookslike I’m draining him. “Drop your head,” I whisper. “So you look drugged.” I wipe my mouth discreetly. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?”
Shame burns through me. “I’m so sorry; that’s—”
“Don’t you dare apologize for taking from me what you need. But we probably shouldn’t do that in public a whole lot. I had no idea how intimate that was going to be.”
I have no idea what to say to that, so I don’t respond to his comment. “What happens next?” I realize just how clear my mind is now, and I feel good. Really, really good. I have energy coursing through me, and I feel like I could run forever.
“Well, the next thing is for both of us to get out alive, if you have any ideas how to make that happen. My best plan is to just fight our way out. You have a better plan?”
With his blood rushing through me, my mind races with clarity. In seconds, my mind races through dozens of possible scenarios and outcomes; none of them are favorable. No matter how I think through it, we don’t make it out. There are just too many vampires. And they know they can’t kill me, so they will all focus on Hunter. And there is no way I’m taking that chance. “Our odds don’t look good.”
“If we can get outside, Garrett can help us.”
“Garrett’s here?”
“He came with, but that was a few days ago. Hopefully, he’s still around somewhere.”
Hope fills me, but just for a moment. “Hunter, you have to know they will never let me leave.”
“We’re not exactly going to ask.”
“You need to just go without me.”
