My lungs burned, and I was gasping for air like a landed fish, but that vice-like grip was unrelenting. If I could have laughed, I would have. It didn’t matter if I wanted to live or not; he was going to kill me. Sparks danced behind my closed eyelids, my strength fading fast.
“Do you wish to breathe, to live, fledgling?”
Now that I couldn’t breathe, I suddenly realised how much I wanted to. I clawed at his hand and nodded, my wolf too weak to help me. He snarled, pushing feebly against the Count’s power. My wolf’s panic only heightened my own, and my heart thudded against my chest wall, my head lolling in the Count’s grip.
Balthazar jerked my body, stopping my descent into unconsciousness. “No, you don’t get to take the easy way out of this. You will survive, Shane, but on my terms.”
His words washed through me, the deep resonance of his voice rumbling into my bones. Even as it registered he’d used my name, my strength ebbed, and I couldn’t fight any more. I was weak, and so damned hungry, I couldn’t function…
The Count shook me hard. “Fledgling! Look at your master. I saved your life, which means you’re mine. And right now, I am the only way you will survive.”
I didn’t want to look at him. If I did, I knew I was fucked. I’d never submitted to anyone in my life. Not even in that evil fucking place of a prison, where I’d killed my own friends to survive. I’d never had to rely on anyone, and I’d had enough of relying on this coldhearted bastard. I was an alpha, not afucking weakling who gave in to someone willing to throw his power in my face. I’d fought my way out of every situation that life had hurled at me, but something was happening to my body, to my wolf, and I had no idea how to handle it. This ancient fucker did. I tried to suck air into my lungs, my body jerking when I couldn’t. Still, I obstinately refused to look at my captor, unwilling to give in.
“You stubborn son of a bitch,” he growled, lowering me down until my feet touched the floor. His fingers didn’t relent, and I marvelled at his strength as he moved me like I was nothing but a rag doll in his grip. Being manhandled for an alpha was almost as bad as being blood raped, except I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was too damned out of it, my limbs heavy, and my brain shutting down. There was a hissed curse, but too much noise in my ears to hear him properly.
“Fine, if you won’t look at me, we’ll do this the hard way. Connor tasked me with your well-being, and I’m not going to let him down because you’re too fucking pig-headed to listen.” He leaned his body up against mine, supporting me as he fed me small gulps of air until my brain woke up enough to process his nearness. Warm breath fanned my lips, and a rich and spicy scent flooded my senses as he almost completely released my throat.
“Breathe, Shane. It might not feel like it, but you’re going to be okay.”
I sucked in a desperate breath before he tightened his grip again. Not to harm me, but to control me. I couldn’t process all the sensations battering me: his muscular physique pressing against mine, his intoxicating scent, the sweetness of the air he allowed me to breathe, and the agony of a vicious hunger in my stomach that fired along my bones and into every cell. Even the beat of his heart was so loud and consuming, so close that I couldn’t ignore it, or the whoosh of blood in his veins. Heavy,ancient power pushed against my mind, trying to smother me, control me. Now that my brain wasn’t so oxygen-starved, it registered that I was immobilised, my body trapped by his, even as he tried to dominate my thoughts and actions.
Motherfucker!
Memories punched through my brain, and all I wanted was to survive. Instinctively, I fought with everything I had, which wasn’t much.
“Stop fighting. I’m trying to save your obstinate arse.”
Lust raged through me and, unbidden, my fangs descended. No! For shifters, biting and taking another's blood was how we mated. He was messing with my body and mind! He had to be! My eyes flew open. The moment they did, I was ensnared in a swirling garnet gaze. It was as if blood pulsed through the Count’s irises. There was no pupil, only a red glow. I groaned as another spasm twisted my insides.
“You have to feed, Shane. You’re going into bloodlust. If you don’t, you’ll go insane with need. Eventually, it will kill you.”
I gripped his wrist, indicating I needed air to talk. He released me enough to gasp, but he didn’t completely let go. “Bite. Mating.”
Balthazar cocked his head, and his eyes narrowed before a slight smirk curled his lips. “You are no longer a full shifter, and it will take more than one bite to claim me. You are a vampire now, and we bite for many reasons: to feed, for pleasure when we fuck, to kill, and you are right, just like shifters, we bite to mate, but that isn’t what will happen between us. There is more to it than just a bite. Right now, you need to feed.” He held my gaze with his and tilted his head to one side.
“No. You. Can’t…” I was shocked, almost unable to process what he was offering. Balthazar Rossi was arguably the most powerful vampire in the world other than the vampire king, and, from what I’d heard, even that was questionable. And he wasoffering me his neck—his blood. Fuck me, the thought of sinking my fangs into that strong column of muscle while he fucked me, sent a wave of hot lust slamming into my already overwhelmed body. If he hadn’t been holding me up, it would have driven me to my knees. No matter how weak I was, every part of me responded to that carnal image. The most rigid erection I’d had in years pushed against my zipper, aching like a motherfucker. I quickly tried to pull my pelvis away from his, almost groaning with relief when he allowed it. He really didn’t need to know how much the thought of sinking my teeth into his skin, not to mention this rough treatment, was turning me on. Shit, my thoughts were a paradox. Such dominant treatment should have turned me off after the abuse I’d suffered, but it really didn’t. As much as I craved control of my life, it was a relief to give it over to someone who knew what the fuck was happening to me. Because I sure as shit didn’t.
Balthazar slowly fed me air. I accepted it, breathing deeply each time he loosened his grip. My brain quieted a little, giving me space to think. No matter if I was part vampire now, biting still meant a bond for me, and from what I’d heard from other shifters, it led to mind-blowing sex with orgasms that would wreck your soul.
I couldn’t do it. It was wrong to use such an act just to feed.
“No, biting is only for my mate,” I managed to rasp.
The Count contemplated me steadily, a slight crease marring the bridge of his nose. Then he nodded. “So be it. But you aren’t dying.”
My eyes widened as two sets of sharp fangs descended into his mouth. I blinked, and when I looked again, there was only one. He snarled, but lifted his other hand. Holding my gaze, he drew the tip of one fang across his wrist. His skin parted in a perfect laceration.
The tantalising, metallic scent of his blood almost drowned out the noise in my head, especially when his spicy scent thickened. My guts twisted, the need to feed stealing any coherent thoughts. I bared my teeth and thrashed, desperate to get to that deep red elixir—until I found myself flipped and on my back on the ground. Once again, the Count immobilised me, his knees and thighs pinning my arms and torso, and one hand threaded in my hair, holding my head back until my jaw had no choice but to open. No matter how desperately I fought to get to his blood, he held me still. He was too strong. Too dominant.
Without speaking, he pumped his fist, holding his bleeding wrist above my open mouth. A taste like no other exploded across my tongue, as addictive and exotic as his scent. Greedily, I swallowed, revelling in the rush of power that punched through me. A frustrated bellow released from deep in my chest when he pulled his wrist away.
“Slowly. Don’t worry, you will get what you need, but too much of my blood too quickly will kill you.” His intense eyes held mine, his hand tightening in my hair and keeping me anchored.
I wasn’t looking away, regardless of my vulnerable position. The fucker was enjoying having me at his mercy a little too much. The Count’s eyes glowed brighter, and his grip tightened everywhere. The feel of his steel thighs locking me down didn’t disgust me; it only turned me on more.
“You should look away, young one.” His words were a warning, but his voice held a husky quality that vibrated through my bones, pooling right in my balls. I groaned, unable to comply. I had no idea why, only that I didn’t want to lose that connection to him, even though I detested the wanker. So fuck it, I continued holding his gaze.
He cocked his head and regarded me steadily. He could kill me easily. But he hadn’t healed his wrist…
