Chapter Twenty
Macgrath
The lust andpain were agonizing. I couldn’t think past the tortuous mixture of sensation, nor could I gain control of myself. The female beneath me smelled delicious and I was torn between the desire to sink my fangs into her neck and sink my cock into her pussy.
Or perhaps both at the same time.
I growled low in my throat when she tensed, ready to pin her to the mattress if necessary.
Mine.
I wouldn’t let her leave me again. She was mine, had always been mine. The centuries without her were at an end. I would never be apart from her again.
Then I smelled the other vampire and a snarl erupted from my mouth as I twisted around. As soon as I spotted him, hovering behind me, I leapt.
She was my mate. No other male could have her. I would kill them first.
We went down in a tangle of limbs, flying fists, and flashing fangs. His voice buzzed in my ears as he tried to speak to me, but I couldn’t focus on his words. Not when I wanted his blood.
We rolled and I was on my back, my body bucking as I fought his hold. Something distracted him and he looked up, his strange purple eyes glowing as he barked a command.
It was a brief distraction, but it was enough.
I threw him back, rolling to my feet as he flew through the air. My rage increased when I saw that he was sprawled on top of my mate. I rushed to them and ripped him away, throwing him across the room yet again.
My eyes ran over my mate, checking her for injuries. The fear and shock in her gaze gave me pause. Why was she looking at me like that? There were tears in her eyes.
I reached for her, unsure of how to comfort a human, but she shrank away from me. As though she feared what I might do to her if I touched her.
I frowned. Didn’t she know I would never hurt her?
Before I could voice the question, something solid connected with the back of my head and I pitched forward into blackness.
I rose toconsciousness in gradual waves. Awareness would briefly rush in, only to seep slowly away. I could hear voices and smell another vampire and my mate. Then there were the witches. I scented two of them and wanted to snarl.
“What’s wrong with him?” the human asked, her voice low and soft. I liked the sound of it and her scent. I would leave her unharmed.
“I’m not sure,” another woman answered and I struggled to remain relaxed. She was my mate. As I drew in another lungful of her scent, I realized that she was one of the witches. Peculiar that my mate should be a witch but it wasn’t my decision. My fate belonged to the Goddess and it was she who chose my mate. “I had another, uh, moment. A flash of memory. And then I heard a name in my head. When I spoke it, he just lost control. He’s feral.”
“What can we do?” the human woman asked. “We have to help him. I can feel his pain and his desperation.” She paused. “And that he’s awake.”
My eyes flew open when she told the others. As soon as I saw her, I realized she wasn’t a human as I believed. She might have been once and enough of that remained in her scent to throw me off, but she wasn’t fully human any longer.
The witch standing next to her, my mate, was petite, the top of her head likely wouldn’t reach my chin. I liked that. I would be able to hold her and wrap myself around her.
“Macgrath,” my mate murmured, leaning over me.
I closed my eyes as her long hair brushed across my chest and chin. I tried to reach for her, but I couldn’t move my hands. I growled and tried to jerk free from my invisible bonds.
“Macgrath,” my mate repeated. “Look at me.”
I opened my eyes once again and stared up at her. “Free. Me,” I commanded.
Her beautiful lavender eyes were sad as she looked down at me. “I can’t,” she answered, brushing her hand over my cheek.
Unable to help myself, I turned my head toward her hand, leaning into the caress even though I felt the rage and the pain building within me once again.
“I’ll keep you…safe.” Each word was a struggle as I pushed it toward the tip of my tongue. I understood what I wanted to say but my mouth refused to cooperate.
