"Which side of the neck do you want to bite me on?" she muttered, speaking so quickly that the words nearly ran together.
"Oh. Um. Well, I thought you would probably prefer the wrist. It's a little less, uh, intimate."
"Oh. Okay. That's...good. I guess. I mean. Definitely." The pink in her cheeks crept to the tips of her ears.
"Ready?" I asked.
She took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be, I guess. This isn't in my realm of every day experience."
"Mine either."
Merry gave me a sidelong glance. "Don't you drink blood every day?" she asked, her tone incredulous.
"No, not anymore. The older we get, the longer we can go between feedings," I explained. "Unless we're mated, we might go days or even a few weeks without feeding if we are healthy and uninjured."
"Really? You don't get," She paused. "I hate to put it this way, but it's the only word I can think of that fits, bloodlust?"
I shook my head. "Usually only the younger vampires or those who are severely injured suffer from bloodlust. I might get a craving for blood, but Ava likens it to when you get a craving for cake or ice cream. It's something I can resist."
Merry laughed. "I'm glad you can because I usually can't resist cake or ice cream when I'm craving them."
Her laughter faded and she inched a little closer. "Okay, I've been stalling, but we should get this done before Dumont tries to reach me again."
I took her hand in mine, cradling her palm face-up. "I'll make it as painless as possible," I stated.
She nodded.
"Since we've already established a connection, I'll be able to control your pain to some extent. Don't panic if you hear a few of my thoughts. At the moment of exchange, my mind will be open to you and yours will be open to me."
Merry inhaled sharply.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"No, but we're doing this anyway because the alternative is much worse."
I lifted her wrist to my mouth and reached out to her with my thoughts. My fangs elongated and I fastened my lips to her cool skin.
Merry gasped when the tips of my fangs broke through her flesh, but she didn't try to pull away. The taste of her filled my senses, more potent than I expected, and for a moment, my mind went completely blank.
It was only the echo of her pain that pulled me back to reality. I found the light of pain in her mind and drew a veil over it. The light dimmed. Merry's body relaxed again and she sighed.
While I wanted to linger, to enjoy the moment with her, this was about her protection. She wasn't my mate. She didn't think of me as a man but as a monster.
I had to complete the bond. I lifted my mouth briefly from her wrist, just long enough to open a small cut on my index finger. Her eyes met mine as I put my finger to her lips. When my blood touched her tongue, the bond was complete.
For a brief moment, her mind was wide open to me and I knew mine would be open to her. She could see into the heart of me.
But I had to focus on the thin tendrils of her connection to Andre Dumont, deep indigo shot through with silver. Though they were narrow, the threads were strong and twisted deep within her mind. As our bond grew stronger and brighter, the deep blue tendrils dissolved into dust and vanished, leaving only Merry and her shining spirit.
I saw her joys, her regrets. I felt the pleasure that my bite gave her, but struggled to ignore it. Resisted the urge to roll it back to her until it resonated between us like a tolling bell. Images flashed through my head, so quickly that I couldn't keep up with each. Until the last.
It was the two of us, standing in front of the mirror in her hotel room. It was the first dream she'd had after we met and we were both nude.
As that picture flashed, her voice accompanied it, spoken only in her mind.
Don't think about him naked. Don't think about him naked. Shit. Now, we're both naked.
As tantalizing as the image was and as amusing as her thoughts were, I forced myself to withdraw, both from her mind and her wrist. I slid my tongue over the small punctures on her wrist, using my saliva to seal them, and she jumped at the unexpected touch.
