“Make up your mind. Are you offended I almost did or offended I didn’t?” He asked. I lunged at him, unable to control the hunger anymore. He was caught off guard and I managed to get him to the ground, wrestling for control. He refused to shift, remaining human.
I pressed my hands to his shoulders and he glared up at me, not fighting back. Fuck, he needed to.
Just a taste. A small one. I just had to know if he tasted as good as he smelled. I shouldn’t tease my hunger but I couldn’t help it. I pawed at his shirt pushing it up to get to his flesh.
“What are you doing!” He said, sounding freaked out. He grabbed at my wrists but this time, he couldn’t budge me. I was solid steel to get to my meal, the thing inside me straining against my skin for control. My tongue rolled out of my mouth and I licked a line up his stomach, tracing the lines of his abs.
“Stop,” he gasped, shuddering. He tasted good. Salty and musky. I groaned as I licked across his hip bone and he sucked in a breath, reminding me of that one time I tried seducing him—before I knew any better. He’d sucked in a sharp breath just like this one when I’d bit his lip and pulled him against me.
One of his hands went to an antler, gripping it tightly.
I leaned in, growling as I licked up the center of his abs, tasting his skin. I needed to eat. He tasted too tempting.
“I can’t,” he hissed, not making sense. I pushed his shirt higher and looked down at him. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes angry. Lines of spit were across his body. His dark hair was fanned out around him in the dirt, stray leaves caught in it.
If this had been a different situation I might be tempted. Except… all I was, was hungry.
“I can’t do this now,” he said. I tilted my head. Now? “Not without Ava,” he grumbled so low I could tell he didn’t want me to hear. It clicked, he thought I was trying to fuck him. I managed to laugh.
“I’m not trying to fuck you,” I said, sinking my face back down to his belly. I ran my teeth across his skin. “I’m trying to eat you,” I growled, pressing my teeth in roughly, trying to take a bite with blunt teeth.
He hissed in pain and tried to throw me off. He clawed at the earth but I managed to keep him beneath me. The beast inside me felt like it was taking over and it wasstrong. My teeth began to sink in and Caspian growled in pain as the tiniest bit of his blood slid around my teeth.
A hand slapped on my neck. Long fingers pressed into the veins on the sides, cutting off the flow of blood. A few seconds and I felt me head grow thick and woozy.
“Enough,” growled in my head, scratching at my skull and mind. I sucked in a breath. As soon as my teeth let go of Caspian, the hand tugged me back. Mothman pulled me backwards, into his body, his arms wrapping around me to keep me from getting away. Caspian leapt up to help him. I snapped and growled, frantic to eat.
“Just one fucking bite!” I yelled out, trying to lift my legs and kick at Caspian.
Caspian grabbed my face, holding the snout and jaw of the skull shut and keeping me from bucking my antlers back. Mothman pulled something around my face. Tight leather bit into my neck as he buckled it in place. I heard something snap and then they were off me. I grabbed at the thing on my face. It was some sort of …
“A muzzle!” I cried out, grabbing at the back of my head and trying to rip it off. Mothman twirled a key on his fingers and smiled at me.
I lunged at him, trying to get it. My body crashed into him and we went down. He oofed as his back hit the ground. I tried to bite him but the muzzle stopped me from getting closer—my skull teeth clicking loudly, saliva dripping on Mothman’s face. He made a disgusted noise and wiped it off.
Caspian was suddenly on me, ripping me off Mothman with a level of rage I wouldn’t have expected. He slammed my back against a tree and his monstery teeth were on full display as he bared them to me, making an enraged noise. I sucked in a breath, my heart beating wildly. The hair on my arms rose. He shoved me to the side and I stumbled to the ground as he went to Mothman, kneeling on the ground where he still lay.
“Are you okay?” He asked angrily, patting down his duster as if looking for wounds. Was I high?
“What the fuck?” I asked. Mothman huffed, shaking his head in disbelief then reached up, god damn brushing Caspian’s face with his hand. He must have said something to him. Caspian nodded and pulled back, looking vaguely uncomfortable with his own actions.
“What the fuck?” I repeated.
“We’re going to get Ava,” he snapped. I looked at Mothman.
“What’s up with him?” I signed to him. Caspian walked off a few feet. Mothman showed the mate mark again. He brushed his fingers over it a moment then covered it back up.
That… I felt odd about that. Not jealous of course. I wouldn’t be jealous of someone with Caspian. He was horrible. And yet… why would he mark Mothman and not me? I gripped the back of my neck roughly and ground my teeth. Caspian and I had a fucked up relationship and I really didn’t want to start peeling apart the layers and admitting all the subconscious feelings going on there.
He’d known Mothman for one week.One weekand he bit him yet reared back in horror when he almost bit me.
Fuck it. I did not have the time or mental capacity to concern myself with this. There were two things to think about. Saving Ava and slaking my hunger.
12
My eyes cracked open, the dim sky beginning to lighten outside the cave. A space blanket had been tossed on me, the thin foil crinkling as I moved. While Makwa showed me the past, I must have fallen asleep. Panic rose quickly that hours had gone by—which snapped me from my reverie in a hot instant.
I couldn’t wait for my men to show back up and get hurt. I had to do something. Makwa was right.
