Careful not to dislodge his touch, I shook my head slightly. I hadn't prayed to a higher being since turning, but right now, I prayed he would continue.
I was rewarded when he trailed his finger down the sharpening edge of my fang, closer and closer to the piercing tip. My icy blood lit on fire. His fragile skin wassoclose to my fang. I felt his hot blood pulsing, throbbing.
It wasn't the only thing that throbbed, either.
I clenched my eyes shut. I had to think of something,anythingelse. I couldn't be tempted by the delectable scent of Scotty's blood. I couldn't fantasize about seizing his forearm, piercing his skin with my fangs, and slaking my thirst with his blood—
"Oof..."
My train of thought veered off course as Scotty let out a sound of displeasure. I instantly forgot about his blood. My attention was laser-focused on him.
Scotty put a hand to his forehead, leaning backwards on the bed. The arm he unsteadily used to brace himself was shaking.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Sorry, I'm fine," Scotty replied, clearly not fine. His face was a shade paler.
A paranoid thought entered my mind. Had I somehow drank Scotty's blood without even realizing it?
No. Something else was wrong.
Scotty took a breath. "This happens to me once in a while. I just need a second. It's 'cause of my anemia."
Anemia?
Oh hells, what was I doing?
As reality sank in, I slammed the brakes on my desire. All of it. The physical lust and the blood lust, which were now deeply intertwined. It did not matter. I couldn't let what I felt for Scotty continue. It would've been bad enough if hedidn'thave a blood disorder, but now that I knew he was impaired by one, I could not let myself chase him down.
But if Scotty was my fated mate, would I be able to stay away?
I bit my fangs down on my own lip. I stood up and pulled back, pacing away from Scotty despite the heavy magnetic pull towards him. Being apart from him felt like being burned in the sun, except ten times worse. Being blasted by the sun's rays was momentary agony—all I had to do was retreat into the shade.
But knowing Scotty was anemic? That meant we could never be together. And that was worse than any other pain.
"Malachi?"
Scotty's curious voice stabbed my heart. When I dared to look at him, his face was scrunched up in a sad frown like a puppy being abandoned.
"I promise anemia isn't contagious," Scotty mumbled with a hint of guilt.
My heart shattered like a stake was stabbing it a thousand times. I fell to my knees in front of him again, unable to stray too far. I took his hands in mine and gazed pleadingly up at him.
"I know, Scotty. That's not why I backed away," I said.
Relief flickered across his face, but it died when he heard my next sentence.
"But I cannot in good conscience be so close to you," I went on.
"Why?"
The strength of his outburst surprised me. Before I could repeat that I was an unholy abomination who thirsted for his blood, Scotty interrupted.
"I know we just met, so maybe this is crazy of me, but you're not like other people, Malachi. You're special. I feel...thingsaround you I've never felt before," he said, his face flushing. "So please don't say you can't be close to me. You're doing it right now and everything's fine, right?"
Scotty ran his warm fingers across my hands. My chest tightened. My head felt light, dazed. The power a single human omega had over me was shocking.
But Scotty wasn't any human omega. He was uniquely one-of-a-kind.
