“Yes, I need the blood.” She searched his pockets for bullets or darts, careful not to touch him anywhere he seemed to be bleeding. “Come on, you must have some liquid.”
He yanked out a vial. “Here. Throw it at him ifhe gets close.”
“Thank you.” She took it as he jumped intothe fray again.
Ulric tossed Logan across the clearing, causing him to smash into the front door of the main lodge, which shattered into three large pieces. He rolled and came up, running back into the battle, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
Hope flipped open the top of the vial and drank down the contents. The mixed blood tasted sweet, like oranges and vanilla. Interesting. Then she waited, holding her breath for some sort of miracle to happen. She watched the fight, as dideveryone else.
Ulric was more than holding his own. No matter what weapon the Seven soldiers used, his skin didn’t bleed. It didn’t bruise and it didn’t crack. He grunted several times as if he felt pain, but they couldn’t get to him. They couldn’t really hurt him.
After a few minutes, she figured the blood had done whatever it was going to do. She reached for the remaining Kurjan blade in her boot and walked slowly toward the center of the circle. “Stop,” she yelled, holding the blade to her heart above her breastbone, right where Paxtonhad marked her.
Startled, the entire group stopped fighting. Her uncles were bloodied and bruised, while Ulric was only panting heavily. It had been a difficult fight, but he definitely hadthe advantage.
“You can’t kill him. You can’t even hurthim,” she said.
“What are you doing?” Uncle Logan snapped, moving toward her.
“Stop,” she said pressing the knife in. If she put it directly above her heart, it would split in three and shatter her breastbone. “One of you is going to have to take my heart.” They all looked at her, stunned anger in their gazes. “It’s the only way,” she said. “I can open myself, but you’ll have to actually take the heart and shove it down his throat.”
“Your heart is mine,” Paxton growled, his voice carrying easily onthe frigid air.
Adare and Ivar pivoted around Ulric and secured his arms, kicking him in the back of the knees and knocking him to the ground. He struggled, but they could hold him in place on his knees. They just couldn’t hurt him.
Ivar shook his head. “That’s not the solution. We’re going to put everything we have down his throat. There’s enough blood to commingle in there anddo something.”
“No,” she said softly. “There isn’t. I’m sorry. I’ve read the dragon-skin tome. I know what to do. My heart is the only thing that will work.” She tried to avoid looking at Paxton, but finally she couldn’t help it. Then she was sorry she did. His eyes had gone cold, flat, hard. They were silvery-blue metal, and they could freeze her in place.
“Don’t,” he said. One word fiercely spoken, his voice soft as always with that thread of danger.
She shivered. “Pax.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” he asked.
She bit her lip until she tasted blood. “There is no question. I read the ancient book, and I feel it in my soul. My heart is the sacrifice, Paxton. I already drank their blood. It’s inside me. There’s no other way.” She willed him to believe herand let her go.
“No.” Blurring with speed, he was on her, moving faster than she would’ve ever thought possible, grabbing the knife and throwing it across the field.
“Damn it, Pax,” she snapped. “That was our only option.”
“Wrong.” He lifted her with one arm around her waist, tangled his other hand in her hair, and yanked her head back—not gentle, not even close. His fangs sliced into her neck. She cried out as he drank, takingwhat he wanted.
Finally, he stopped, licked the wound clean. Then he kissed her in front of everybody. Her family, the soldiers, the enemy. He kissed her hard, making a claim that nobody could miss. She kissed him back, knowing he was everything she could ever want. He was hard and he was demanding, and yet he was still Paxton. Still sweet. Maybe not at the moment, but she could taste iton his tongue.
Then he released her and placed her back on her feet. She staggered for a minute and then settled, her eyes wide, her mind fuzzy. His nostrils flared, and crimson slid across his cheekbones for a moment. He swallowed and took several deep breaths, still silent and predatory. “Who is your heart, Hope?”
She blinked. “What?”
“I told you, your heart belongs to me.Is that true?”
She couldn’t see a way to answer that would get her out of doing what she needed to do. But then again, she could never lie to Paxton. “Yes, youhave my heart.”
“You are mine,” he said. “And you know what? I think I’m yours.”
He reached for a Kurjan blade from his boot and drew it out.
“No,” she cried out. “No, that’s notwhat I wanted.”
