Ayla narrowed her eyes at me before narrowing them at Thaddeus.
“Take cover!” Thaddeus’s arm reached out and yanked me into his chest with a thud just in time for an abandoned to charge over the spot we’d been standing.
Three abandoned came out of fucking nowhere, circling us, rushing through the group at record speed. Their fighting style was different from how Thaddeus explained it, and they seemed to be focusing their attention on me.
Thaddeus grabbed under my knees and cradled me to his firm chest. I ran my hands over his pectorals, and he groaned as he dodged another attack.
“Not now, Lilith.”
“But later?” I stopped rubbing my hands over him and held onto his shoulders as he jolted me around.
I caught sight of Ayla shoving her hand through one and combusting the orb inside. The other two abandoned bellowed as their creature-friend was taken out—almost as if they actually cared.
I closed my eyes and formed a massive ball of energy inside me before letting the lust emanate to everyone in the vicinity, which made them squirm—including the creatures.
Blaise blinked away the lust and obliterated one as Kai obliterated the other.
Thaddeus set me down and fixed himself. “Did you have to do that?”
“Why do I have a hard-on right now?” Marco asked, and our clan laughed.
“I guess that’s it then. I’m ready to head home and relax. I’m knackered,” Blaise said with a stretch.
“Thaddeus, can I talk to you?” Ayla stepped forward, wringing her hands together.
A threatening growl left my throat, and she hesitated. The mean girl facade was gone, and she looked like a helpless vampire the way her wide eyes stared at me.
Thaddeus glanced at me with a conflicted expression before he stalked toward me and wrapped me up in a hug. “Go home with Blaise and Kai. I’ll hang back and clear up clan disputes.”
“No funny business,” I mumbled into his chest and wrapped my arms up around his shoulders. “You might not be mine, but I don’t want you to be hers either.”
“I’m definitely not hers.” He pulled back and pressed a kiss on my forehead that sent bliss through me.
“Come find me when you get home. I want to know what’s going on,” I grumbled before heading home with Blaise and Kai.
I couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was going to happen, and I fucking hated that feeling.
TEN
Blaise’s head reared back and struck my nose, and my eyes welled up with tears as I staggered back.
Cold black blood dripped from my nose, and a scream pulled from my throat. “Why the fuck is my blood black? What the fuck did you do?”
Thaddeus and Kai appeared at the bottom of the stairs in the gym as I shouted obscenities at Blaise, who stared at me with a blank look.
“Don’t just stand there! Dosomething. I’m dying! I have black blood!” I covered my nose that no longer bled, but the blood coated my hands and probably my face.
“Are you always so dramatic?” Thaddeus asked, strolling toward me as he pulled off his shirt, pale skin showing as the fabric rode up before another shirt under the first was tugged back down.
Disappointment streaked through me.I thought I’d get to see him shirtless, but no such luck.
As soon as he came close enough, he used the shirt to help clean off my hands. The black substance smeared as he wiped it until it was but a dark stain on my skin. Then, he used the shirt to wipe my face in small, soft movements.
I gulped. Thaddeus was staring deep into my eyes as he wiped, and I wanted to grab him and smoosh my lips against his—but we weren’t on that level yet.
“You didn’t come to see me last night,” I whispered.
Something flickered in his gaze. “Being alone with you in your room sounds a bit dodgy.” He pulled back. “All clean and healed up. Future reference, vampires bleed black.”
