I might be struggling, but I’m not giving up.
Using all my focus and strength, I lunge towards him but dodge his body at the last second. I stay close enough to produce a cut on the side of his thigh. He quickly turns on his heels to face me, hissing in pain and rage as he keeps his eyes on me at all times.
I stop right before hitting the back of the sectional, offering Jacob my best deranged smile. I bring the dripping blade to my lips, sticking my tongue out to lick it, dragging the knife down slowly. A loud moan escapes me when my eyes flicker alight at the taste of his blood.
“You taste so fucking good, darling,” I tease, my voice still hoarse. He freezes at the use of that word—I’ve never called himdarlingbefore. Not aloud, at least.
It’s a clear moment of weakness, and I’m going to take advantage of it, just like he did when he dropped me and I was disoriented. I lunge towards him again, aiming my knife at his right side. Jacob’s claws extend, glistening under the faint light. Just as my blade sinks into his flesh, he grabs on to my left shoulder and right arm, digging his claws deep inside.
“Oh, fuck yes, darling!” I moan and shudder at the delicious pain. It hurts more than anything we’ve done so far, and Iloveit. Much, much more than I expected.
Jacob stares at me as we try to push each other away, our feet struggling to get a grip on the polished tiles. He looks at me like I’m a monster—which I am. I groan as I yank my arms away from him, making his sharp claws rip my muscles open, hot blood gushing out from my wounds. I’m drenched in it now.
I look briefly at my slashed flesh and let out a long moan that turns into a growl—a noise I’ve never made before. My eyes burn like hell itself in arousal as I tremble. I’m at the very verge of losing myself and becoming something wild and dangerous, my heart hammering in my ears harder than ever. At this very moment, I don’t know what I’m capable of. I huff out a laugh, reveling in the pain that pulses through my arm and shoulder. It won’t stop me; it just turns me the fuck on.
“You’re losing control, Damien,” Jacob hisses, and I’d swear there’s a hint of fear in his voice.
“Fuck yes, I am.” I laugh darkly, my blood dripping into the tiled floor and making it slippery. I’m vibrating with anticipation, overwhelmed by a desire to destroy and be destroyed that goes far beyond my understanding.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, keeping his gaze right on mine. “But I will, if you keep pushing.”
“Don’t hold back, darling,” I growl, my voice sounding foreign.
His eyes glow brighter, the burgundy threads in his irises becoming almost iridescent with an emotion that I can’t quite read. I lunge forward, attempting to tackle him onto the floor. My feet slip on the polished tiles as I throw my entire weight against him. His claws dig into my back and waist when he tries to stabilize himself, but the pain doesn’t deter me.
Soon, we’re on the floor. Our bodies get wet with burning blood, sliding against the surface beneath us. We’re no more than an indiscernible collection of intertwined limbs. I stab him, he retaliates with his claws, and we’re rolling across the room. I have no idea which side is up or down anymore. My instincts kick in, commanding my movements with a precision I didn’t know I was capable of.
I carve a long, deep cut across Jacob’s stomach, making him flinch and reach for the new wound. Before I know it, I’m on top of him, pinning him down. Precious, sweet blood pools underneath us.
He stares up at me as I throw my right arm back, terror spreading clearly through him as he realizes what I’m doing. My knife comes down towards the left side of his chest, and Jacob gasps as I stop right before stabbing him. My blade hovers merely millimeters away from his skin.
Jacob is trembling, staring at me like he never has before. I know I wasn’t going to actually stab him in the heart, but he doesn’t.
If you want to kill a vampire, that’s half the job done. The other half is ripping the organ out and detaching it from the body. That’s what I’ve heard from the fang gang.
We stare at each other in silence, not moving at all. Hell, Jacob is barely breathing. I stand my ground, not letting my guard down, just in case he attempts to push me off. The threat of my blade remains dangerously close to his heart. A lingering reminder that the slightest movement is a death sentence.
“Underworld, darling?” I say, letting my most unhinged grin do the rest of the talking.
“Underworld . . .” he whispers, almost inaudibly.
I immediately fold my knife and drop it beside us. It bounces on the hard floor a few times, making a soft metallic noise that resonates in the silence. Jacob seems to relax, throwinghis head back and sighing. If I’m reading him correctly, he’s shocked. Not defeated, or angry, or upset. Just accepting that he underestimated me and my violent nature.
There’s a constant low hum of pain coursing through me, coming from the many gaping wounds Jacob has left on me. His claws might just be my new favorite toy, and I’ll make sure that he uses them more often from now on. I caress his cheek softly and lean in to kiss him. He responds to me with ease, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer.
After a long, slow kiss, I pull back and push myself off the floor, which isn’t easy considering the amount of blood around us. My open wounds protest at the sudden movement when I slip a few times before stabilizing myself with a bloody hand on the glass table. Obviously, they continue to heal themselves anyway. Jacob stands too, taking my hand for stability until he can lean on the dining table as well.
“Let’s clean up this mess,” I say as I take a look around. The entire apartment is a battleground. All the furniture is stacked against the corners, and the bloody trail of our bodies dragging towards the dining area ends underneath our feet. “When we’ve healed, I’ll claim my reward.”
Jacob gives me the side-eye, but doesn’t say anything. Certainly, he knows that tonight he’s mine.
Twenty-Two
Killien
Ican’t seem to relax, not even as we arrive at Owen’s home. It’s not very far from Jacob’s, just a five-minute drive, in a nice neighborhood. It’s a small one-story house that doesn’t stand out at all. Nothing about it screamsvampire den. The white siding looks new, or at least as if it was cleaned recently, just like the perfectly manicured front yard and smooth concrete driveway.
The place is much fancier inside than the exterior. The shiny white tiles of the flooring contrast with the red brick on the accent wall that houses a fireplace. There’s a fancy burnt orange sofa in the middle of the room, paired with dark blue velvetypillows. The rest of the living and dining room follow the same scheme; all mid-century furnishings, warm wood, and blue and orange accents.
