He nods to me. “The mark. There’s a sort of bond that comes with it.”
“What kind of bond?” I snarl, as my fist slams against the counter.
“Mm, it’s hard to explain. It’s kind of a mixture of lust and possessiveness. It’s made to feed on our animalistic instincts.”
I whirl around to face him. “How do I get rid of it?”
He laughs as though I’d said something funny. “You can’t.” He pushes away from the doorframe and takes a step closer to me. “But you can alleviate it.”
“Alleviate what exactly?”
“The desire.” He leans closer, his lips brushing against my ear. “The uncontrollable need to give yourself over to the one who gave you that mark.”
He strokes his thumb over the curve of my neck, and I push him away.
“I’d die before I let that happen!”
“So, you’re saying you haven’t felt even a moment of weakness?”
“Absolutely not!”
Kole tilts his head to the side like he’s not convinced. “Mhm, sure…”
I shove past him, making my way to the dresser. As much as I want to deny it to myself, I can’t. Even now, thinking back on how Thane’s hand felt climbing up my thigh makes me hot all over. Assholes have never been my thing, and Thane is the definition of an asshole. I have no intention of letting some vampire bite make me weak in the knees for someone who finds enjoyment in hurting me.
“If Ididhave a moment of weakness, how would I alleviate it?” I sift through the clothes, too embarrassed to even look at him.
Suddenly, Kole appears next to the dresser, but I keep my eyes locked on the clothes in my hands.
“You don’t look like the kind of girl who needs to be talked through it.”
My head snaps up, and I toss the clothes at his face. “Ew!”
“Don’t worry, doll. I wasn’t offering.” He tosses the clothes back into the drawer and walks over to the bed. “There’s always Option B.”
I turn around to find him lying on the bed with his arm tucked behind his head.
“Fine,” I huff. “What’s Option B? Surely it can’t be worse than sleeping with a vampire.”
“I don’t know about that,” he says, picking at the cream-colored comforter. “But if vampires and werewolves aren’t your flavor, then you can always take care of it yourself.”
“Get out!” I shout, pointing to the door.
“Sorry, but no can do. I have orders to bring you to Thane.”
“Fuck your orders!” I snap, swinging both doors open.
When I turn around to motion him out, Kole is already standing behind me, holding out the clothes I had previously thrown at him.
“I can always dress you myself,” he threatens with a hopeful grin.
I snatch the clothes out of his hands and storm off to the bathroom. Whatever idea I had of Kole when we first met was dead wrong. He’s just as unbearable as his brother.
Kole
Thane can be merciless to those who disrespect him, and she is no exception. If it weren’t for the mark preventing him from killing her, I’m certain she wouldn’t be alive right now. His anger has always gotten the best of him, and with the way he was raised, I can’t exactly blame him. I mean, she had practically peed on him. If that isn’t the definition of disrespect, then I don’t know what is. Doing it in front of the leaders was a goddamn death wish. A creative death wish, but a death wish, nonetheless.
She’s lucky he let me take her to Leo when we found her. I half expected him to leave her there, but I saw the flash of fear sprint across his face when he saw her lying there looking half dead. He’d never admit it, but that split second of concern didn’t come from the mark. There is something special about this girl. He can continue to blame it on the bond, and maybe that is part of it, but there is something else. Even I feel it, and there’s no vampire bite bonding me to her.
