Page 35 of Plug and Drain

Arken froze, then pulled away as if she’d stung him. He stared at her with a tortured expression. His fangs were hardly visible with his lips drawn down in worry, but she could see the faint hue of her blood on his lower lip.

The vivid scarlet glow of his eyes flickered out, the warm caramel returning. “Susie?”

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t swallow.

She couldn’t speak.

She was paralysed as she stared at him, no longer trusting the concerned look he gave her.

Monster.

“Susie, what happened? Did I—?”

Arken’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at her neck. “Oh, no…”

Susie glared up at him. ‘What the fuck is wrong with you?!’ she wanted to scream. What kind of game was he playing, pretending to look mortified after biting her like that? After spending goodness knew how many hours coaxing her to relax, to lower her guard around him, to trust him to be a gentleman…only to break her trust.

It was a million times worse than if he’d just grabbed her out in the corridor and bitten her. She would have been braced for anything then. Here, she’d let herself be vulnerable.

I trusted a vampire. Fuck.

Fuck!

“Get. Off. Me,” she growled.

“Susie—” he began.

“Get off me!” she screamed.

Arken leapt off her, stumbling away from the bed as if she’d struck him with lightning. If only.

Susie scrambled up, nearly falling over as one foot landed on the ground whilst the other got twisted in a sheet.

Arken reached to steady her, but she swiped at him, not the least bit sorry when the tip of one of her claws cut across the back of his hand, slicing open flesh.

He yelped as blood spurted forth, clamping his wrist with his other hand to stop the blood flow.

Were there any arteries on the back of the hand that could cause him to bleed out? Who the hell knew? She’d been too busy taking compulsory Pet Obedience lessons with Professor Zott to attend Anatomy like she’d wanted to.

Arken was still staring at her in shock, his head shaking as if he couldn’t believe what had happened.

He was a good actor.

“Susie, I’m so sorry—”

Blinding rage seized her.

“Save it,” she snarled.

She had to leave. She had to get Arken out of her room, but first, she had to leave.

Right. Now.

“I’m going to shower,” she announced, her voice somehow holding firm despite all that had happened. Something grazed her neck, and she touched it to find a damp spot. Her fingertips came away red.

“I’m sorry,” Arken was apologising. “Is there anything I can—?”