Bound in Sin (Bound #3)(8)

“Drake, look, I–”

In an instant, he spun on her. “You knew they were attacking.”

Did she look paler than before? It seemed so. Even the red of her lips had faded to a light pink. She stared up at him and gave a slow nod.

Shit. Why couldn’t she have lied? He didn’t want to know that she’d set him up.

Because then he’d have to punish her.

He headed to the left. He had blood on his hands, and he’d already smeared that blood on her. When he touched her again, he wanted his hands clean.

All he could smell was blood. His blood. The blood of the wolves who’d been attacked. The blood of the bastard she’d staked. And…

Her blood.

She’d seemed paler than before.

He whirled back to face her. As she stumbled, he picked her up and held her close against his chest. She’s a vampire, but she can still die. The scent of her blood was too strong. “Where’s the wound?”

She lifted her arm to her shoulder. Her hair had fallen forward, covering the injury, and he swept the mane back, then cursed at the sight of her flesh.

A bullet had torn through her shoulder.

Why the hell wasn’t she healing? Vampires usually healed fast enough when they were injured.

She wasn’t healing.

He took her into his bathroom. Put her down next to the shower that could easily hold three people, though he only preferred an intimate two. Then he tore open her shirt and tossed away the scraps of material so that he could see her wound.

But…it wasn’t the only wound that he found on her body. There were faint white lines on her flesh, snaking up her stomach. Sliding down her left arm. Scars. Old injuries.

Vampires didn’t scar. Those marks…she must have gotten them while she was still human.

He knelt on the marble tile so that his eyes were level with hers. “What happened to you?”

She bit her lip and glanced away. Then, voice whisper-soft, Paige said, “Nothing that matters now.”

Every single thing about her mattered.

He put his hand on her shoulder, being careful not to touch the bloody wound. She still flinched.

Because he’d hurt her…or because he’d touched her? She’d once begged for his touch. But that had been long ago.

Another damn life.

Locking his back teeth, Drake gritted, “Why aren’t you healing?”

She shrugged and still didn’t look him in the eyes.

He reached behind her and yanked on the water in the shower. The water thundered out in a hot rush and steam began to drift in the air. He didn’t worry about another attack interrupting them, not then. He’d put extra guards on sentry duty. The vamps wouldn’t be getting close again.

They’d just be dying soon.

“Too much blood loss can kill a vamp.” He knew because he’d killed his share that way before. A slow, painful death. Some folks deserved that kind of death.

Some didn’t.

The vamps who’d killed his family? They’d deserved every single moment of agony that he’d given to them.

“It’s almost stopped bleeding,” she told him. “I’ll be all right.” She glanced toward the water.

He put his hand on the curve of her waist. “You need blood.” No way to get around that. She’d been hurt, and she’d bled too much. For a vamp to get her strength back and heal, she’d need to drink.

“Yeah, well…” She gave a rough laugh that was nothing like the light, happy peal she’d once had, “Something tells me that wolves don’t exactly keep extra blood bags around for the vamp company that comes calling.”

No, they didn’t.

But if she needed blood…his gaze locked on her mouth. Her full lips. Her white teeth. Her delicate fangs.

A vampire bite is hell. Agony. Pain and degradation.

How many times had he heard that line from other wolves? Too many.

So why was he even thinking about offering her his throat?

Because it’s her. And because she saved your ass out there. No matter what else she might be doing or planning, Paige had stopped the vamp from firing that silver into his heart. A few more inches to the right, and Drake knew he would’ve been dead.

She’d saved him and wasn’t that worth a few drops of blood?

He caught her chin. Lifted her head. Her gaze found his, finally. The water flowed behind her, and that steam heated the air. “Take from me,” he told her. When an alpha gave an order, that order was obeyed. No question.

Her brow furrowed. “Um, take what?”

He caught her fingers–damn, her skin was soft–and lifted them to his throat. “Take.” He could handle this for a few minutes. He’d lock down his mind. Pretend he wasn’t being used as food and–

She snatched her hand back. Horror had her green eyes widening. “I can’t!”

She sure as hell could. “You’ve got the fangs, sweet, just sink them in.” Not like this was her first bite. She must have bled plenty of humans in her time. Bastards.

Without blood, vamps would turn to dust.

But she was shaking her head at him. “I-I’ll just take a quick shower and wash up. I’ll heal soon, and everything will be–”

Well, damn, didn’t she want his blood? Now he was starting to feel insulted. “Drink from me.” Her whole body was shaking. She needed blood. Take it.