Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(16)

He let his head slump forward again, but I felt his fangs trying to find a good place to penetrate. With flawless accuracy, he found his sweet spot, and I felt him bite down. For the first time, it hurt. All I’d ever known from the feeding process was pleasure. The blood was entwined with sexual energy until the two didn’t exist without the other. When Daniel fed, we made love. It had never been different until tonight.

I winced against the pain but held him to me. Tears pricked my eyes, the pain was so bad, but I wouldn’t let go. He began to draw against the vein, his strength steadying. His hands tightened on my waist. His will was back and though his flesh continued to char, I knew he would make it. Me, that was another story. I was used to donating for the cause, but he was drawing heavily off me, and I couldn’t keep it up forever.

“Are you all right?” Neil shifted, covering Daniel’s burning arm. “I can pull him off. He won’t like it, but I can feed him, too.”

Neil was very sure of his physical strength, but I doubted he’d ever tried to get between a dying vampire and his companion. He had no idea what was going through Daniel’s mind as he drew the blood from my body into his. In these times, I wasn’t his friend. I wasn’t the girl he’d grown up with and loved and explored everything with. I was his. I was a possession, and he would allow no one to take what was his. He would surely kill Neil if he tried to move me. There would be no thought behind the act. Daniel would regret it later, but he was one large ball of primal instinct right now.

“No, I’m fine.” I forced myself to say the words even as I felt myself weakening.

And then just as quickly as that righteous light had flooded our world, it winked from existence.

Neil sprang up, giving us cover. Daniel took one last long drag from my neck, but this time it started to resemble something like pleasure. He was back in some semblance of control. He let his head fall back, his eyes rolling to the back of his head before he closed them. Even though his flesh was still burning in places, he looked blissful, like a man who’d had his first full meal after days of starvation. He reached up to touch me, but his hand fell back, exhausted.

Neil held a gun in his hand, one of Daniel’s. I’d never seen him with one before. I sat up and pulled Daniel’s head into my lap, smoothing back that sandy hair of his while he shook slightly. I tried not to think about the agony in my neck. I could feel the blood continuing to trickle out and knew when I looked in the mirror I wouldn’t see the twin delicate holes he left when he was careful.

“Look, bitch, I have no idea if this will do anything to you, but I am willing to try.” Neil’s voice was harder than I remembered it ever being. He held the gun properly, and I wondered if Daniel had trained him.

Felicity Day approached, her feet moving with caution. She looked very apologetic, and I did not give a shit.

“You stay away from him.” I pulled my own gun, hoping I wouldn’t have to hold it steady for too long. It wouldn’t do any good, anyway. I doubted an angel could be taken out with a bullet. I knew that, but my empty gesture made me feel better. I felt very vulnerable with a half dead vampire shaking in my lap and nothing but useless metal between me and that light.

“I do not mean him harm. I am so sorry Oliver did that. Please believe me. I didn’t come here to harm any of you.” Felicity held her hands out as if to prove she wasn’t armed. It didn’t make me feel better since apparently she could call the freaking sun to her defense.

“Then I’d hate to see it when you mean to do damage,” I muttered as Daniel tried to wrap himself around me. This was one of those times when I was everything to him. His higher brain stopped functioning as every cell of his body concentrated on healing what was burned. I smelled like home to Daniel. I smelled like healing and safety. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I pulled him close.

Felicity took in the scene, and instead of disapproval, I saw a longing on her face as she watched us. “I’m truly sorry. If I had any idea my brother would react like that, I would never have allowed him to accompany me. You have to forgive him. It is his nature to be judgmental. He serves a particular function, and with Felix away, he has lost his balance.”

“I really don’t care about the whys or the wherefores, lady. I will not help you. You’ll have to find someone else.” And I would have to find another way because I wouldn’t put Daniel in that position again. Had I known what we were walking into, I wouldn’t have even taken the call.

“But there is no one else,” she said beseechingly. “It must be you.”

“Too bad.” I had no sympathy for her. I could still smell Daniel’s charred flesh. The burns were trying to heal themselves, but I feared he was going to need more blood. He’d made himself vulnerable by cutting back on his intake. He would need to gorge himself if he wanted to heal. Felicity Day’s problems were no longer any concern of mine.

“I can help.” She took a tentative step forward.

My arm shaking, I raised my gun. “You touch him and I’ll find a way to kill you. I will be very clever, and I’ll make sure it hurts.”

“All right.” She backed away, her face a mask of worry. “I’ll contact you again. I’ll find another mediator. You won’t find anyone else who can help you as I can.”

“Don’t bother. I won’t take the call.”