Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(44)

“Too close to the truth for comfort. I understand.” His head came up suddenly, and he listened keenly to the night. I listened, too, straining to pick out sounds beyond the rain and thunder.

The faint sound of high heels clicking quickly on the concrete was distant. It grew increasingly louder as the woman drew closer. We were just fifty feet or so from the club’s rear entry. I crossed my fingers, hoping that whoever she was, she would go in through the front. Kale braced himself in anticipation, and I held my breath.

She rounded the corner of the building, heading right for us. Clutching a thin jacket and a purse, she hurried to escape the rain. With her head down and her attention on her destination, she didn’t even look our way.

“Kale, don’t.”

We both sprang into motion, but he was faster. She let out a surprised scream when he grabbed her. With a hand over her mouth, Kale leaned in close and breathed deeply of her scent. Her eyes were wide, and she struggled in his grasp. He smiled.

“This is what you came for, Alexa.” He met my gaze with delight dancing in his eyes.

I shivered as the rain soaked through my jeans and thin t-shirt. At least I told myself it was from the chill of the rain and not the spark of excitement in my belly. I watched Kale bare her neck and run his tongue over her flesh. She fought to get away, but he easily overpowered her.

“Don’t do this,” I pleaded. “Let her go. This is between you and me.”

“She smells good. Like apples.” Kale bit deep into her without warning. I gave a small cry and begged him to stop. There was nothing I could do.

The scent of fresh blood struck me. Kale held my gaze as he drank from her, watching the effect it was having on me. I didn’t have the strength to fight the bloodlust. Despite the way I pleaded with him, I enjoyed what I saw. I responded to the scene before me with hunger and intrigue. I wanted to taste her.

I backed away from Kale, forcing my feet to do the opposite of what the bloodlust demanded. I was at a loss, unsure of what to do. A battle waged inside me, one I had to win.

His victim’s struggles ceased as she slipped into unconsciousness. Kale raised his head so I could see the blood spilling from the wound. In a dramatic gesture, he swept his tongue over the punctures in a languorous motion that almost brought me to my knees.

His tone was deadly wicked when he murmured, “Tell me you don’t want just a taste.”

“I want you to stop this f**king nonsense before you drive us both crazy. You’re being an idiot.” I spat the words through a mouthful of fangs. My fury was growing, and the urge to tear a strip out of Kale was strong.

Letting the woman fall to the ground without a second thought, Kale advanced on me. Panicking, I lashed out with a warning shot, just enough to let him know I was ready to defend myself. He continued forward, unfazed. This was going to get physical.

“And, you’re being the challenge that I’d hoped you’d be.” Moving inhumanly fast, Kale grabbed me in a vice-like grip and kissed me before I could form a protest.

The passion in his kiss momentarily left me stunned. The blood in his mouth was delicious and tempting. My resistance quickly came undone as the bloodlust found victory. Kale’s tongue was persistent against mine, and I caught myself kissing him back before common sense took hold.

Pulling away, I hauled off and punched him right in the face. It knocked him back a foot or two but otherwise resulted in nothing but a smirk and a cut lip. Spilling Kale’s blood could never be a good thing, not when I wanted him the way I did. Still, I found some gratification in hitting him with my fist instead of my power. It gave me so much more satisfaction.

My wolf was ready to kick his ass, and I followed up with a kick intended to take his legs out from under him. However, his undead reflexes were stellar, and he caught my leg and gave it a twist. I yelped in pain, fearing the worst. He didn’t really hurt me though, not like he could have. Instead he gave me a shove that sat me down hard on my ass.

I glared up at him, a growl rumbling in my throat. He stood over me, waiting for me to get up. “Come on, Alexa. You need the violence to justify your feelings. So if it makes you feel better to throw punches, I’m happy to take them. You can beat me black and blue, but it won’t change the way you feel.”

I came up off the ground snarling and swinging. It wasn’t the knowing look in his eyes that unleashed my fury but the truth in his words. Kale was more than happy to give as much as he was taking. I ate more than a few hits that would have knocked any human out. It would hurt later, but I was running on adrenaline and lupine wrath.

In a move that both surprised and satisfied me, I flipped him over my body so he landed hard on the ground next to me. Maybe you couldn’t wind a vampire, but that had to hurt. If only it had knocked some sense into him. All it seemed to do was encourage him. Holding tight to my forearm, he followed through with my momentum, using it to pull me off balance while getting to his feet. Since I was the one with functioning lungs, I had the breath crushed from me.

Kale pulled me to my feet. His touch stirred my power, encouraging it to devour him. “Have you had enough yet, my love? I can do this dance with you all night.”

Despite gasping for air, I bared my fangs at him. “You’re sick, Kale.”

Stroking a hand down the side of my battered face, he smiled, almost sadly. “And, you are my disease.”

“What do you want from me? Really.” I drew a shaky breath and slapped his hand away.