Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(93)

Opening his eyes, he gazed deep into me, and then he released me entirely. Together we approached the bed where Roxanne sat in a deep thrall. I could do this. I had to. I was stronger than the bloodlust.

Arys watched me as I sat on the floor before her and took her bloody wrist in my hands. The scent of her blood filled my lungs, and it tore at my fragile control. I ran my tongue over her smooth, lightly tanned skin. The urge to rush into the kill was strong, but I wasn’t giving in this time. I slowly licked the red rivulets that dripped into the palm of her hand. No words could describe the way it felt; orgasmic, pure bliss, they didn’t even come close. Tasting her was like finding a peace I never knew existed. It felt right, like I was finally whole. And, I knew it was all a lie.

As I drank the blood from Arys’ bite, I saw it all so clearly. We were all creatures in unbearable pain, always seeking escape from something, even if we didn’t know it at the time. Every one of us found our moment of peace in something dark and twisted. This was mine.

On the bed, Arys knelt beside our victim. I could see them from where I sat. He bit into her neck, and she gasped. Or had it been me? I wasn’t sure.

A roar filled my ears as the power Arys and I shared grew to an explosive level. He reached out for me, his hand seeking mine. I surrendered it to him, crying out when a hot jolt of electricity burned my skin where it touched his.

Blood in my mouth and Arys’ skin on mine stirred my longing. Heat flooded my loins as I watched his lips against her skin, his tongue running over the wound. It wasn’t enough. The hunger grew, and my moment of peace was shattered.

Arys must have felt me slip because he stopped me from doing something I would deeply regret. With a snarl, I bared my fangs, craving the sensation of having them buried in flesh. The blood wasn’t enough. The need to tear into Roxanne was driven by more than the bloodlust. Caught up in the throes of power and hunger, my wolf struggled to break free.

I was on my ass across the room before I had a chance to hurt her. Trapped by Arys’ energy wall, there was a sense of déjà vu as I remembered how recently this had happened in the bathroom at The Wicked Kiss. One day, Arys wouldn’t be there to save me from myself.

With a hand on Roxanne’s face, he got her up on her feet. Her eyes were open but unfocused. Stuffing some cash into her hand, Arys spoke slow and clear. “Go downstairs, get into the first cab you see and go straight home. You won’t ever tell anyone anything you might remember because they would never believe you. There is no such thing as vampires.”

She nodded and allowed Arys to lead her to the door. I was intent on the barrier he’d thrown at me. Like the last time, I was certain I could bend it to my will. Instead of fighting it, I concentrated on pulling it into me and making it mine. A strange, almost sick feeling hit my stomach as the barrier broke. I couldn’t breathe as it rushed into me, becoming one with my power.

It was easier than I’d expected. It also proved what I’d suspected for a while. Arys and I could turn our power on one another, but we could also take that power into ourselves. His power was mine, and therefore, he couldn’t truly harm me, not if I took the control back from him.

Free of his hold on me, I lunged at the door as Arys closed it behind her. Astonished but alert, he reacted quickly. Arys shoved me back, blocking my path to the door. I wanted her, and he had just let her go.

“Come on, Alexa.” He taunted me, curling a finger in invitation. “You have some aggression to unleash. Let’s have it.”

He was right. I had a burning need for violence and gratification. Licking the blood from my lips, I advanced on him with a wicked yearning clawing at my insides.

The fire in Arys’ midnight eyes brought a naughty smile to my face. Pressing my body against his, I grasped a handful of his hair and pulled his head down to mine. I licked his bottom lip before nipping it with my upper fangs. Sucking it into my mouth, I delighted in the spicy taste of his blood.

I kissed him, seeking to feel his tongue on mine. It was a hard and bruising kiss. I wanted to devour him. Arys groaned, his hands sliding to my waist. Our power was heightened, creating a dizzying storm that I could feel both in and out. Urgency gripped me.

I clawed Arys’ arms and chest in my haste to tear his shirt off, leaving bloody scratches behind. I wanted him, and I didn’t want to wait. I ran a finger through a crimson smear on his abdomen, pausing to taste it. It fueled my desire for him.

I slipped my underwear down from under my skirt, kicking them off. “I need you now.”

A wolf-like growl came from Arys. He grabbed me roughly. His fingers dug into my arms as he slid my top up and over my head. Undeniably, he felt it, too, the rabid need that drove me. Shoving me on the bed, Arys pressed his face into the swell of my cle**age and bit into my left breast.

I made a pained noise that fed his voracious appetite. His mouth was hot and wet against my sensitive flesh as he sucked at the bleeding wound. Blood seeped from the bite, escaping him to stain the soft material of my white bra.

Arys pushed my skirt up, exposing me to him. In our struggle for dominance, he pinned me to the bed with strong hands on my hips before lowering his head to the cleft between my legs. The velvet touch of his tongue had me quivering.

Riding the high of the bloodlust and power, my every sense was amplified. Arys attacked me with a wild passion. The sharp sting of fangs on the inside of my thigh was shocking splendor. I reveled in the way his head of silky hair felt nestled between my legs.