Once Bitten (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #1)(59)

I knew he wasn’t going to bleed me right there, but damn, I wanted him to. The hunger swept through us like a hurricane, and I tugged at his shirt to feel more of him.

His lips hovered over the healed bite, his tongue played lightly around it. As I neared the point of no return, he pulled back.

“If you do this now, you’re going to regret it later.”

For a moment, I was confused. My thoughts followed the wolf’s instincts rather than logic. Why would he stop now?

I blinked at him. “What?” I asked in a sultry tone.

“Think about it, Alexa. You don’t love me. You love the wolf pup. If we keep going down this path, you will lose everything with him.”

He was pulling away because of Shaz? I fought to wrap my mind around my white wolf. He was in my heart, but my feelings for Shaz were drowning in a sea of power and hunger.

“Since when do you care about Shaz?” I challenged him to have a damn good reason before he rejected me.

“I don’t.” His tone was short and clipped. He moved away from me and pushed a button. The elevator resumed its descent. He added begrudgingly, “I care about you.”

The genuine affection came as a big surprise, like a sudden slap in the face. He was in this for the high. The woman in me wanted to believe that he spoke the truth, but I knew better. My wolf, on the other hand, was outraged. I was an unclaimed female with needs and desires.

The elevator reached the main floor, and the door slid open. Arys glanced at me and headed for the lobby.

“You can’t just leave me like this,” I called after him. “You did this to me.”

Outside, the rain fell in a steady rhythm. I caught up to him halfway to the car. I was pissed that he could just walk away from me. His hunger was bringing me to my knees, and I wanted to slap him or bite a nice chunk out of his thigh.

“Come on, Alexa. This isn’t the time or the place. Get the keys out.” He walked a few steps ahead of me.

The night air was warm, which made the rain bearable and even calming. Though, the coldest shower on the planet wasn’t about to cool me down.

I pulled my keys from my purse, grinned mischievously, and said, “Is this what you want?” I dropped them lewdly into my bra, and I heard myself say, “Come and get it.”

Arys crushed me against the front of the car, and I loved it. Laughter pealed out of me, tinged with the growl of a wolf. On tiptoes, I leaned up to taste him.

He pulled back so that I only made contact with the soft indent beneath his lower lip. As I gently traced his bottom lip with my tongue, I felt him shudder. The power grew between us. He leaned into me again until I lay nearly flat against the hood.

“Stop pushing me, wolf.” His eyes were intense as they bore into me, and he bared his sharp fangs, white in the darkness. “You know damn well how bad I want to give it to you right here. We make the most beautiful combination in every single way.”

I held my breath as he inhaled my scent ever so slowly. Raindrops hit my face and soaked my clothes, but I didn’t care. The car keys spilled out of my top onto the hood. I grimaced inwardly and hoped they didn’t scratch the paint.

I forgot the paint when his sharp fangs grazed the soft spot inside my elbow. He licked the sensitive skin, and tingles raced up my arm. When he broke the skin, a rush roared through me that echoed in my ears.

“Oh, come on,” I pleaded, frustrated with the fire burning out of control inside me.

“There’s one thing, Alexa, this mortal love you have. You need it.” His tongue slid across my skin, hot and wet, and I wondered why his words so greatly contrasted his actions. “In so many ways, you’re mine, but I feel your need for that pup. I won’t selfishly take that from you.”

“Who are you trying to convince?” I asked. My throat was dry, and I licked my lips. The cold rain was doing nothing to cool the heat that continued to rise within me.

“Ok, fine,” he said, meeting my eyes. Drizzle plastered his hair to his forehead. I brushed it away from his eyes. “I know I’ll be the one you blame. The one you resent because you messed up too many times. I don’t want to see that happen.”

“So even pushing me away now is selfish and based on what suits you best. So typically the vampire.”

“That I am,” he growled even as he spread my legs and pressed his hard length against me. “Never forget it, or you’ll be mine forever.”

I considered debating that but thought better of it. He was firm against me, and I drew a shuddery breath, conflicted. The energy buzzed hot around us and contrasted strangely with the rain.

The comforting rhythm encouraged a partial shift. Fangs filled my mouth, and I clawed red lines in his arms with my nails. I was ready to beg or demand, when laughter rang out from eight floors above.

“Hey buddy,” a drunken voice called. “Do your girl already. It’s getting cold out here.”

Four guys stood on a balcony, gawking down at us. A streetlight gave them a perfect bird’s eye view. Arys grasped my hand and pulled me upright. He swiped the keys off the hood, pressed the unlock button, and shoved them into my hand.

“Let’s go downtown. I need an easy victim, and you need-,” he stopped suddenly. He pressed his lips to mine, and his tongue tasted of my blood. “Well, this isn’t the time or place to give you what you need.”