The Wicked Kiss (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #2)(76)

“My God, you taste divine.” Harley licked his lip slowly, sensually. He smiled as if intoxicated. I tried to get up, and he pressed me back against the bed with a hand on my chest. “I have to do it, Alexa. I must make you mine.”

His words hit me like a punch in the guts, and I shook my head, confusion slowly becoming clarity as I fought to see through the desire he ignited in me.

“No,” I whispered, struggling to find my voice. I looked to Kale, unconscious on the floor, then back to Harley. “Get off of me.”

“I was hoping you’d fight. In fact, I was counting on it.” Kneeling over me, he pinned my wrists above my head in a move too smooth to have not been practiced. “This is going so much better than I’d anticipated.”

My stomach turned as a wave of nausea hit me. If his intention hadn’t been clear before, it certainly was now. I knew what he wanted, and I couldn’t let it happen. He was going to try to force me into a blood bond. And, if I kept succumbing to the false sensations of pleasure, I wasn’t going to be able to put up a fight.

I tried to tap my power, but I couldn’t maintain focus as I wrestled to free my hands.

“You don’t want me, Harley. I am a werewolf, a mated Alpha. I can’t offer you anything.”

“Don’t insult my intelligence, sweetheart. You’re going to take my blood and complete this bond one way or another. I’ve taken more than enough from you. It’s already begun.”

Hot tears stung the back of my eyes as I furiously tried to blink them away. Though I couldn’t recall exactly how I’d gotten myself into this situation, I was pretty sure it had to be my fault.

Harley never took his eyes off me as he raised his wrist to his mouth. He bit into it with a warm, wet sound that both tantalized and horrified me. The scent of his blood almost caused me to salivate as the bloodlust rose up inside me. I licked my lips, the temptation to taste it commanding me to reach for his arm.

Everything inside me that was wolf warred with Arys’ undead needs. The wild animal in me refused to be dominated by this male. Two men could take that role with me, and he was not one of them. The two powerfully opposing sides of me faced off, and I whimpered in confusion.

He brought his bleeding wrist closer, and I leaned as far away as I could. He’d have to drain me to the point of death in order to turn me into a vampire this way, but that wasn’t what he sought. Harley wanted to blood bond me so that Arys never could. And, by doing that, he would seal my fate. Upon my mortal death, I would rise as a vampire, bound to him forever.

The thought truly was worse than death itself. I’d rather he killed me then and there.

As badly as I wanted to run my tongue along the bleeding punctures in his wrist, I was wolf first, and that ruled me. I made the decision consciously, and something inside me snapped.

With a snarl, I jerked my bound hands free and sat up with my fists flying. Harley’s head snapped back as I caught him with a mean right hook. He was momentarily stunned, giving me just enough time to roll off the bed as he grabbed for me. I hit the floor hard and scrambled to my feet.

He lunged off the bed at me, blood dripping from his self-inflicted bite. The scent hit me, and my will started to crumble. I wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer, but I’d be damned if I would go down without one hell of a fight.

My instinct told me to run for the door, but I couldn’t leave Kale behind. Harley threw me into the wall with my head hitting hard. For a moment, I saw stars, and the next thing I knew, he had thrust his bloody arm in my face, filling my nostrils with the intoxicating scent.

I growled and snapped at him, driving him back but just for a moment. He avoided my attack and came at me again, trying to pin me so that I couldn’t move. I couldn’t use metaphysical power, not when he could simply use it against me. I was strong, but he was stronger, and my heart sunk when he caught my right arm and twisted it behind my back.

It was all over for me. When Harley brought his deliciously crimson wrist to my lips, my mind cried out in protest, but the blood hunger swayed my intentions.

Arys was just suddenly there with Shaz at his side. His blue eyes filled with rage as he took in the scene before him. Three strides and he reached Harley, grasping him tightly with both hands and jerking him away from me.

“Alexa! Are you ok?” Shaz smoothed my messy hair back from my face so he could peer into my eyes. I could feel the crazed expression I wore as I gaped at him, wondering if he were real or just a torturous figment of my imagination.

Across the room, Arys had Harley pressed against the wall, gripping him tightly by the lapels of his jacket, letting fly with the shots. Harley didn’t hesitate to retaliate, and I winced when the two vampires collided in a mash of fists and fangs.

“Tell me, Alexa,” Shaz said, giving me a slight shake as I continued to stare over his shoulder at Arys and Harley. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” I gasped. “I mean, other than the obvious.”

His eyes narrowed, and he studied the fresh wound in my neck. “He hit you. Don’t deny it because your face is bruised.”

The glance he cast over at Harley was pure venom, and I started to think I’d have to stop him from jumping in. The vampires were on each other like two rabid dogs. I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t look away.

When the first blast of metaphysical power was thrown, I felt it in my guts. Every time Arys lashed out, he drew on my power, too, and it felt like a cold fire burning in my core.