Chapter 36
I t was hunger that awoke me. Burning through every fibre of my body. Matteo was no longer in bed, but I could sense his presence nearby. The night washed over me. I’d let him feed from me, and the moment his fangs pierced my throat everything had changed.
Something had gone wrong. He’d fed too deeply, tearing into me, and I’d awoken to him urging me to drink from him. What followed was the most pleasure I’d ever experienced. He’d once told me sex and blood go hand in hand. But that was beyond anything I could have imagined.
“Matteo?” I called out.
He was there in an instant. “I’m here. How do you feel?” His eyes were dark, focusing on mine, concern shining through.
“I’m hungry…or thirsty,” I said. But the word was wrong. Ravenous.
“That’s your hunger for blood,” he said.
I groaned, the need almost painful.
He knelt by the bed, his fingers brushing my cheek. “You’ll be okay, as long as you don’t give in to that urge to feed. It’s going to be overwhelming. I’m sorry.”
I sat up. “How long before this passes?”
“Usually, I’d say three days,” he said.
“Usually?” I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Well, you took a lot of my blood last night, so in this case it might take longer.” He winced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to share so much of my blood with you. Once we were bonded, I couldn’t help myself.” I could see the remorse in his eyes. He knew he’d let me down, he knew he hadn’t kept his many promises to me.
“How long?” I asked again.
“A week?” He frowned.
“You don’t seem sure about that.” I froze. A noise started, like a thousand drums, pounding against my head, followed by a roar. “What is that sound?”
He tilted his head as if listening. “Human heartbeats,” he told me. “And traffic.”
“Oh my god,” I put my hands against my ears. “Can you hear this all the time? How do you bear it?”
He gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’ve had a few centuries to learn to tune that sound out.”
“How do I do that?” It wasn’t just a sound, but the scent. I could smell blood, people .
He grabbed my hand, holding it to his chest. I felt his heart. “Focus on mine. The rest will fade.”
I tried as he said. “Why is yours slower?” I asked.
“Because it is not human. I’m not human, ” he reminded me. “Keep focusing on it.”
With great effort, I let his heartbeat surround me and the rest faded. “My teeth hurt.” I said.
He lifted my chin, finger pulling back my top lip. “You have baby fangs, they want to bite into something.”
I pictured it then, biting into an exposed throat, letting the blood wash into my mouth. The vision was so strong I could almost taste it. “Can I bite you?” I asked, hoping for relief from the hunger and need.
Unmistakable desire flared in his eyes, turning them red, and he gave me a small smile. “As much as that appeals, I can’t let you do that,” he confessed. “The more you drink from me, the longer this will take to go away. There will be a point when your system will be overwhelmed with vampire blood, and it will start to turn you. If it’s not already doing so.”
“Oh.” I bit at nothing, trying to get rid of the feeling of needing to bite someone.
He grabbed my jaw. “Don’t do that, you’ll only hurt your teeth.” His eyes focused on my baby fangs again, and I could feel his attraction.
“You like my baby fangs,” I laughed.
“They are a beautiful addition to your lovely mouth,” he said. “But they will disappear when the rest of this does.”
I climbed out of bed, still naked. Somehow, I knew the sight of me aroused him. “I need to go to practise with Lil and Mia. ”
His face hardened. “No. You are not leaving this apartment.”
“Excuse me?” I growled. “One night of sex does not give you control over my life.”
“While you’re like this it does.” He was firm.
“Get out of my way.” I pushed him and he hit the wall. Surprise flickered in his eyes. She shouldn’t be that strong. He moved forward too fast for me to see, and he wrapped his arms around me —not an embrace, but holding me. I couldn’t move. “Let me go.” I demanded.
“Quinn, while you’re hungry like this, you cannot be around humans at all. Their blood will be hard to resist. You will give in to it, and you will feed. Your body will do everything it can to satisfy that hunger. That will trigger the change, and there will be no turning back. Your human body will shut down while that happens, and you’ll awaken a vampire. Being around your friends isn’t an option. I’ve already told them that you’re sick.”
The fight left me. “How do I get rid of this hunger?” I asked. “If I can’t leave my apartment, and I can’t bite you, I’ll go mad.”
“You have to ride it out.” He turned me around in his arms, his gaze softening. “I’ll be here the whole time. I’ve called Gabriela to come and have a look at you.”
“Gabriela?” I did not want other vampires in my home.
“She won’t hurt you. She’s older than me and knows more about this.” He tried to reassure me.
Doubtful, I nodded anyway.
“She’s just going to check over you to make sure there isn’t too much vampire blood in you,” he said.
I panicked. “What if there is? ”
“Let’s not worry about that right now.” He cupped my cheek with his hand.
I frowned. “But you were worried enough to call her.” Again, a surge of jealousy. I wasn’t the jealous type, so it confused me.
His mouth found mine, silencing my words, and I didn’t resist him. There was a connection between us that hadn’t been there yesterday, and all the energy I’d spent fighting my attraction to him was gone. My body wanted him, wanted more of what we’d done last night. If only he didn’t have clothes on.
His laughter rumbled through my mind. “Relax, my little cantante. Once Gabriela has left, we can return to bed. We have the next few days for that.” He lifted a robe from the floor. “Put this on for now, and come with me. I made you something.”
He led me into the lounge. “Why is my blind closed?” I asked.
“Because you will have my sensitivity to the sunlight. It’s not lethal, just unpleasant. Especially when you’re not used to it.” He moved towards the kitchen. “Sit down.”
I sat in my favourite chair. When he came back, my mouth watered. The smell of warm chocolate greeted me, icing lathered over it, with ice cream on the side.
“You made a chocolate cake?” I perked up.
“I’ve noticed you have a sweet tooth, in particular for chocolate.” He held the slice towards me.
I glanced at him. “Is this a distraction?”
He placed the cake on the coffee table in front of me. “Am I that transparent?”
I reached for the cake. “I’m not complaining. ”
The flavour of the cake overwhelmed me, a rich tang that filled my mouth.
“What did you make this with?” I asked with a full mouth. “It’s delicious.”
“Nothing not already in your kitchen. Everything is going to taste, smell, and sound more vivid than you’re familiar with. Enjoy it.” He sat on the couch, watching me.
He wasn’t wrong. The very scent of him surrounded me. His smell of cedarwood and sea was stronger now, filling the room and reminding me again of the beach on a hot day.
“You smell nice, too,” he said. “Chocolate and coffee.”
“Can you hear all my thoughts?” I asked.
“Yours right now are rather loud while we’re connected like this. We have a blood bond that opens us both up to each other’s thoughts and emotions.” He grinned. “It makes things interesting in bed, to feel each other’s pleasure. That’s why we were able to go on for a long time last night.”
Heartbeats started to close in again, so I took a deep breath, focusing on his. I moved from my chair to the couch, leaning against him. “Why do you have a heartbeat?” I asked. “Are you not dead?”
His hand brushed my arm, the contact lighting a fire within me. “You really shouldn’t base your expectations about real life upon what you’ve seen in movies. Finish your cake.”
There was a knock on the door then. I rose to my feet, suddenly nervous as Matteo opened it.