Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
APRIL
My hand is hurting like a bitch. I don’t know what possessed me to hit Sebastian.
Okay, that’s not true. I know what possessed me.
He kissed me, and I melted in his arms. I actually liked it.
One of the monsters that want me dead shoved his tongue down my throat, and it was like someone else took over my body.
Butterflies erupted in my stomach, heat pooled like lava between my thighs, and my mind took a vacation.
I hate myself for it.
“Did you just slap me?” If I’m not mistaken, shock and amusement are equally present in his question.
So, since at this point I have nothing more to lose, apart from my life obviously, I slap him again. A warning growl raises the hairs on the back of my neck, forcing my brain to finally kick back into gear. I blink innocently at him.
“Me? No.” When his eyes narrow to slits, gulping air, I shove my hand between our faces. “My hand did.”
“You know that your hand is attached to you, right?” Speaking slowly, like talking to a simpleton, he scowls at me.
“Some of my body parts have a mind of their own.”
“I see.”
We are still pressed firmly to each other, and I can feel every inch of his body molding to mine, pissing me off to no end.
I’ve always steered clear of everyone. Why am I being punished now to feel attracted to a monster?
Or maybe he is doing mind tricks, making me feel like this?
This new thought makes me start struggling against him in hopes to free myself.
I need air where I can’t smell his scent and where I can’t feel him pressed to me.
Watching me warily, like he is expecting me to do something stupid, Sebastian finally moves away.
He doesn’t go far, but one or two feet is enough for me to collect myself.
With him not touching me, I’m not a hormonal mess at least.
“I’m not drinking your blood.” I get back to what started this whole mess. “Apart from water, I don’t drink anything else.” Lifting a hand to stop whatever lecture he is going to give me; I make sure he understands how serious I am. “Nor am I planning to start.”
“It will not harm you, you know this now.” Taking another step, I think he finally realizes that his nearness is making me act insane.
Sebastian is still entirely focused on me.
It’s unnerving. “It’s for your protection.
Khan, the one that you saw in the living room, is one of the Council members.
I promised you I would protect you, but he might get to you before I stop him.
I’m only making sure that you survive whatever happens tonight. ”
“It’s your fault I’m even in this position.
” Hissing at him, I do my best to keep my voice as low as possible.
“If you let me go when I told you, none of this would’ve mattered now.
” It’s easier to blame him than to admit my own stupidity led me here.
If I were paying closer attention, that asshole wouldn’t have caught me in the dumpster.
Sebastian keeps watching me with his intent gaze for so long, I almost snap my fingers in front of his face to see if he fell asleep with open eyes.
When he finally moves, I jerk back, making him frown.
Oh, well, it’s not like he doesn’t know how freaked out I am.
He can’t blame me for the way I react. Cussing in what I assume is Italian, he turns away from me and starts pacing.
I know he is cussing because he is spitting the words venomously like they taste vile in his mouth.
“I will make you a deal.” Pressing his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose, he is not even looking at me.
“What kind of a deal?” Uneasiness crawls up my spine, my barely covered body in the stupid dress prickling.
“If you drink my blood like I asked, I will let you go…tonight.” Finally, those dark orbs lock with mine, and every instinct I have is screaming that this is a trap.
“Think very hard, April. I don’t want to force you to do anything.
I want you willing because when the time comes, you will remember this life just like all the others.
I don’t want untruths between us. As much as it pains me, I’m willing to offer you this once. ”
I want to say no. I also want to say yes, because if he lets me go, they will never see me again.
I’ve stayed hidden for so long that I know I can leave LA and disappear.
No one will find me. What about Sara and Eddie?
And the mutt? my brain supplies unhelpfully, but I push those thoughts away.
More proof that getting close to people can get you in a ton of shit.
“What about the Council member? How am I going to get out of here? In case you forgot, I can’t fly. I tried.”
“I will deal with Khan. He is not your concern. Time is wasting, make your decision.”
The air around us is charged with expectancy.
My mind is going a hundred miles a minute, coming up with reasons why I should say no, dismissing them the second they form.
What’s a few gulps of blood, right? I can shove my fingers down my throat later, when I get out of here, spewing it on one of the streets.
How will he know? The more I think about it, the better it sounds. I’ll be free.
“If I drink some of your blood, you’ll let me go. I’ll be out of here.” Confirming it again, I watch for any indication that he is trying to trick me. “You won’t chase after me.”
“As I promised, if you take it, you will be free to go tonight.”
Fists clenching, I take a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “Okay. Deal.”
I might’ve imagined it, but his eyes flare with some emotion that I can’t name.
Not allowing myself to start second guessing my decision, I step towards him.
Nostrils flaring, his handsome face intense, Sebastian reaches for me.
My trembling fingers slide into his large hand.
A shiver passes through me, one side of his mouth quirking in answer.
“Do not fear me, April. I’m no threat to you. I could not do you harm if I tried.”
Pulling me along with him, he sits at the edge of the bed, positioning me between his thighs.
Like this, we are almost at eye level. Remembering the kiss, how his lips felt on mine, I glance quickly at his mouth.
A smile of male pride makes my eyes snap up and lock on his.
Cupping my face in one palm, his thumb glides gently over my cheekbone.
The roughness of his thumb scrapes deliciously over my skin.
Am I that starved for connection that even a monster can make me feel like this?
No matter how beautiful he is, I should remember that’s only so he can easily lure his prey.
“Come.” Mumbling softly, he pulls me closer. “Take what I freely offer, little one.”
Mesmerized by the hypnotic sound of his deep voice and the gentle touch of his skin, I allow him to pull me so close that he presses his cheek to mine.
The stubble on his face prickles my skin, causing goosebumps to cover my arms and legs.
I can feel my heart beating in my throat, my chest too tight to take a full breath.
When his other hand moves under my chin, I try to pull back, but he grips me firmer, not giving me an inch to get back to myself.
Sebastian puts pressure on the back of my head, leading my face to his neck.
When my lips touch sticky skin, I realize he must’ve cut himself with something so I can drink his blood.
Squeezing my eyes tightly shut, I breathe through my nose.
Panic is trying to push to the front, but I keep reminding myself that I will be free after this.
“Drink.” His voice makes the spell stronger.
Closing my lips over his bleeding neck, I suck as hard as I can.
My mouth fills up with warm, thick liquid, and I swallow automatically.
When I bit him earlier tonight, it was not much of the blood that I tasted, but it was not as horrible as I thought it would be.
Yet, that can’t even compare with the feeling that hits me at the center of my chest as soon as the first gulp is down.
Warmth spreads through me, embers starting to simmer in my lower belly.
The second time I take his blood, those embers turn into a full fire.
My skin feels too tight to contain me. In the back of my mind, I know how wrong this is.
That I should stop and move away. This will change everything, and no amount of deals and promises will save me from my fate.
Then Sebastian moans a sound that flips a switch somewhere inside me.
I’m aware that I’m straddling him, grinding myself over his hardness.
His hips move in sync with mine, his thick erection pressing all the spots where the fire is burning me alive.
I’m holding him to my mouth with one hand, drinking him like I’m dying of thirst. My other hand is clawing at his shoulders.
Sebastian guides my movement with one hand on the back of my head, a handful of my ass in the other.
His fingers slide under the hem of the dress that has ridden up.
With each grind I make, they come closer to where I desperately need them to be.
It’s too much. I will burst into pieces that will never be put back together again if it doesn’t stop.
His fingers slide between my folds, and he presses hard on the button that was throbbing with its own heartbeat. Jerking my head back, a scream is ripped from my throat that leaves me raw. Sebastian’s loud groan is the last thing I hear before sinking into darkness.