Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
“All right. It’s been twenty-four hours, and we need to keep this on schedule.” I greet the angel with a low groan as he prowls into my room. Obscenely, he rolls up his shirtsleeves. Oh shit. I look away, forearms are not for licking. “You need to eat.”
Or perhaps they are.
Double shit.
Saliva floods my mouth, and I have to force myself to remain on the bed. I can feel my cheeks glowing a bright pink.
“I’m not hungry,” I mumble as I stare intently at my phone.
Oooh, I’m such a liar.
I could so eat the Michelin-three-star-rated angel. The mobile in my hand makes little sense as my brain is currently fried. My heart thuds in my chest, and what feels like a colony of bats are smashing against each other while having a party in my abdomen.
“I’m just going to go watch some television,” the little traitor Story squeaks out. She knows all about what happened yesterday.
She smirks at me, then zips out of the room as if her bum is on fire.
“Come on, Tru. You know angel blood is the only option you have at the moment. You don’t want to be getting poorly again, do you?”
“Don’t we have any other angels knocking around?” I ask him while peering over his shoulder. “Anyone?”
“I’m your guardian, and you’re my responsibility. Dr Ross says my blood will keep you alive through your vampire transition.”
“Dr Ross,” I huff. “What does that guy know? He’s a field doctor, not a specialist.”
“So you want to see a specialist?” His eyebrows rise.
“No,” I mumble as I abandon my phone on the bed and nervously play with the zip on my hoodie.
Xander licks his bottom lip, it glistens. And something feminine and interested raises her head.
“Show me your bruises.”
Huh, since eating him… I briefly close my eyes before they roll out of my head. Even my thoughts are going rogue. I mean, since I drank his blood, shit. It’s a lot to get my head around, but my crush on him has gone up to level one thousand.
I thought it was unmanageable before I tasted his blood, but now it’s crazy. Last night I dreamed of him. The way I feel at this moment, the man could hold a knife to my throat, and I’d kiss him on the cheek and tell him he’s adorable.
It’s freaking me out.
I grip my libido with a mental fist and give it a shake. Stop it, you horny bitch.
I’m living my worst nightmare. Not only do I have to live with a man who spectacularly turned me down—even though I didn’t make a move on him in the first place.
Big-headed bastard. Now it looks as if he is the only person who can feed my starving vampire side.
You know the irony isn’t lost on me at all.
There’s mortifying, and then there’s this. This is a whole new other level.
Okay, what did he want again? He wants to see my bruises. I huff as I drag my left sleeve up and show him in my arm. “I haven’t got any bruises,” I say as I rotate the limb. “I’m fine.”
“Exactly. My blood is working. Look…” He rubs the back of his neck, and I watch the play of muscles under his shirt. His pecs pop, and his wide shoulders strain the fabric. I surreptitiously try to fan my face.
“I know I broke your trust, and my actions hurt you. Please believe it was not my intent.” His beautiful eyes are full of pain.
At this moment he’s never looked more like an angel. I can tell how conflicted he is and how guilty he feels. I have a sneaky suspicion that this man has been in my corner all along, fighting to keep me alive.
Crikey, does that mean I need to apologise to Story? She’s been a strong advocate for him all along.
Nah.
“I heard you while I was snacking on your arm. Look, let’s get real.
If I tell you something, will you try”—I tilt my head to the side and hold up a finger—“no, will you promise to give me the benefit of the doubt and listen to me before you do something stupid like leave me alone with a crazy vampire?”
“I promise to discuss things with you.”
“Okay, ’cause that’s what friends do.” I nod with conviction and then blush twenty shades of red when I realise what I’ve said. He’s my guardian, the man that the council’s put in place to keep me in line. He isn’t my friend, and I shouldn’t presume that he is.
Aah, why is it my head will not work when I’m around this man? I twist my hands in my lap. “Thank you for saving my life.” I might as well get that out there while I’m on a roll. At least I can pretend later that we haven’t had this conversation and that he didn’t flash his veins at me.
“Just admit my blood is working, that you need more. But I won’t force you.”
Yeah, been there, done that.
I keep on thinking about the chunks that came out of my mouth. I am sure I coughed up an organ, perhaps a little bit of lung. I shudder.
Xander moves closer, and I can smell him, smell the blood in his veins, and my fangs ache. “Okay,” I whisper as I fiddle with my zip. “Urm… Give me your arm…” Yes, stick out the hot delicious forearm with all those blood-filled veins for me to chomp on.
He sits down on the bed, and I shuffle next to him. Our shoulders brush, and my skin tingles. He holds his tree-trunk-sized arm out to me. The bloody thing is three times bigger than my own. I shouldn’t like that he makes me feel so delicate, but I do.
My hands shake with nerves.
“Did you know,” Xander says gently, his voice a rumble, the cadence so low I have to lean closer to hear him. “My blood isn’t completely red like a human. If you look at a drop of my blood, even a human would be able to see that it has little golden flakes running through it.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” I whisper back.
I don’t know why I’m whispering, but it seems right, intimate. Logically, I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to make me feel better. He’s trying to make me relax.
It’s not working. My heart hammers in my ears, and I feel anxious and a little bit sweaty. I juggle his arm in both my hands. It’s like lifting a log. Even though he’s holding most of the weight, it’s still heavy. I swallow and lick my lips as I pull his arm towards my face. My mouth waters.
I dip my head and inhale his sunlight and metal scent; it makes me feel dizzy. My eyelashes flutter. I force myself to look away from his arm and into his eyes. I need to double-check, ask for his permission.
Xander nods, my tongue darts out, and I lick the crease of his elbow with the flat of my tongue. The salty taste of his skin floods my mouth. Ha, I licked him. I wiggle as the feminine part of me clenches.
I peek up at him from underneath my lashes, and his eyes are closed, and his forehead is creased as if he is in pain.
“My shadow, I am not a chocolate bar,” he grumbles. “Get on with it.”
I snort. Licking helps with the pain. I think there’s something in my spit, or that’s the excuse I tell myself.
Fuck it. I don’t know how many times I’ll get to do this, so I’m going to shelve my embarrassment and enjoy the moment.
I mean come on. Who gets to lick an angel?
My tummy flips, and I follow my instincts.
I bite down.
I groan as the golden blood trickles through my lips and onto my tongue. Wow. I only take a few mouthfuls. Any more and I feel like I’m being greedy. As his blood coats my throat, I can already feel power and energy flooding through me.
I lick the two tiny holes that my fangs have made, and whether it’s my spit or the angel’s natural healing ability, they instantly heal and disappear.
Like my bite never happened.
“Thank you. Are you okay?” I ask.
“Did you take enough?” the angel asks in a rough voice.
“Yes… I think so. Your blood is very powerful, so I only need a little. Well, that’s what my instincts are telling me. I’m not completely sure. As you know, I’m new to all this.” Following my newly found instincts, I lean forward and gently kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
The honey colour of Xander’s eyes flares brighter, somehow, even as his pupils dilate, and the black circles that rim the outside of his eye that I’ve never noticed before expand.
He coughs and looks away.
The angel is careful not to touch me as he rises from the bed and rolls his sleeve back into place. I rapidly blink a few times. I’m sure I’m seeing things. Pink stains Xander’s cheeks.
Is he… Is the angel blushing?
“Okay, my shadow, I better get back to it.” He adjusts the cuff, politely nods, and then glides out of the room.
Huh, interesting. He’s not so disgusted with me after all.