Rina
SIX
Watching Ezra’s face as he drank from my arm was strange. It felt like I was existing outside my body, seeing the blissful expression as he swallowed the first mouthful of blood, eyes flashing gold.
He’d warned me it might hurt, and the first moments where he’d sunk his teeth in had—but it had quickly faded, turning into something else. A heat stirred between my thighs.
Each pull from my body made me feel things I hadn’t in a long time.
His dark eyes—almost black—stayed locked on mine as he drank, each swallow bringing color back to his unnaturally pale skin. The sweaty pallor faded, leaving him looking healthy, and still, he kept gulping down my blood.
I moaned, the sound escaping unbidden from my lips. Oh, goddess. Was I actually getting turned on right now? Fuck, I was so empty. My insides clenched around nothing, slickness pooling in my underwear. Drenched. My panties were soaked, just from this vampire drinking my blood.
The vampire I couldn’t even stand.
What was even happening to me right now?
My body was betraying me.
Because I was not attracted to the stupid blond vampire. I wasn’t.
I whimpered, my head feeling a little woozy.
“Fuck, sorry,” he said, stopping drinking. “I didn’t mean to take so much. I just… fuck.” The darkness in his eyes receded, fading back into his normal red hue.
He pulled away, but not before he ran his tongue over the mark.
“What did you just do?” I asked him, watching as my skin knitted itself together.
“My saliva has healing properties,” Ezra explained. “It’s made so we don’t…”
I raised an eyebrow. “Leave a bunch of holes in your blood bags?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make it sound like that.”
“Like what?” I fluttered my eyelashes, aware that he hated the innocent act. Maybe I just wanted to piss him off after how my body had reacted. There was no other explanation for the way I was acting.
“Like I… fuck. Like I took advantage of you. Like I drink from anyone who’s unwilling.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, aware of the way it pushed my cleavage up. “Don’t you? Isn’t that what all vampires do?” I spit out the words.
Ezra looked angry now. “Some, maybe. But not me. I don’t just… take, Rina. Consent is important to me.” His eyes flared.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I looked away. “That just… hasn’t been my experience, that’s all.”
His fingers gripped my chin. “Who hurt you?”
“Now that you’re feeling better, I should probably get back inside,” I said, avoiding eye contact. I felt too raw. Too seen. Too exposed and emotionally spent to spend one more minute in the company of this man.
“Rina.” His hand reached out for mine, and I pulled away.
“Please, just… I can’t. We don’t even like each other. Don’t make this into something it’s not. I wasn’t going to let you die, but that doesn’t—”
“Of course.” His voice was icy. Withdrawn. “Thank you. For not letting me die.” His mouth parted in what almost felt like a smile, but all it did was remind me of what had just happened between us.
I slipped back inside the house and stole a sweatshirt from Eryne’s closet, wrapping myself up in its warmth.
I couldn’t help but feel that somehow, my life had just changed forever.
It was hours later before the front door opened again, the last of our group finally stepping through the door.
“Eryne!” I leaped up, pulling her into my arms. “Gods, we were so worried.”
She blushed. “Sorry, Barrett and I were just…”
“You don’t have to explain.” I pulled a leaf out of her hair, giving her a small wink. “I think we can fill in the pieces.”
Eryne buried her face in her hands. “Oh, gods.”
Wendy and I both peeled them away, forcing her to look at us. “But you’re happy?”
Eryne nodded. “We’re… he’s my mate.” She said the words like they explained everything—and in some ways, I supposed they did. Her fingertips brushed over a spot on her neck—a bite mark. A mating mark, just like the one Willow wore on hers.
“Damn males and their possessive tendencies,” I muttered under my breath.
Heated shouts distracted us from our joyful reunion, and we found Ezra and Barrett in the living room, the former pinned against the wall. Barrett had Ezra’s collar in his hand, his canine teeth visible in a snarl.
“You almost got her killed,” Barrett said, baring his teeth at Ezra. “How dare you.”
“Me?” Ezra laughed, though the sound was devoid of humor. “How could you not tell her, B? She had a right to know.”
The wolf-shifter narrowed his eyes. “She’s my mate. I had a right to tell her myself, not have her come charging after me in the forest where I couldn’t keep her safe. Not letting her be taken by a fucking wraith. You’d understand, too, if you had a mate.”
Ezra growled in response, baring his fangs. “You don’t even—”
“We have to do something,” I said, knowing the vampire was in no shape to fight. “He can’t—” He’d only just healed from my blood hours ago. I shook my head. “Barrett will rip his head off.” Or worse.
“He won’t,” Eryne said, though I could hear the change in her breathing. “They’re friends.”
“Tell that to his wolf,” I said, my eyes focused on Ezra, whose fingers had transformed into sharp claws, his teeth elongated, but I noticed he didn’t move to attack Barrett—only to defend himself.
“Barrett, stop!” Eryne shouted, putting herself in the middle of the two of them. “He didn’t know.”
“It was an accident,” Ezra said, panting. “I didn’t know.”
Barrett shook his head. “You should have stopped her.” I knew it was just fear and desperation talking. Could feel how terrified he’d been for her rippling through Barrett’s aura.
“Let me heal him,” Eryne said, giving Barrett a stubborn look.
He let out a small growl. “No.”
“Barrett.”
“Eryne.” He finally looked at her—and all the tension, the alpha wolf inside, faded away, only heat left behind. “He shouldn’t have let you go,” Barrett said, picking Eryne up in his arms and burying his face in her neck. “I could have lost you.”
“But you didn’t,” she said, running her fingers through his dark auburn hair. “You didn’t. I’m right here, baby.”
He sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry, sugar. You know I can’t control it.” Barrett cupped her face, smoothing his thumb across her cheek. He looked at her like he wanted to rip all her clothes off right there.
“Godsdamn,” I whispered to Wendy. “That was…”
“Hot?”
I nodded, a little turned on, dammit.
“Is Ezra okay?” Wendy asked.
I frowned, looking in the direction the vampire had disappeared. “I’ll go check on him.”
Even if that was the last place I wanted to be.
I’d spent the entire day avoiding him after he’d drank from me.
In part because our conversation had gone so poorly, and also because I was mortified by my body’s reaction to him.
He was attractive. There was no denying that, not with his six-foot-something frame and devilishly handsome face.
But I still didn’t know why simply being in his presence made my blood boil, or why him drinking my blood made me want to throw myself at him.
Just because he was hot didn’t mean I wanted anything to do with him.
Ezra was staring at himself in the mirror, arms braced over the sink. I shut the door behind me, leaning against the wall. We both stared at each other for a long moment, not saying anything.
Finally, he turned to face me. “I thought you didn’t like me, Sabrina.”
“I don’t.”
“Then why are you here, instead of out there with your friends?”
I shrugged. “Because despite my best intentions, I don’t want to see anyone hurt. Even you, vampire.”
“As you can see, I’m fine. I knew that would happen. Really, I deserved whatever he gave me.” His eyes were hollow, tortured. “If he’d lost his mate because of me, I never would have been able to forgive myself.”
“But she’s fine.”
Ezra shook his head. “Maybe,” he said, though the word felt like he’d forced it out. “That doesn’t change that the blame falls to me.”
I gave him a sad smile, for once feeling like I understood the man in front of me. “Goodbye, vampire. I would say it’s been a pleasure, but it really hasn’t, so.” I tilted my head. “See you never.”
He chuckled but didn’t respond as I left him staring once more into the mirror. Ezra wasn’t my problem, nor was he mine to worry about. I couldn’t care less about what happens to him after he left. Good riddance.
Walking back to my girls, the three of us all slumped on the couch.
I could feel the exhaustion from the last twenty-four hours bone deep, and all I wanted was to sleep.
It was finally quiet, since the rest of the coven had gone home after everyone returned to Eryne’s house—everyone except her and Barrett, of course.
Willow, Cait, Wendy and I had all moved here to wait for them, and somehow, we’d gained a set of supernatural bodyguards, intent on keeping us safe.
I wouldn’t have complained if one of them hadn’t been Ezra, considering I was practically counting the moments until he left Pleasant Grove for good.
Eryne leaned her head against my shoulder as she watched Barrett from across the room.
I only knew it because I was looking in the same direction, staring at the vampire who sat at Willow’s kitchen table, eyes locked on mine.
She blushed as Barrett gave her a heated look, and I turned away, not wanting to witness anything more between the two of them today.
Damien and Zain joined the two of them, all talking in hushed tones about us as if we weren’t all sitting right here.
My arm was burning where I’d given Ezra my wrist, the spot where he’d sunk his teeth into me itching like crazy. I rubbed at it through the sweatshirt, glad no one else could see my discomfort directly.
The door opened, and I frowned, not expecting anyone else.
A large man, clad in pitch black clothing, with coloring like a ghost and hair the color of freshly fallen snow, stepped inside.
“Who’s that?” I murmured to my girls.
Wendy sat up straight, the blanket we’d draped over our laps falling away. She stood, body trembling, aura rippling with uncertainty.
“Cassius?” The name was barely above a whisper as she reached out towards the white-haired man, then seemed to think better of it.
He looked as shocked as she did—like he’d seen a ghost. “Wendy?”
“What are you doing here?” She snapped, the words were cold—so unlike the warmth she always radiated.
“I—” he started, but was cut off when Barrett noticed him.
“Cassius,” he said, coming over to shake his hand. “Thank you again for the help.”
Cassius gave a curt nod. “I was just doing my job.” He looked over at Wendy, and then back at the vampire. “They are taken care of, and shouldn’t bother the town again.”
“We owe you one.” Barrett shoved his hands in his pockets.
Willow stood up from the table slowly, Damien instantly at her side as she curved a hand over her belly, almost waddling across the floor towards Cassius. “Thank you,” she repeated Barrett’s sentiment. “For keeping my mate safe.”
Cassius shook her hand, nodding again, watching her nuzzle back against Damien’s chest.
The pain in my arm worsened, and I frowned, pushing my sleeve back—only to find the source of the strange sensation.
Something was etched into my skin, red and raised, like a burn. Not his bite mark—no. Nothing like the one Eryne and Willow wore on their necks. This was different.
I looked up, finding Ezra watching me, and I knew from his expression as his eyes drifted down to my forearm that it couldn’t be anything good.
What the hell had he done to me?