Intertwined

“I want to be the one to help you. To heal you the way you healed my lip that night.”

Her hands tangled in his hair, her expression tortured. “What if you hate me for feeding from you? What if I disgust you? What if I become addicted to your blood and try to take from you every day?”

Oh, yes. She was crumbling. He leaned down, slowly, so slowly she could stop him at any moment, and pressed his lips against hers. “I could never hate you. You could never disgust me. And I’d love to see you every day. I’ve told you that already.”

Her lashes, so impossibly long, fused together as her lids dropped to half-mast. “Aden,” she breathed, and then kissed him. Her beautiful lips parted and her tongue flicked out. He opened his mouth, welcoming her inside, then met her tongue with his own.

She tasted of the honeysuckle she smelled like, sweet and floral. Her arms wound around him, holding him close. It was a strong grip, bruising, and he loved it. His hands slid into her hair, one gripping, the other angling her for deeper contact. His first kiss, and it was with the girl he’d dreamed about, wanted for so long, would perhaps want forever.

It was everything he’d craved, yet so much more. She was so soft against him, soft where he was hard, the little moans in the back of her throat so sweet. The rest of the world faded until only she mattered. Until she became his world, his anchor in this increasingly wild storm.

Everything Elijah had predicted was coming true. First his meeting with Victoria, then this soul-shattering kiss. He knew what would follow, was expecting it, but nothing could have prepared him for the wondrous moment when she pulled from his lips, lowered her head to his neck and sank her teeth deep. There was a sharp sting, but it was fleeting, an intoxicating warmth soon replacing it, as if she were pumping drugs straight into his vein while she drank from him.

“I’m fine,” he told her, in case she worried. He didn’t want her to stop. Even when dizziness swirled in his mind, his body becoming weightless, he didn’t want her to stop. He stroked her hair, urging her to continue.

Her hands tangled in his hair, massaging his scalp. Her tongue pushed against his flesh, urging the blood to flow straight into her mouth. Distantly, he could hear her swallowing. Finally, though, she pulled back, panting.

He moaned at the loss of her. “You shouldn’t have feared that,” he said. Had he gotten drunk and walked into a tunnel? His words were slurred and he sounded far away. “I loved it. Didn’t think you were an animal at all, promise.”

“Aden?” she said, horror in her tone. It was the last thing he heard before his knees gave out and he collapsed onto the ground.

CHAPTER 16

Mary Ann picked at her dinner, Chinese takeout her dad had brought home. He’d only been home for half an hour, and Riley had stayed with her until the very last second possible, having returned after he’d escorted Victoria to their home. She’d wanted to invite him to eat with them, to introduce him to her dad, but she had let him change into his wolf form and jump out her window because she wasn’t sure her dad was ready for him. Her dad would have thought the study session had been nothing more than a make-out session.

But she missed Riley already. His intensity, his protectiveness. She valued his opinion and needed a sounding board for what she was considering. She could wait and try to sneak her father’s files as Aden had suggested— something she hated doing only because it involved stealing from her dad, her best friend, the man who loved her more than anything and never did things like that to her—or she could ask her father directly, something that could cause him to hide the files Aden wanted just to keep her away from them.

One was unethical, one was just plain risky.

So which path should she take?

The others considered her a bit of a goody-goody, she suspected, but her dad’s well-being was just as important to her as Aden’s. There had to be a way to please them both.

“Not hungry?” He scooped a small mountain of noodles onto his plate. “I thought orange chicken and beef lo mein could tempt you even if you were full of junk.”

Sighing, she pushed her plate away. “I’m just…preoccupied.”

His fork paused midair, noodles dangling from the prongs. “Anything you want to talk about?”

“Yes. No.” Another sigh. “I don’t know.”

He laughed and dropped his fork. “Well, which is it?”

“I need to talk to you, but I don’t want to.”

His smile faded into a frown. “Okay, that sounds serious.”

He had no idea. Otherwise, he’d be glaring at her, lecturing her, or perhaps grounding her for life. “I…” Slow and easy. “I have a question.”

He reached across the table and patted her hand. “You know you can ask me anything.”

They would soon see…“It’s about one of your patients.”

Now his expression hardened and he shook his head. “Anything except that. Patients trust me to keep their secrets, Mar. Not only that, talking about them would be illegal.”

“I know, I know.” She’d expected him to say that and didn’t let it derail her. “The thing is, a few weeks ago, I met a boy. We’ve become really good friends.”

Silence.

Her dad leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his middle. “Okay. Why am I just now hearing about him and what does Tucker think of your friendship with another guy?”

“What Tucker thinks doesn’t matter. He and I officially broke up.”

Instantly, he shifted from Interrogation Dad to I’m Here For You Dad. “Oh, honey. Are you okay about the breakup? I know I wasn’t always supportive of your relationship with him. I mean, there isn’t a boy out there who’s good enough for you. But I stopped complaining about him because I wanted you happy.”

“I’m okay. I’m the one who severed ties. He was cheating on me.” Admitting it out loud was easier than she’d thought it would be. Still embarrassing, but not soul-crushing.

“I’m so sorry.” Once again he leaned forward and patted her hand. “I counsel couples dealing with infidelity all the time, and the most common response for the victim, and that’s what you are, is a feeling of inadequacy. Of being disposable.”

Even though she hadn’t wanted Tucker anymore, that’s exactly what she’d felt. It had even colored her desire to be with Riley, she realized. She’d automatically assumed he’d think she was too boring for him.

“Sometimes it’s just a one-time lapse and the culprit learns a valuable lesson,” her dad continued, “that what he or she has at home is more precious than any momentary pleasure. Most don’t, though they pretend they do so they can have what they think is the best of both worlds.”

“Tucker’s a pretender for sure.” She had no doubts about that. He was a demon, after all. That still shocked her. She’d meant to question Riley about what exactly being a demon entailed, but then Aden had vanished and they’d spent the next few hours searching her house and the forest for him. Riley had even changed into wolf form and raced to the D and M. With his enhanced sense of smell, tracking came easily to him, he’d said, but even he had found no trace.

Then, when they’d been alone, they’d spent their time getting to know each other. He’d asked about her childhood, about her favorite foods, and listened to her fifteen-year plan without rancor. He’d seemed impressed with her goals.

“It’s important to know that everyone battles attraction for other people, but it’s what they do with those feelings that shows the truth of their character,” her dad said. “Did you know the girl he was seeing on the sly?”

Mary Ann nodded but didn’t want to admit who it was, so she said, “Thank you for the advice.” Penny’s parents may not know about her pregnancy and Mary Ann still loved her enough to protect her privacy. “That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you about this other boy. He’s had a troubled past and is dealing with some things that no one his age should have to deal with.”

Her dad tapped a finger against his chin. “I see where you’re going with this.”