A Hunger Like No Other

In return, he'd made her life into a hell.

Off the exit, he spotted the sign for a gas station. He turned into the dirt lot, parking in front of the fuel pump she indicated. Just as he shut off the ignition, she pulled the things from her ears. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, she gazed upward, sighed, and held her hand flat out—which meant he was to give her the credit card. He did, then followed her outside to learn how to fuel the car.

While they waited, he said, 'I want to speak with you about what happened.'

She waved her hand. 'Forgotten.' Her voice was hoarse, belying the ridiculous statement. Under the harsh, unnatural lights of the station, her right eye appeared awash with red. She had to be furious again—why hide it?

'Why will you no' confront me? Rail at me? I give you free leave to scream at me.'

In a low tone, she said, 'Are you asking me why I avoid conflict?'

'Aye. Precisely,' he said, then, seeing the glare on her face, wished he hadn't.

'I am sick of everyone accusing me of that! Now someone who doesn't even know me has thrown that my way.' Her scratchy voice was rising with anger. 'The better question would be, why wouldn't I want to avoid conflict, because you'd be avoiding it too if…' She trailed off and looked away.

He placed his hand on her shoulder. 'If what, Emma?'

When she finally faced him, her eyes were anguished. 'If you always lost.'

His brows drew together.

'Lose enough times, and guess what that makes you?'

'No—'

'When have I won a conflict with you?' She shrugged from under his hand. 'When you kidnapped me? When you got me to agree to this insanity? When you got me to drink from you? You were imprisoned by vampires, Lachlain, and had just escaped them when you took me. Why in the hell would you keep me with you? You hate vampires—have shown me more disgust in less than a week than I've encountered in my entire life. Yet you kept me with you.' She gave a bitter laugh. 'How you must have loved your little revenges. Did you get off making me nauseated with humiliation? Get a perverse thrill by insulting me one second then shoving your hand up my skirt the next? And at every opportunity to let me go, you demanded I stay, knowing the entire time that I was in danger. From you.'

He could deny nothing. He ran his hand over his face as everything she said sank in. His feelings for her had become clearer to him, just as hers had reached a boiling point with him. He wanted to admit to her that she was his mate—that he hadn't kept her with him solely to hurt her. He knew he couldn't tell her now.

'Like everyone else, you walk right over me and never even look back to see how I fared,' she said, her voice cracking at the end, making regret cut at him. 'Whoa, better shut myself up before I get too upset. Don't want to offend you with my repulsive tears!'

'No, Emma, wait—'

She slammed her car door shut, seeming surprised by her strength, then stalked away over the dirt lot. He let her go, though he moved to keep her in sight.

He saw her sink down on a bench beside the station building and put her forehead in her hand, sitting like that for many moments. Just as he finished refueling, a strange chill wind blew, bringing a mist of rain with it and brushing a flower against her knee. She plucked the spent flower, smelled it, then wadded it up in frustration.

He realized she'd never seen one blooming in the sun. His chest tightened with some unfamiliar feeling, so strong it shook him.

The problems between them weren't because he'd been given the wrong mate. They were because he couldn't adapt—

Three vampires appeared out of nowhere just beside her.

To take her away from him forever.

In an instant, he knew he should let her go to her family and free her from his hatred and pain. Earlier, as he'd tightened his hand around her throat, she'd stared up at him, begging him. She'd believed he was going to kill her. He could have so easily.

The bruises on her neck stood out like an accusation in the harsh lights.

But she gaped at them, as if shocked they'd just appeared when this was the way they traveled.

The scene hit him as wrong. He leapt over the top of the car for her and they turned. The largest one was…a demon? Yet all of their eyes were solid red. A demon turned vampire?

'Stay back, Lykae, or we'll kill you,' one of the vampires grated.

As Lachlain charged for her, the oddest thing happened.

Crying his name, she sprinted for him.

16

Before he could reach her, one tackled Emma to the ground, the impact wrenching her breath away. Lachlain bellowed with rage. If he couldn't reach her…if she couldn't fight hard enough…the vampire could easily trace her. The two others appeared between him and Emma, baring their fangs. When she dug at the earth to escape, the beast rose up inside Lachlain and he let it free. He'd never wanted her to see it…

Power surged through his body with the turning. Outrage. Protect.

The smaller vampire hissed, 'She's his mate!' just before Lachlain attacked, slashing at him. He ripped and bit his body to pieces as he warded off blows from the other.

The mist turned to hard, stinging rain with lightning clattering all around. Lachlain twisted the vampire's neck with his fingers until he'd separated it, then faced off against the demon. It was strong, but coming off injuries. Lachlain's claws were drawn to the wounds unerringly, just as the demon aimed for his leg. From the corner of his eye, Lachlain saw Emma wrestle to get free of the third. She rolled to her back beneath him, then soundly knocked her forehead against her attacker.

The fiend howled in pain and slashed down her chest, leaving deep furrows that gushed blood into the mud. Lachlain roared and leapt for the demon between them. One slash of his claws rent the demon's head from his body, sending both pieces flying in different directions.

The last vampire, crouched over Emma, stared up at him in horror, frozen, seeming too shocked to trace. As Lachlain swung for the killing blow, he saw Emma had squeezed her eyes shut.

Rid of the third, Lachlain fell to his knees beside her. She opened her eyes as if she couldn't help it, blinking up at him, stricken by his appearance, more shocked by him than her wound or the attack. As he grappled for control, he comprehended that she was struggling to speak, choking on her blood and the pouring rain. All the while still edging away from him. She'd run to him before, but after witnessing what he was, she fought him.

Against her weak resistance, he scooped her into his arms. He shook his head hard, breathing in deeply. 'I will no' hurt you.' His voice was low, broken, and, he knew, unrecognizable.

With a shaking hand, he tore open what was left of her shirt, and as the rain washed away the blood and mud, he could see the damage that had savaged her delicate skin down to the bone. He clutched her to him and roared, needing to kill them again. She whimpered at the sound and, amid the rain, pink tears tracked from her eyes.

That alone was enough to give him the strength to take control.

When he reached the car, he threw open the back door to lay her down on the seat, gently pulling her long hair out of the doorway before shutting her in. He rushed into the driver's seat, then raced down slippery roads for Kinevane, glancing back every few seconds. Dread settled over him when half an hour had passed and she still showed no signs of regeneration. Her wounds continued to bleed freely with none of the closure he should already be seeing.

Never slowing, he bit his wrist open and thrust it back to her lips. 'Drink, Emma!'

She turned her face away. He put it against her once more, but she refused, clenching her jaw shut. She could die if she didn't drink.