After a moment of studying her, he walked to the door. Tears welled in her eyes and she hated herself for it. She didn’t want to ask this man for anything, let alone beg. Yet here she was doing just that and he ignored the sacrifice.
He flipped the lock on the door and turned back to her. Her pulse sped in anticipation when she realized he wasn’t abandoning her again. She swiped a hand across her eyes, removing any trace of tears. Putting his hands on her waist, Thomas lifted her to sit on the counter that ran around the edge of the room. She closed her eyes and savored the contact.
His warmth seeped into her skin, penetrating to the very core of her. She’d missed that more than anything else about him. The way he made her feel protected, the way he took care of her. She wanted to wrap herself in him and never leave the embrace of his arms. There were times like this when she was so utterly tired of being strong, of pretending that she could handle the world on her own that she became tempted to let him rescue her. He was the only one that ever cared enough to take care of her. That’s why it broke her heart when he left.
He laid a hand against her cheek and she looked at him. There was a question in his eyes and she shook her head. He didn’t need to know that she was feeling sorry for herself. After a moment more, he took a step back and pulled out a pocketknife. He opened it and handed it to her hilt first.
Seriously? He wanted her to cut him to get the blood? Nope, wasn’t going to happen. “Can’t you just put it in a glass like Tony does?”
Thomas’s features sharpened in anger and his eyes darkened. Grabbing her chin in his hand, he turned her head to the side. He leaned in and sniffed along the side of her neck. Her pulse sped and her breath hitched but it wasn’t from fear.
His tongue flicked out to taste her skin. A tremble wracked her body. Their eyes locked. Heat flashed in his, a mirror of her own desire. At least she wasn’t the only one affected.
He leaned his forehead against hers for a moment then stepped back to pull his T-shirt off. Taut muscles worked with the motion. Only with great effort did she manage to keep her mouth from falling open. He was perfect, just like she remembered. Just like she dreamed.
Closing the distance between them, he wrapped her hand in his. Before she could think about stopping him, he ran the knife across his chest. Blood welled in the two-inch wound. His free hand pulled her head toward the wound. She wrinkled her nose then told herself to stop being ridiculous. Her tongue lapped the blood from his skin. A shudder cascaded through him.
This was too much, too intimate. When she tried to pull away, he held her head tighter. She knew what he wanted. Truth was, she wanted it, too. With a sigh of surrender, she laid her mouth against the wound and sucked, pulling the blood directly from his body. A ripple of lust ran through her with the sensual act. As angry and frustrated as he made her on a regular basis, she still loved him. Would always love him. Would always crave this intimacy with him.
She ran her hand up the length of his back, relishing the play of muscles beneath the skin. He released her other hand and the knife clattered to the floor. She laid her hand against his chest, anxious to feel more of him, to touch as much of him as she could. He ran both hands through her hair in a feather-light caress then dug his fingers into her scalp, massaging it.
“Yes,
Juliana licked her lips and his eyes followed the movement.
“I can hear you,” she whispered.
“And I you.” He ran a hand down the side of her neck where her pulse thrummed wildly.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Thomas took the opportunity to slip back into his shirt. She wasn’t going to like what he had to tell her. He cupped her face in his hand again and she opened her eyes. “How much blood has Tony given you?”
“Does it matter?”
“It might. Just answer the question.” He stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I don’t know. A little here, a little there. Only when I was really miserable. He wouldn’t let me have too much, too close together. Why? He’s not in trouble is he?”
Thomas ran his hand down his face. Yes, his underling was in trouble, but not for the reasons she feared. “You don’t smell like Tony. You smell like me,” he said.
“Um...huh?”
Had he actually made her speechless? He’d long since given up hope it was possible. He straightened his shoulders, prepared himself for the reaction his next words would bring. “Tony hasn’t been giving you his blood. He’s been giving you mine.”
“Okay.” She drew out the word and pursed her lips. “How is that possible? You haven’t been around for years.”
The last thing he felt like doing was educating his bride on the intricacies of vampire hierarchy but she wasn’t yelling at him. As long as she didn’t start, he’d explain whatever she liked. “When I left, I had no intention of leading the local coven, but it’s still in my territory of course. Ordinarily the members of a coven take a blood oath with their leader and he in turn does so with me. The plan was that the coven members would take an oath to Raoul and he to me. But then Sara called and told me he wasn’t controlling the vampires as he should.” Juliana shivered. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just cold. Go on.” There was a lie in her words, but he left it alone. For now.
“There was no one else to take Raoul’s place. No one with enough power. Michael could have done it, but he has no interest in leading a coven. I kept control from a distance, but the only way for me to enforce it without coming back was for the vampires to maintain their blood tie to me. They came periodically to renew the bond. Tony was given a supply of blood to keep on hand so new vamps could be tied to me temporarily until they made the trip to see me.”
“Thomas, that’s really gross.”
He grinned. “How is that any different than what you just did?”
Her cheeks turned red. “It just is. I can’t believe you let all those vamps just...” She waved a hand in his direction. Was that a thread of jealousy he heard?
“They don’t. I put it in a glass.”
She blinked at him. “You’re a real bastard sometimes, you know that?”
He chuckled. “The fresher the blood, the more potent. It loses potency even in the short trip from my body to the cup. Besides, I thought I should get something out of the process as well.”
“You mean other than my improved wellbeing, of course.” More than a touch of sarcasm colored her voice.
“Of course,
“Wait a minute. We don’t have a blood tie now do we?”
He tugged her against his side and looked down at her, shaking his head. “You swore no oath to me, mate. If anything, we will simply be more aware of each other, but it pales in comparison to our union. It is why Tony would not let you drink too often. He feared I would figure out what he was up to.”
“Do you care that he gave me your blood?”
“Not in the way that you mean. I would have preferred if you were going to partake of me it would have been directly from the source so to speak, but that no longer matters. I refuse to dwell in the past any longer,” he said. “Make no mistake, my love, the bond we share is far more powerful than a mere blood tie. Together we could be extraordinarily powerful if you would but embrace it.”
There it was. The truth she had been avoiding since he stepped back into her life. He chose her for the power she could bring him. She chose him because she loved him. It was the reason whatever this was between them would never work. And once more, her heart shattered at the reminder. She closed her eyes and stepped away from him. She kept her head down waiting for him to open the door.
Hot tears ran down her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them away, fearing the movement would draw his
