She bit her bottom lip as she searched for something to turn her mind away from her thoughts. "Was your walk successful?"
"Yes. You ready?"
His clipped tones drew her attention back to him. She frowned as she pulled her turtleneck higher. "Liam, what's wrong?"
He kept his back firmly to her as he gathered the clothes off the floor. "Nothing."
"Are you mad at me?" she asked in confusion.
"No."
"Then why are acting like it?"
He scooped the last article of clothing from the floor and shoved them onto the counter. He ran a weary hand through his hair as he turned to face her. "I'm not mad at you, Sera."
No matter what he said, his voice was still cold and strained. She stared at him in confusion. "Then what is the problem?"
He frowned as he studied her. She was a little paler than normal, and there were shadows under her large, luminous eyes. "How do you feel?"
"I feel fine."
"I've taken a lot of blood from you, Sera, are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine." Though her words did nothing to ease the harshness in his face and the coldness in his eyes. "Liam, what is wrong?"
He opened his arms to her. "Come here." She hesitated before stepping into his embrace. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself, and I'm confused."
Alarm constricted her heart. Was he confused about her? About the way, he felt about her? "About what?" she asked in a strangled voice.
He pulled slightly away and tipped her chin up with his finger. "About the loss of control I have when I'm around you."
She frowned at him. "What do you mean?"
"Sera, what happened earlier shouldn't have. I should have been able to stop myself from changing, from feeding off you. But I had no control; it just took over. And now I would like nothing more than to do it again."
He expected to see dread or revulsion in her eyes. Instead, they clouded with passion as she bit into her enticing bottom lip. "Oh," she whispered.
Sera shivered with want as his words stirred something deep inside her. She had no idea what she was becoming, what he brought out in her, but words that should have warned her to stay clear of him, at least for a little while, only served to make her tremble with want and need. Was it because his blood coursed through her veins? Was there now part of a vampire inside her?
The thought should have terrified her, it didn’t.
He tugged at the edge of her turtleneck and pulled it down. He gazed at the two marks marring the creamy perfection of her skin. His marks. His eyes dilated as his teeth instantly lengthened. He wanted to brand her again, to taste her again, and to fill her veins with his blood.
He ground his teeth as he willed the demon inside him to subside. Gradually, he was able to regain some control of himself and meet her eyes again. "I thought you said the marks faded," she whispered as she watched him.
"They do when we use our saliva to make them close faster."
Her brow furrowed. "Why didn't you do that with me?"
His eyes flashed red for a second. "Because I wanted you to bear my mark. I want everyone to know you’re mine. And you are mine, Sera. No one else is ever going to touch you."
Normally, she would have been irritated by his high-handed, possessive tone. She would have been enraged at the thought of anyone thinking they owned her. Instead, she found herself thrilled by it.
"I mean it," his eyes flashed again as the creature within neared the surface. "If anyone touches you..."
She placed her finger over his mouth to silence him. A muscle in his jaw twitched as his eyes gleamed violently.
"I am yours, Liam," she whispered. "Only yours."
He closed his eyes as he fought against the vampire seeking to break free and finish what it had started. Finally, her words sank in and helped ease his need. "Good."
"And you're only mine, right?"
He opened his eyes. He smiled at the ferociousness in her gaze as he traced her swollen lower lip. "Yes."
She grinned as she stood on her toes to kiss him. "We better go before they send a search party for us."
She pulled her turtleneck back up. Liam's hands clenched as he fought the urge to rip it back down so everyone could see what was beneath it. He knew he couldn't risk Kathleen and Danielle realizing it wasn't a hickey she bore though.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time they made it downstairs, the electricity had gone out. Kathleen had already placed candles around the house, and they followed the light of them into the kitchen.
"So, what do you guys want to do?" Mike asked when they entered.
Sera glanced around. Mike, Doug, and Kathleen were sitting around the middle island and smiling knowingly at them. Jack and Danielle were sitting at the table arguing over the same crossword puzzle from earlier. "How about strip poker?" Doug suggested with a mischievous grin.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jack said eagerly.
"Count me in," Mike said. "Girls?"
"I'll get the cards," Kathleen volunteered.
Liam's stance was rigid as he took a step closer to her. "I don't want to play," she said.
"Of course you will!" Kathleen retorted as she held a candle above the kitchen drawer she pawed through. "It will be fun! Right, Danielle?"
"Sounds good to me," she answered.
"You're playing, right Liam?" Jack asked.
"No," he replied.
"Oh, come on man, lord knows when you'll get a chance to see another girl naked."
Kathleen laughed as she continued to fumble through the drawer. "Who said I wanted to?" Liam retorted.
"Ugh, you guys are sickening," Kathleen closed the drawer and held up a pack of cards. "For crying out loud Sera, you need to see more than one naked man in your lifetime."
Sera shook her head. She could feel the anger radiating off Liam, and she knew this
