I had never expected to get near her again after Nancy had done her best to ruin my chances. And letting Kaitlyn bite me and drink from my vein was certainly the last way I had imagined getting another chance.
But at this point, I didn’t give a damn. Anything that brought her close to me—even accidental vampirism—was a good thing, as far as I was concerned. Of course, my mother and father most certainly wouldn’t see it that way. They would be most concerned that I had tied myself not only to a non-Drake but to a Nocturne—and a Made Nocturne at that.
I pushed the worry away as Kaitlyn bared her sharp little fangs. I told myself that I would make them understand—that I would never allow myself to be parted from her.
And then she bit me and everything else flew out of my mind.
36
Kaitlyn
I still couldn’t understand why Ari was doing this. Couldn’t understand why such a big, handsome, muscular guy would want to let me bite him. But he seemed completely in earnest when he told me he had to restore his honor so I figured it was probably just a Drake thing—a custom I didn’t understand.
At any rate, I could feel my body crying out for blood. My mouth was parched, as though I’d been walking through a desert all day and my whole body felt completely dehydrated. Griffin was right—I needed blood and I needed the right kind of blood. Fresh blood, right from the vein.
The thought of sinking my teeth—fangs—into another person’s skin and slurping out their blood would have been completely alien to me just a few hours before. But now it felt natural—almost normal—as I contemplated Ari’s thick wrist, which he was holding out to me.
Delicately, I took his large hand in both of my much smaller ones and brought it to my lips. His skin was darker than Avery’s—though not quite as dark as my own creamy brown—so it was a bit more difficult to make out the veins. But I could still somehow see them, pulsing just under the surface, almost as though they were calling me to pick one and sink my fangs in.
My mouth watered and my heart sped up as I settled on the one I wanted. It seemed to pulse just for me, calling me to bite it.
Taking a deep breath, which brought Ari’s warm, spicy scent with it, I closed my eyes and sank my fangs into his wrist.
37
Ari
I can’t describe the feelings that flooded me when her little fangs pierced my flesh. The electrical tingle I felt when she touched me of her own volition for the first time seemed to grow into a full-fledged lightning bolt that zapped through me, carrying a charge of pure pleasure.
“Dios!” I groaned and threw back my head as my Drake roared within me. He felt the pleasure too—felt the incredible rightness of giving our blood and nourishing Kaitlyn this way.
The sensation grew and grew and spread throughout my entire body—most notably my crotch, I’m ashamed to say. I told myself this was inappropriate and wrong, but my body disagreed. The pleasure of her fangs in me intensified until I honestly thought I was going to shame myself or else burst.
Within me my Drake roared that she was ours…ours and we would never let her go! And still the pleasure grew until I thought I would be unable to contain it.
Dios, so good…too good, I thought, dazedly. If she doesn’t stop soon, I won’t be able to stand it! I’m going to explode!
I looked at Kaitlyn and saw that she was also feeling some intense emotions. When she finally withdrew her fangs, her eyes were wide and her breathing was short and breathy. She licked her lips and whispered,
“Wow.” Her voice was shaky.
“Well,” I said at last, my own voice hoarse and raspy. “That appears to answer the question as to whether you can drink from me or not.”
“Looked like an unequivocal yes from over here,” Avery murmured, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “So I guess that’s settled, then.”
“I…I guess so.” Kaitlyn looked at me. “If…do you really want to, uh, keep letting me drink from you, Ari?”
It was the first time she had said my name, and it gave me a warm feeling deep inside.
“Nothing would bring me more pleasure, Kaitlyn,” I told her softly. And I meant it—every word.
“Thank you.” She dropped her eyes shyly. “Um, I’d like to go clean up now and maybe get some rest. I was dunked in the lake and then I got all kinds of blood all over me.” She looked down at her stained blouse and made a face.
“Of course.” Though I wanted nothing more after the intense experience than to take her in my lap and hold her close, I recognized that this wasn’t possible right now—and might not be for some time. She still didn’t know me, after all—not really. And I would need to get to know her better as well.
Inside, my Drake pointed out that she was our fated-mate—what else did we need to know?
“You wouldn’t understand,” I told him. “It’s a human thing—they don’t understand instant attraction and devotion—they need more than that to feel comfortable with their fated-mate.”
Though of course Kaitlyn didn’t know she was my fated-mate yet, or that I was hers. That revelation would come in time.
For now, I would let her go, knowing that I would see her again soon. Very soon, I hoped.
38
Ari
But I didn’t see Kaitlyn again the whole rest of that weekend.
Though I came by her dormitory several times on both Saturday and Sunday, I was told by her Coven-mates that she was indisposed.
“Look, Ari—I appreciate that you want to help and it means more to us than you could
