“I’m afraid my sins are worse than that,” Ryker admitted after a moment with a soft sigh. “I forced Angel to drink my blood to heal the damage that pissant human and his fellows did to her. And the wolf who rejected her as a mate. He hurt her badly.” Something hot ran from my nose again, and my eyes. Ah, crap. Sure enough, blood leaked from my ears a few seconds later. Dammit. “Between Angel taking my blood, her exposure to the rain and cold, Angel’s exhaustion, and my feeding from her, I’m afraid I’ve started something that cannot be stopped. But I can stave it off, for now. Which will be preferable to my bunny.”
“Either way, she will kick your ass once she recovers,” Tyger scoffed. “And you will deserve it. Let’s not even mention Arc’s reaction.”
“What’s wrong?” The vampire who brought Brutus asked. “I’ve never seen a human react like that.”
“Unfortunately, Angel is no longer entirely human,” Tyger replied in a tight voice. “Had I known you put your blood in Angel, I never would have let you drink from her. I knew she would bond with Arctic, and would have reminded you that the consequences of what that meant stared you in the face!” Through my hazy vision, I saw Tyger’s dark scowl, and I tried to frown, but my facial muscles didn’t want to listen to me.
“Meaning?” The other vampire asked after a moment. Thank you, kind sir.
Tyger chuckled, and tousled my hair before he answered, “if Ryker doesn’t finish what he inadvertently started, Angel will die. He can buy some time, but if she gets into any scrapes, it will bleed out and bring her back to this state. Worse yet, he can only buy time sparingly. So, if Angel sticks her nose into everything too soon, this option will no longer be viable. And, from what we’ve seen of our trouble magnet so far, my guess is this will be a very short-lived fix.”
Scoffing, I opened my mouth to argue, only for something to press against my lips. By the time my mind recognized that Ryker somehow used one arm to support my weight, damn vampire, my tongue recoiled from the thick blood filling my mouth. “No,” Ryker growled when I tried to jerk away. “I’m only buying time, little one. It’s this or death, I’m afraid. I know what you would choose, which is why I refuse to let you.”
The first involuntary swallow, which my body welcomed while my mind rebelled, caused every nerve to cry in agony. The next heightened my pain, and a soft whimper escaped my throat. By the following one, I could no longer cling to consciousness, and everything darkened before oblivion wrapped around me with a throaty purr of welcome.
Consequences
With a gasp, I sat bolt upright while my body shuddered. Whimpering, I ran towards a dark rectangle, hoping it was a bathroom. In the dim light, my eyes made out a porcelain throne, which I fell to my knees in front of just in time to hurl. Gentle fingers pulled my hair back, and I shuddered while hurling violently. Once I finished, an arm wrapped around my waist to lift me to my feet. It remained to offer unwavering support, and someone led me to the sink. My eyes adjusted enough to make out a bottle of mouthwash.
Before I could reach for it, another hand twisted the cap off and raised the bottle to my lips. Gratefully, I took a swig and rinsed my mouth to get the disgusting taste out of it. Which, from how iron coated my tongue, my guess was I threw up blood mixed with bile. In case you wondered, it tastes horrible. Washing my hands, I remembered what happened before Ryker forced me to pass out. I cupped my hands to gather water to clean my face, but the sink shut off and fingers wrapped around my upper arm.
The sound of a curtain moving turned my blood cold, and I tried to jerk my arm free but needn’t have bothered since the hold was absolute. The water turned on a second later, and I trembled violently. No, no, no, I don’t want this. Still, I was pulled into the dark shower even though I struggled with everything I had. Before the water hit me, the sound of cloth tearing echoed in the stall, and what little I wore was gone. I believe I had on something similar to a shift and underwear, judging by how it felt. Now, the chilly air kissed my bare skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. Still, that was preferable to what awaited.
Shivering, I trembled violently when a gentle tug pulled me against warm skin. A whimper escaped my lips a second before the not quite hot water cascaded over us. “Easy, bunny,” Ryker whispered, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, which caused the tingles already plaguing me to increase. We were pressed together, thighs to chest, and I shuddered at the newness of touching a male body this way. Albeit, the warm tingles made it hard to stiffen or pull away, as did the arm pressed against the small of my back. Thankfully, he wore shorts or boxers or something. Otherwise, panic would have filled my soul. “I won’t hurt you, little one, but you desperately need a shower. Unfortunately, I am possessive and opportunistic, so here we are. Plus, you have not yet realized it, but your legs are weak, bunny, so you could not manage on your own. Sure, you could have a bath, but I would need to stay nearby since you might fall asleep and drown. Thus, this is the easiest option, albeit perhaps the most startling as well.”
When I trembled with a soft cry of distress, Ryker chuckled. “You misunderstand, bunny, which I find adorable. As much as I would like to, I won’t do what you fear. I want a happy omega, not a
