Roman didn’t know for certain whether she would have the energy, but his Isabella was a force of nature, and the smell of blood roused her enough that she opened her mouth. That was all it took for him to let his blood drip onto her tongue. The taste and smell kick-started her desire for more. To complete the change from a mortal to vampire, she needed to drink a lot of his blood, eradicating her humanity and stopping her heart. When Isabella grabbed his hand and sucked at his wrist, his entire body convulsed with immense pleasure. The thrill of her drinking his blood drove him wild, and he soaked her in.
Each pull and suck she took laced him with a ferocious desire for her, the like of which left him shattered. It was pure, and he wanted to explore and savor it. And yet it made him fearful also. Isabella was everything he craved and needed. The light in his dark world. Once he started, he couldn’t turn back. Waiting as her heart stopped, praying she would wake into her new life, he cursed the gods for this mess. Once she stirred, relief flooded him. For the entire week, he had been at her beck and call, tending to her every need, entwined in her glorious and naked flesh as she writhed in agony.
He wouldn’t leave her side, easing the pain with blood and providing her with pleasure. When the agony of the transformation turned to ecstasy, he thought he would go insane as the need to claim her consumed him. Instead, he ran his hands over every inch of her skin, touching and stimulating her, watching her orgasm under his touch and it gave him tremendous joy, stirring an emotion he had long forgotten. Instead of giving in to his impulse, he reined in and tightened his control. He may want the witch for keeps, for eternity, but only if she wanted him in return.
He wanted her as a mate. His equal.
And if she agreed, he would kill anyone who touched or harmed her. This possessive need to be near a woman was intoxicating and dangerous. He had always taken what he wanted as a vampire. With Isabella, he exercised a patience long forgotten. She pulled at something old inside him, reminding him of the man he had once been.
Standing here now, alone in the forest as Isabella darted through the trees, he counted. Roman wasn’t afraid he would lose her. He knew exactly where Isabella would go and he wanted to give her a little head start. Just enough for her to have a taste of freedom. Her scent, mixed with his own, left a trail easy for him to follow. It was time for her to realize where her future lay. Roman wouldn’t take second place; he wanted Isabella to face Jake, and figure out her feelings for herself. He wanted her to understand why a future with the human would be impossible. He had ripped the Band-Aid off and now he had to go and make sure she hadn’t killed the mortal, even if he would be okay with that.
Roman followed the trail that led to Steel’s mansion along the coast in Maine. Angry voices shouted from the formal dining room, the doors to which lay open. Isabella’s voice boomed from inside. Shit. He flew inside. Marcus stood there, facing him, with Ella nestled in his arms. Isabella held Jake pressed down over the table, clutching his neck with her one hand squeezing. He stepped into the room, raising his hand to instruct Drayton to remain where he was.
“Isabella, my love—let Jake go. I know you don’t want to hurt him, and you’re scaring your friends.”
She hissed at him, but he flew to her side and bared his teeth to hiss back until she lessened the grip around Jake’s throat. At this stage, she could kill the mortal in seconds just by adding pressure or ripping his throat out. He wouldn’t mind either way. The desire to drink human blood was excruciating with its rich, scintillating bouquet. This was the ultimate test for Isabella, but still, he waited. He needed to test her strength and observe her reaction to Jake as well as the others. He studied the male specimen spread-eagle on the wooden table, pinned down by his fledgling vampire. Two chairs lay smashed on the ground alongside glass, presumably from a vase as flowers lay scattered on the rug.
“Roman, you shouldn’t have brought Isabella here if she isn’t ready. Get control or I will have to intercede,” Marcus said.
Roman snapped his head toward him and flared his nostrils. “And exactly what would that entail?”
The fact Isabella hadn’t already devoured the human demonstrated just how incredible she was, but he wouldn’t divulge that fact to any of them. Either way, he held no feelings for the man who held Isabella’s rapt attention. He was simply here to ensure no harm befell him because he knew it would destroy his witch.
“It’s okay. Sparkles won’t hurt me. Will you?” Jake pushed up, but he couldn’t free himself.
The new vampire’s strength would exceed Jake twice over. His lips curled at his beauty. But enough. Her dress, or what was left of it, exposed far more of her flesh than he knew in normal circumstances Isabella would be happy with or indeed was he. The need to feed dominated her mind and when she squirmed over the man in a provocative way, he snarled.
Isabella snapped her head to the side and stared hard at him. Roman slid behind his witch, molding into her back, and wrapped one arm around her waist and slipped his other to cup her breast. He gently massaged her while staring down at Jake, whose baby-blue eyes
