12. Nathan

Chapter 12

Nathan

S omething smooth and warm slid down my throat, like a fine wine or rich bourbon. No, it was better than anything I'd ever tasted.

Blood. Fresh. Spicy. Straight from the source. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a magical source. Human blood didn't have this much flavor.

Not flavor … something I couldn't quite identify, but I liked it.

I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had anything other than blood from a bag. Maybe that lack of memory made this treat so incredibly tantalizing. It had to be. My team knew how I felt about taking blood directly from a human.

But I had been dying. Even before I passed out, I could feel my body getting weaker by the second. The pool of blood at my feet made it hard to believe there was anything left pumping through my veins.

As I swallowed the next slow trickle, a hum of magic raced beneath my skin .

"Nathan," a soft voice whispered in my ear. "Wake up."

I knew that voice and felt the pull of her magic, demanding that I respond to her. I had to be strong, had to resist the urge. I needed blood, but it could not be hers. I refused to end up like Conrad, a walking addiction with no recovery in sight.

Another swallow of her magical essence slid down my throat.

"That's it, my love," she purred, lacing more magic into her words. Magic I couldn't deny any more than I could deny the life she was willingly giving.

Just this once , I thought, knowing it was a lie. Dhampir blood was worse than humanity's most addictive drugs. One sip and I was done, which meant my life was already hers. She'd already given me several swallows. I'd worry about the consequences later, after I wasn't on the brink of death.

I snapped my eyes open and gripped her arm. A pair of dark eyes stared back at me—not Lorna's beautiful hazel—deepening the spell. Careful not to pierce her already broken skin with my fangs, I drew deeply on the open wound on her wrist. Lorna smiled. No, her dhampir smiled, showing her own tiny fangs. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips.

Her desire filled the air around me, tossing all my coherent thoughts out the window. I wanted her more than anything else on Earth. I needed her mouth against my skin and her body naked against mine. I needed to feel her hot —

"Lorna, no!" Damon bellowed.

Damon's voice pulled me back from my lust-filled haze, and I realized we were in a vehicle. Damon slammed on the brakes, tossing Lorna away from me. I groaned in frustration as her wrist left my mouth. I was immensely grateful that I didn't bury my fangs in her flesh. The damage it would have done when she was ripped away from me would've been horrific .

Lorna snarled at Damon before leaning over me once again. My second in command jumped out of the truck and disappeared from my view. I had no doubt he'd be opening the door next to me within seconds.

"You need more, Nathan," she whispered. "Please take it."

I glanced at her still-bleeding wrist, the smell of her blood intoxicating.

"I shouldn't," I said, hoping my refusal sounded stronger than it felt.

"I can't let you die," she urged. "You might have had enough to open your eyes, but your wounds are not healing. You're not even bleeding."

The door flew open, and Damon loomed over us, blocking out the sun with his wide shoulders.

"Lorna." Damon growled her name, but there was no sexual intent in his voice. It was a warning.

Lorna's dhampir growled back, leaning over me and baring her teeth. Protectively?

"He doesn't have enough blood to tempt me, demon," she snarled. "Would you prefer I let him die?"

I almost gasped at her response and the way she reacted to her mate. Lorna would never talk to Damon like that. Apparently, her dhampir felt differently.

Did I really not have enough blood left in my body to tempt a dhampir? I felt like shit, but I didn't think it was that bad. Was the magic in her blood giving me false hope? Was it making me feel alive when I should be more concerned about my death?

Damon's gaze shifted from Lorna to me. His brow furrowed, and I could see him working through all the possible scenarios.

"Only give him enough to get him to the fortress," Damon finally said. "Do not entrance him."

I should've been upset that he didn't ask my opinion on the matter. Maybe I did look like a walking corpse, one who couldn't answer for himself. And what would I say after Lorna's declaration? Nothing. She was willing to piss off her soulmate in order to save me.

I should be mad about her entrancing me, but it was only to convince me to swallow her blood. I understood she was merely trying to keep me alive. Since I had no intention of dying today, I wouldn't argue. Was it possible Damon was mad about her arousal? He never acted like he was jealous of Kenrid. But the fae was also her mate. I was nothing to her.

I didn't know how to feel about it. She shouldn't want to protect me. She'd all but avoided me for weeks. I'd done my best not to make her feel threatened when we were together in the same room. After Conrad's treatment, and my own emotional detachment, I never expected her to want anything from a vampire.

I'd stopped trying to convince myself that it hurt to see her with my team. Jealousy and I had become close friends since Damon and Kenrid claimed her. There were so many obstacles keeping me away from her, though. Dhampir and vampires had so much history, and none of it was good.

She was no ordinary dhampir, was she? She would never allow me to cage her, and I wouldn't dream of trying. Lorna had better control of herself than anyone else I knew. Here she was, feeding a vampire on the verge of death, who'd shown her nothing but disdain. A vampire who could easily drain her dry because of his own desperate thirst.

The thought of my own thirst led me right back to Lorna leaning over me, offering her blood. My mouth watered and my vision darkened, focusing completely on her wrist.

"Damon's right," I said. "Don't allow me to take too much. Do whatever you need to in order to stop me."

"I just told her not to entrance you, Nathan," Damon argued from the front seat .

Apparently, we were moving again. I hadn't noticed, which should have sent alarm bells ringing in my head. I needed blood, but I didn't need to kill Lorna in the process. I must have voiced my thoughts.

"I'll stop you if I need to," Lorna said. "I have no intention of dying today, either."

I pulled her wrist to my mouth and drank down her glorious blood. I shouldn't have worried about taking too much. Moments later, I passed out again.