All Souls' Night - Renee Rose Page 0,271

No way would I wake up feeling better than I ever have before in my life. Well, except for this blinding hunger.

The second I acknowledge the hunger, I’m oblivious to anything else, and leap into the air. The scent of decadent dark chocolate feeds my senses, and I make a beeline right for the source.

The only thought running through my head is to drink as much of it as I can. I tackle someone, and my teeth sink into the object of my hunger. The taste of wine and dark chocolate hit my tongue, and I am gulping mouthfuls as fast as possible. My nails slice into bulging shoulder muscles to keep my prey locked in my grip.

An eternity of bliss passes before I am wrenched away from my paradise.

Armando holds my hands in a tight grip. “That’s enough, mi cielito.”

“Armando!” I throw my arms around him, so happy to see him… but that delectable chocolatey aroma seizes me again, and I’m sinking my teeth into his succulent neck.

“Zoe, stop.” He’s gripped my shoulders and is glaring at me.

I cover my mouth in horror. “Oh, my God! What’s happened to me?”

“Listen, mi cielito. You’re a vampire now. You understand?”

“What the actual fuck?” I want to rip his throat out for lying to me. Of all the stupid things he could have said, this never crossed my mind. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s the truth, love. I know this is difficult to believe, but vampires are real. I am one.” He bares his fangs.

I can hardly believe what I’m seeing, and I run one finger down the sharp, elongated tooth.

Tilting my head, I peer into his partially open mouth. But up this close his sultry scent overwhelms me, and I wrap around him like a limpet, my mouth on his neck. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and the hunger that hadn’t truly gone away abates a fraction.

Armando pulls me off him. I snarl, and red liquid flies between us. My gaze is glued to the blood pouring from the wound in his neck.

My stomach is churning, and my hand flies to my mouth. “It’s true. Oh, God. Why? How?”

“Karina called me last night and told me where to find you. What I want to know is why the hell you left me?”

My mouth drops open for a second before I snap it closed. A thousand things fight for attention in my brain. The one that wins blurts out of my mouth. “Wait. You’re a vampire? Why didn’t you tell me? And am I a vampire because I had sex with you, then died when Phil shot me?”

Armando’s jaw ticks as he clenches it. “I am your sire, but it doesn’t work like you described. Before we go further, I need to set a few ground rules. You will not leave the house without me. You’re dangerous right now, and could go on a killing spree if I’m not monitoring you. Second, for the foreseeable future, you need to feed directly from me. As I’m your sire, you need my blood to survive. If you don’t drink from me, you risk going feral.”

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. “Well, I’ve got news for you, buddy. You don’t get to lie to me and then start bossing me around.”

He’s in my face so fast, I never saw him move. “I am not a liar. I kept what I am from you because I didn’t want you to refuse me. You belong to me, mi cielito. I…” His dark brown eyes search my face, but the anger melts and his shoulders deflate. He sighs, defeated. “I cannot watch you be with someone else, so if you left because you are tired of me… then I will let you go once you’re stable.”

The green-eyed monster is clouding his judgement. That is the last thing on my mind right now, especially given the fact that I’ve been turned into a blood sucking creature of the night.

But the pain in his eyes slices me deeper than this damned hunger. “It’s funny, I never pictured you as the jealous type.”

That fire flares in his gaze, and he pulls me into his arms. “I’m not the jealous type. What’s mine is mine. End of story.”

“Is that right?”

“Sí. But I will never force you to stay if you don’t feel the same way. I love you too much for that.”

My throat tightens and my vision blurs from the tears.