Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,108
he saw the sword plunge into her heart, and without her, he would become a monster the likes of which none of his brothers had ever seen. But he welcomed the weakness she’d brought into his life if it meant having her by his side.
“Do you think you will be able to sense anything from it?” Lucien asked.
Declan shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not really sure if that thing is capable of experiencing anything I could sense, but we’ll find out.”
Lucien studied Declan as he set their bags on the floor next to the door. “We’re not the same anymore, are we?”
A small smile played at the corners of Declan’s mouth. “No. Nor do I wish to be.”
“Neither do I,” Lucien admitted.
“Let us know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Lucien closed the door, stripped out of his boxers, retreated to the bed, and curled up beside Callie to draw her into his arms. He held her close while he tried not to think about how close he’d come to losing her. Even with her in his arms, he still might go mad from the memory of Yannis stabbing her if he focused on it.
Another hour passed before he felt the flutter of her lashes against his neck. When she stirred, a low groan issued from her, her nails bit into his back, and she whimpered.
“Shh,” he soothed as he ran his hands over her back. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Callie’s eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring into the curve of Lucien’s neck as his body warmed her and his thick muscles ensconced her in safety. When the vein in his neck throbbed, something inside her stirred, but the sudden tidal wave of memories bombarding her buried it.
Jerking back, her hand flew to her chest, and she released a strangled cry as her fingers fell on the hole there. There was a hole in her chest!
She ignored the pain as her fingers prodded at the frayed flesh and animalistic sounds filled the air. It took her far too long to realize those sounds were coming from her, but she couldn’t pull herself out of the memory of her death.
She could still hear the crunch of her bones as steel pierced her body before the sword buried itself in her heart. Once again, she saw the sick smile twisting Yannis’s mouth as he relished her anguish.
Lucien clasped her hand. “It’s over now. You’re safe, and you’re alive.”
“How?” she croaked. “How am I still alive?”
“Simone got to you,” Lucien said as he ran his thumb over her trembling bottom lip. “She was able to get some blood into you before the Savages stopped her. And then, I managed to get more blood into you. Between the two of us, you received enough blood to ensure you didn’t die.”
Callie’s eyes flew up to his as he pulled her hand away from the hole in her chest.
“He stabbed me through the heart,” she whispered.
Red flickered through his eyes. “I know.”
“I felt myself dying.”
His hand squeezed hers as he used his other hand to grip her nape. “But you’re alive and still here, with me.”
“Am I… am I a vampire?”
“The transformation isn’t complete yet. You have to feed, but once you do, you’ll finish becoming a vampire, you’ll feel better, and you’ll heal faster.”
Her gaze returned to her chest, and she shuddered. “So close… I was so close. I felt it all slipping away. It was all being torn away from me and… and….”
“And?” he prodded when she stopped speaking.
“And I was so scared.” She met his gaze again. “I didn’t want to lose you, but I was so glad I found you and got to experience real love before I died.”
“And you’ll get to experience that love every day for eternity.”
She gave him a wan smile as she rested her fingers on the solid wall of his chest.
“Don’t think about it,” he murmured as he kissed her forehead. “It’s the past; it’s over, and you’re safe, but you need to feed to complete the transformation.”
Callie’s eyes dipped to his neck again. This time, when she saw the rhythm of his pulse, she understood the strange sensation fluttering in her stomach; she was hungry… for blood.
She should be repulsed, but a strange tingling started in her canines, and saliva flooded her mouth. A part of her recoiled from her intense reaction to drinking his blood, but another part was desperate to ease the hunger building inside her.