The Mating Rite by Vanak Bonnie

Author:Vanak, Bonnie [Vanak, Bonnie]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal, Fiction
ISBN: 9781941130070
Publisher: Bonnie Vanak Publishing
Published: 2014-08-02T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Darius seldom panicked. When Sam went under, he dove into the surf, his mind shifting to automatic. Salt water stung his eyes as he scanned the water for her, swimming further out. Then he caught a flash of pink. She’d been wearing pink shorts.

Sam floated underwater, her body bobbing along. Darius’ heart dropped to his stomach.

Her ankle was in the mouth of a scaled, green sea demon with very sharp teeth. It resembled an alligator, but was a dangerous Torathar. Seeing Darius, the Torathar opened its mouth, bubbles streaming out in a hiss.

Fuck you! You are not having my Sam.

With every ounce of strength, he grabbed onto Sam and pulled hard. Swimming with her to the surface, he gasped for air. Darius started for the shore in steady, strong strokes.

He hauled her onto the sand. She wasn’t breathing. Blood trickled from the nasty bite on her ankle. Immediately starting CPR, he gave her his own breath.

C’mon, sweetheart, breathe, breathe.

Finally she coughed. Darius gently turned her onto her side as she retched up salt water.

When she’d finished, she looked at him, violet gaze huge and confused. He helped her sit and rubbed her back.

“Something.” She coughed again. “Dragged at me. Undertow.”

He wanted to gather her into his arms, hug her tight and never let go. Ensure nothing would hurt her. But others were storming onto the beach now with alarmed shouts, including Sienna.

Darius lifted her into his arms and started back for the house, giving orders in clipped tones to Sienna. Inside, he carried Sam straight to his opulent bathroom and sat her on the lip of the enormous Roman tub. He ran warm water into it, removed her shirt and shorts, and set her inside.

Someone knocked at the door.

“Come in,” he yelled.

Sienna raced into the bathroom with a shot glass of amber fluid. “I found the brandy.”

Kneeling at the tub’s lip, Darius held the glass to Sam’s lips. Her teeth still chattered. “C’mon, Sam, drink this.”

He tipped the glass back, and she swallowed, coughing more, but finished it. Color finally returned to her face.

Darius stood, took the glass and handed it back to Sienna. Their fingers touched and he felt a sudden current of pure power, as if he’d gotten a small shock from an electrical outlet. Sienna’s features seemed to ripple, like the surface of a lake after a stone is thrown in. Gone was the animated, intelligent businesswoman. And then he caught a whiff of damp earth, peeling bark and pine. Her eyes widened.

She knew that he knew what she was. Other.

Instincts on full alert, his nostrils flared. But he would save this for after he’d taken care of Sam.

“Stay in the tub,” he told Sam and went into the bedroom, Sienna following him.

“What else do you need?” Sienna asked.

“There’s a fresh cut of prime rib in the fridge that I cooked yesterday. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and bring it here.”

Without words, she left.

Darius returned to the bathroom, drained the tub, helped Sam out, then threw a thick towel around her shaking shoulders.

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