Fate Bound (Fate Bound Trilogy Book 1) by Madeline Freeman

Author:Madeline Freeman [Freeman, Madeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laurealinde Publishing LLC
Published: 2016-06-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The weakness comes over me so quickly I nearly fall on my snout as we enter our territory. I wonder if it’s adrenaline that’s kept me going this long. The familiar burning ignites in my stomach, and I stop and shift back to human form.

When Jack senses what I’ve done, he shifts too. “What’s wrong?”

I turn my attention to my hands. Small flecks of glass sparkle in the light coming through the tree branches, and I use my nails to start digging it out. I don’t want to tell him what’s really going on, but I also don’t want to lie, so I hope my actions lead him to his own conclusions.

After a moment, he takes my hand in his and starts digging the glass out for me. I take deep breaths, trying to focus on the pain to keep my mind off the pangs of hunger. “You know, if we keep running we’ll be at the enclave in five minutes. We could take care of this there.”

The idea of running any further makes me want to faint. “It’s not that.”

He runs the pads of his thumbs over my palms. As I watch, the small holes left by the shards of glass mend themselves. “What is it then?”

I sigh. “I’m hungry,” I say, not meeting his eyes. “I mean, part of me is.”

A beat passes before he inhales with understanding. “Oh.”

And just like that, things are awkward. Of course Jack is aware of my vampire side, but mostly we can ignore it. Now, here it is, rearing its head.

“Could you… Would…” He exhales noisily and his lips twitch like he’s trying to figure out exactly the right words. “Could you use me?”

While his offer comforts me somewhat, I shake my head. “You know that won’t work.”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s just, it worked once before. I thought maybe…”

I’ve been over what happened in my room that day hundreds of times, and I still can’t explain why I needed to feed from Jack. I haven’t had the desire since. Werewolf blood still appeals to my vampire side, but it’s a totally visceral reaction. I don’t hunger for it. It’s kind of like the crappy off-brand cookies one of my supervisors at the call center used to bring in to boost morale—no one really wanted those cookies, but because they were there, most of us ate a handful. “I can’t explain why it worked. But that’s not really surprising, since I can’t explain any of this.”

The corners of Jack’s mouth quirk up in a smile. “It’s pretty new to me, too.” He brings his hand to my face and strokes my cheek with his thumb. The gesture is all I need to know that he’s not repulsed by my need. He understands.

A scent tickles my nostrils and I straighten. Jack sniffs the air. “It’s a deer,” he says. “That might work—I’ve met vampires before who lived entirely off animal blood. I can help you catch it if you want. I can flank it and drive it toward you.

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