Chapter 76 76
The first thing I do is rush to Lois, get close to her. My hand touches her forehead; she doesn’t move, she’s still burning, letting out soft, whistling breaths as if she’s in pain.
I dig my nail into my finger and slide it into her mouth, letting my blood spill into her. I close my eyes when I feel Lois begin to suck.
My lips part and a sigh escapes me; she sucks harder. I feel her grip my hand and I open my eyes—Lois is awake.
“Lois…” I murmur when her eyes meet mine. My finger is still inside her mouth and her lips close around it as she drinks from me. I move closer to her side and settle onto the bed beside her.
I look at her face—it seems better now, she looks healthier. Her forehead is no longer burning, the burns on her arms are fading, she’s getting better. The collar burns against my chest, but I ignore it; the only thing that matters is that Ezequiel isn’t here and I’m next to Lois.
Right now, I feel like she’s mine, and I want to cling to that feeling, to this moment.
My body wants to merge with hers in a way I don’t believe I can control much longer.
The other day I saw her with Ezequiel and I wanted to take his place, to be him, to be the one possessing Lois that way. Her eyes locked onto mine and I desired her with every ounce of strength I had, even if I didn’t understand it.
I felt like a baby in diapers, learning how to walk—maybe just trying to.
This was wolf business, not vampire business, but now I was in the middle of it. Beside an omega who seemed to be the center of my universe.
She was my universe.
I slide my finger out of her mouth, but Lois catches it with her hand and brings it close to her face, licking it. I lean closer to her face; my finger moves toward her mouth, but doesn’t enter. It traces her lips, gliding over them, staining them with my blood as I wait for her to lick it.
Her tongue slips out and she begins to sweep her lips, searching for my blood. It’s so sexy it burns.
“What do you want, Aidan?” she asks me.
I don’t answer and she takes my finger again, licking the blood flowing from it.
“You’re going to drain me dry,” I say softly.
“Just a little more,” she asks in that voice. For some reason, I feel weak every time she drinks from me. And I feel other things.
“It looks like you can control it, but I know what you need,” Lois says when my finger leaves her mouth. She rests her face against my chest and grabs the collar. “In me, it’s a much more uncontrollable need, Aidan.”
“Don’t take it off,” I ask her.
“It chose me,” she says. “How do vampires choose a mate?” she asks, her eyes fixed on the collar.
“I don’t know, Lois. I don’t know any more than you do. I don’t know anything else. I’ve never seen a vampire in my life, never been close to one,” I tell her. “It’s always just been me and this thing I have to hide.”
“You know how wolf mates work,” Lois says.
“Of course. I’ve lived my whole life among you,” I stroke her hair and she closes her eyes. “Do you need it?” I ask, my mouth close to hers.
“I want it,” Lois says. “It’s inevitable—like trying to change the fact that the sun rises in the east.”
She moves toward my lips, but doesn’t kiss me. She simply gets to her feet, leaving me on the bed. She walks to the door and seconds later Ezequiel comes in. She hugs him while he locks his eyes on me, accusing.
“You gave her your blood,” he says quietly. It’s not a question—he knows. But Ezequiel’s calm makes me nervous.
Lois starts kissing him intensely, making sounds as she does. Ezequiel’s hands begin to roam her body. Lois leans in and kisses his neck.
Ezequiel’s gaze crosses mine again and I look away.
“I want you,” Lois says out loud. “I have to do this, Ezequiel.”
My body shudders, feeling the vastness of Lois’s desire. I hear Ezequiel’s heartbeat speeding up—maybe because of that… because he feels her desire too.
It hits us, it controls us.
She lowers his hands and turns toward me. I get to my feet, unwilling to acknowledge what Lois is planning. I look to Ezequiel, expecting some kind of attack from him, but it doesn’t come. Then Lois steps closer and kisses me.
She… she kisses me.
I feel Ezequiel move toward me, but there’s no threat in his posture. He pulls off the shirt Lois is wearing, leaving her breasts bare. He takes my hands and places them on them, and my mouth opens in surprise as I feel her desire and her breasts under my palms, whether because of my touch or the way Ezequiel accepts it.
I don’t know what’s changed. I don’t know what’s happening here. If it’s a trap, if he’ll break my neck the moment I let my guard down and rip my heart out with a bite. I only know that Ezequiel urges me to touch her while Lois waits for me.
She goes back onto the bed, Ezequiel behind her, pushing down Lois’s pants—even though they’re mine—and leaving her naked.
I’ve seen her naked before, in the middle of the fight, in the middle of the cave.
But seeing her naked now… it’s like truly seeing her.
You’re naked. For me.
My body suddenly feels cold, then warmth rushes back into it. I move toward her and kiss her while Ezequiel supports her body against his chest, his hands on her breasts.
How does this work? I wonder.
“It’s your moment, Aidan,” Lois says against my lips.