Nora and Jared #6
As Nora’s blood drip, drip, dripped to the cement floor, Laila’s pupils dilated, almost completely obliterating the blue of her irises.
Nora had to give the vampire credit—she lasted longer than she expected—but just as Laila jerked toward her, Jared barked out her name.
Laila’s gaze locked on her master. He must have given her a telepathic command. She strode directly for the door, not saying a word or looking back.
Pity. If she’d tasted Nora’s blood without permission, Nora would have been free to slaughter her.
“Friends.” Deagan swept into the midst of her group, drawing the humans’ attentions and motioning them to rise. “Bring your wine and join me back at the bar. We have an exquisite chardonnay we would love for you to try.”
Jennifer frowned toward the door. “Is she okay?”
“She’s perfectly fine.” Deagan put his arm around her shoulder and the air in the room turned warm and comforting, cozy as sitting beside a fire on a winter’s night.
Nora suspected that was Jared’s doing. He had moved closer. She stood so he wasn’t able to tower over her.
“That was foolish,” he said, stopping an arm’s length away.
She stretched out her blood soaked palm, feeling the knitted skin stretch. “That is what you can expect if I find your vampires here again. One of them will break and then they will die.”
He grabbed her wrist. He didn’t break eye contact and the move was so startlingly quick she almost let surprise leak into her expression. Instead, she kept her bloodied palm open and relaxed.
His gaze was intense, and his aura gave the air a tangible pulse. He was one of the Aged. He had mountain loads of self control, but he closed the short distance between them, lifted her hand to his mouth, then slowly and smoothly licked her palm.
Oh, fuck.
The feel of his tongue, the sudden thrum of desire that soaked his aura, made her heartbeat throb between her legs.
He pulled her closer and licked again, his eyes almost closing. And she didn’t stop him, not until he licked her a third time and pressed a kiss to the center of her palm.
She curled that hand into a fist and punched his chin.
The satisfying jerk of his head and the sharp lance of pain in her knuckles grounded her. She followed when he stepped back then swung a hard kick into his ribs.
His expression remained steady, but she’d hurt him. She could tell by the way the air expelled from his lungs.
“You are exquisite, Nora,” he said.
“You are dead.”
He held his arms out wide, inviting her to take him down.
She readied herself to charge, but he was prepared this time. He was anticipating her attack, eager for it.
Anticipate this.
She swiped the knife off the side table and launched it at his heart.
He barely moved aside in time, and the knife cut the flesh of his arm instead of lodging in his chest.
He glanced at the darkening fabric of his shirt sleeve. “If you wanted my blood, all you had to do was—”
She barreled into him, her speed and strength knocking him off his feet.
He landed on his back. She was on top, but his arm looped around her, holding her close. She couldn’t get the leverage she needed to bash a whole in his head.
She took a swing at him anyway. He caught her fist then flipped their positions, pinning her beneath them.
She could shift. She’d be able to get away from him, no problem, but she’d have to ditch her friends. She would also have to taste him when she ripped into his flesh. She wanted that enough to know it was a very bad idea to have his blood on her tongue.
He held her down long enough to demonstrate his power over her, then he rose in one smooth movement.
She was back on her feet the next instant.
“I will hunt down your vampires,” she snarled. “I will kill them one by one.”
“Do not assume all my people will be baited as easily as Laila.”
“Don’t overestimate your people’s self control.” She held out her healed palm. “Even you were baited.”
He glanced at her hand. “Yes.”
The admission silenced her retort.
“Yes, I am drawn to you. As you are drawn to me.”
She laughed. “The only reason I would want to be near you is to see you turn to ash.”
Something resembling a smile pulled at his mouth. “If you wanted me dead, your wolf would have come out to play. Unless you are worried about returning to this form unclothed? Although that should not be a concern as I have already seen you.”
She ignored the way his tone deepened.
“We were half dressed,” she said, dismissing an experience that would not be repeated.
“We could remedy that.”
Her body pulsed with a resounding yes, but her wolf growled, demanding to be set free. Usually, the wolf was the unreasonable part of her, the part that needed to be held in check because she wanted bloodshed and ferocity and a violence that would lead to disaster. Tonight, though, the wolf was smarter than the human.
Setting her free would be justified.
Jared stepped toward her, his gaze on hers, undoubtedly seeing the yellow in her eyes, the tension running through her muscles. He was waiting for her to shift, expecting it even, because werewolves and vampires were natural rivals, lethal and power-hungry.
But Nora was not weak. She would not be provoked. When he took another step toward her, she turned her back on him and strode toward the desk. She grabbed the bottle of Bliss, took a long swig. It burned down her throat and warmed her stomach in a way that relaxed her human self but further agitated the wolf.
She made a point of unimpressively looking at the bottle. It had no label, but the glass was etched with a series of familiar symbols, just as she’d thought it would be.
She turned the bottle upside down and poured the remaining Bliss onto the floor.
“Aeda Aerith of the Seelie Court,” she said. “My father hunted and killed her last month.”
A deep sense of satisfaction moved through her at the surprise Jared didn’t quite keep from his gaze.
“This is my territory,” she said. “You and your vampires will stay away.”
She tossed the empty bottle into the trashcan then walked out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
To read all the Nora and Jared scenes I've written so far, click here.
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