Aline Hunter - Vampire Mine

That changed things.

She studied Trey, watching his movements, relying on her instincts to gauge if he were being honest or avoiding the truth. “You don’t remember me, do you?” Considering he’d charged at her earlier, she’d thought he might. Now she wasn’t so sure.

“Should I?” A warning flashed through his eyes, the muscles in his jaw clenching.

Holy crap. Oh no . “Yes, you should.” She took a deep breath and slowly rose from her seat. Time to get answers. “Do you remember anything about the night we found you? Do you have any memories of what happened?”

“I know Sadie managed to get me out of the hands of Shepherds.” He balled his hands into fists and shifted his feet, his eyes glowing yellow. “I know she brought me home before she hit the road without so much as a goodbye or see you later. She left me high and dry. I couldn’t even thank her.”

For the first time in weeks, Leigh felt a pang of pity for the man.

He’d been unaware of the suffering he’d caused.

“It wasn’t easy to get you out,” she informed him softly, treading carefully into treacherous waters. “There were a lot of men to go through and we had to fight our way to the basement. Sadie got hurt.” Guilt assailed her when Trey’s tan face paled and his fingers unfurled. Struggling past her emotions, she continued, “Once we found you, we realized we’d have to carry you out, but we were so weak and tired… “

He’d seemed so large to Leigh back then, almost impossible to lift. Of course she was always weak since she refused to give her body what it needed to thrive. More shame and embarrassment struck. If only she’d taken more blood before she’d gone with Sadie—if only she’d given in to her thirst for once—things could have gone so differently.

“Tell me,” he ordered, the words a harsh rasp. “I have a right to know.”

“It came down to a decision,” she whispered, hating to be the bearer of bad news. “Drink from you or leave you to die.” Fear made her pause. Trey was barely holding it together. What would he do when he learned how much Sadie had endured once she’d left the only person she could feed from behind? “Once she’d taken what she needed, we managed to get you to the car and bring you home. Afterward she went to one of our healing caverns but by then the damage had been done.”

“Damage?”

Up until then, Leigh didn’t realize one word could convey someone’s absolute devastation. Trey’s reactions were totally honest, holding nothing back. He was prepared to listen to whatever she had to tell him, even if it destroyed him in the process. Her plan to storm into his home and put him in his place had drastically backfired. Although there was a chance he’d heard what she’d told Nathan, she decided to put everything out in the open.

No more secrets, to hell with misunderstandings.

“She started starving to death.” When his eyes bulged she hurried to finish. “She couldn’t drink from anyone else.”

“She what?”

“Vampires can’t drink from shifters. Something happens when we do. We become tied to the person we drink from.” She couldn’t mask her nervousness, not when she could feel Trey’s rage from across the room. “It makes it impossible to gain sustenance from any other source—from any other person.”

He took a step forward and Nathan countered the movement, standing directly in Trey’s path. She didn’t think she’d be thankful for Nathan’s interference but she released a shaky breath just the same, finding that she preferred having the imposing werewolf on her side.

“Where is she?” Trey sounded panicked but resolute. “Take me to her.”

Peering around her protector, she looked at the man who’d caused so much harm yet hadn’t known it. It was time to reveal her hand. She removed the pair of earrings she’d stolen from Sadie’s bedroom from her pocket. “I can do that but if she’s in trouble—and I think she is—I’ll need help.”

Approaching footsteps drew the attention of everyone in the room. Nathan thrust her behind him, hiding her with his much larger frame. She caught a glimpse of Trey rushing from the room, instructing over his shoulder, “Get her outside. I’ll come around and meet you. It’s not safe to talk here.”

Nathan didn’t argue, taking her by the elbow to guide her around a couch. She hadn’t noticed the door in the corner, too transfixed by Nathan and then Trey as they’d come at her like Mack trucks. As she stepped outside and breathed in the morning air, she said a small prayer of thanks.

Despite it all.

Even at her worst.

She managed not to cave to her thirst.

Thank heaven for small favors.

Her gaze swept over Nathan’s sublime body. There wasn’t a single inch of him covered in fat. Beneath the layers of clothing was a body gods would envy. Another tidal wave of lust surged through her, heating her in ways she’d thought she’d never experience after losing her mortality.

And she’d thought denying bloodlust was hard? So much for that.

Every minute in the man’s presence was going to be sheer torture.

* * * * *

Trey intercepted Cade before he could make it into the living room. His stomach had formed into a hard knot, anxiety making all of his senses sharp. His heart pounded in his chest, his skin itching as he restrained the animal inside him. The wolf had risen to the surface a long time ago, trying to fight its way free. The beast knew its mate was in trouble and wanted to bring its female home. It felt it alone could protect her, shelter her.

Nourish her.

The disgrace that swamped him made it difficult to breathe. He hadn’t seen Sadie for months. And in all that time she hadn’t been able to do the one thing that would give her life—the poor thing couldn’t fucking eat . As a male it was his duty to see to the needs of his mate and he’d failed at the most basic level.

Images from his dreams were like a sucker punch to the face.

Now he knew they weren’t dreams but memories. Everything that had happened—her fangs at his throat, the tiny pulls at his skin as she fed—had been real. He’d given her what she needed most only to rip it from her hands. Why hadn’t she come to him? Had her pride gotten in her way? Had facing starvation been preferable to coming face-to-face with him again?

He winced. It must have been.

He was aware he hadn’t been easy on her. He’d practically taken the gift she’d given him and thrown in back in her face. Vampires were dangerous to shifters, able to turn them into familiars with no free will. Despite that, he still wanted her.

Hell, how could he not?

The night he’d finally gotten hold of her, trapping her lithe body between his and the ground, he’d known they’d be perfect together. She’d been so hot, her pussy weeping for his touch. One kiss had set them on fire, turning the world upside down. He wanted to hammer into the softness of her cunt and hear her cries of pleasure. She’d been right there with him too, as caught up in the moment as he was.

Then he’d opened his mouth and fucked it all up.

After tonight, you’ll never see me again. You have my word.

He was so deep in thought he barreled right into Cade. The human grunted and shoved Trey to the side. “What the fuck? I thought you were leaving.”

Trey hurried to make an excuse—any excuse. Even if Caden wasn’t a shifter he had spot-on instincts. The man had been an investigator once upon a time. Years had honed his intuition, allowing him to detect skeletons in anyone’s closet.

“I forgot my wallet.”

“Uh-huh,” Cade responded and leaned against the closest wall. “Since when do you explain yourself to me?”