Chapter Twenty-Six
“Ethan!” I shouted as soon as we landed. I stepped away and pointed at him angrily. “What the hell? You weren’t supposed to actually fly off with me like that!”
“I wanted to be alone with you. It might be our last time,” he pouted.
I sighed. “That wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal.”
“Sorry.”
“So, what is this about?”
He smiled. “I wanted you to come with me. To New York.”
My eyes widened. “I’m still in school and you’re a… vampire. I can’t just go away with you.”
He got down on his knees and stared up at me. “Would it help if I confessed my undead love for you?”
This time I laughed out loud. “You’re crazy.”
He stood up and pulled me back into his arms. “Hey, the only thing I’m crazy about, is you.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I mean, you keep calling me Miranda. I’m not this person and I’ll never be her.”
He tipped my chin up and stared into my eyes. “I know that. Look, Nikki, I’m drawn to you, and as far as I’m concerned, nothing else matters.”
“Drawn to me?”
“Yes. There’s this magnetic pull between us, can’t you feel it? It’s like, we were meant to be together.”
“I don’t know about a magnetic pull… I mean, I like you. I like you, a lot. But…”
“But what? Just throw caution to the wind. I’ll take care of you, Nikki. I swear I’ll keep you safe.”
“I just can’t do what you’re asking. My mother needs me so much right now, and I can’t leave my brother. You have to understand that? You and I… we don’t even really know each other.”
“I won’t force you to come with me, but I want you to understand that I can’t come back to this place.”
I stared at his face, which was so incredibly handsome. I knew I’d miss him. Whether it was real or not, I felt something for Ethan and wished things were different.
He bent forward and pressed his lips to mine.
“Your skin, it’s so cool,” I whispered, touching his cheek.
“I haven’t had time to… feed. I had other things on my mind.”
I touched his forehead. “When your skin is cooler, does it mean you’re weaker?”
“Yes, In fact, I’ll lose most of my strength if I don’t eat soon. That’s another reason I wanted to move quickly.”
“So, what exactly do you need to… survive?”
He smiled bitterly. “Do you really want to know?”
“Not really, but I need to know one thing; do you kill innocent people?”
He shook his head vehemently. “No. I feed off of willing victims. I only take what I need and they live to see another day. Swear to God.”
I stared at him. I wasn’t sure where he found ‘willing victims’ and wasn’t about to ask.
I sighed. “Where are you going to find a willing victim now?”
“I don’t know yet,” he smiled grimly. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that when I was chasing after you. I just really wanted to see you before I left.”
“How about me?”
His eyes widened. “You?”
I pulled my hair away from my neck. “Yes, use my blood. Do it before I change my mind, though.”
He stared at my neck and licked his lips. “I… there is some danger involved. If anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Then you’d better do it quickly, before I chicken out. I hate needles enough as it is.”
He lips curled up. “It’s not quite the same thing.”
I swallowed. “Okay, does it hurt?”
He caressed my neck with his fingertip and I shivered. “I can make it enjoyable for you,” he whispered, huskily.
I looked up into blue his eyes and the naked desire reflected there made me breathless. “Okay,” I whispered. “Just do it, quickly.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Take my blood.”
His eyes dilated. With a low growl in the back of his throat, his lips crushed mine and his tongue made its way into my mouth, stroking and demanding a response.
And respond I did.
I slid my hands around his neck, drawing him closer and I could feel his arousal pressing against me. I shivered in delight as a desire to wrap my legs around his waist and hold on forever washed over me.
Instead, he let me go.
“Are you sure about his?” he asked. He was breathing so heavily, it reminded me of a lion panting for water.
I touched his lip with the pad of my thumb. It was so sensual and yet, something lurked behind it that both frightened and excited me. “Yes, just do it already.”
Ethan stared into my eyes and a burning desire to do whatever he wanted, slammed through every nerve in my body. This time I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to meet my lips, feeling like I just couldn’t get enough of his mouth.
He groaned against my lips and cupped my rear, rubbing his hips against mine, causing a warm ache between my legs. Just when I didn’t think I could take it anymore, he raised his head.
“Please,” I begged, not even sure of what I was asking for anymore.
He moved his mouth to my neck and paused. I could feel the coolness of his breath against my skin; I could also feel him trembling. “I love you,” he whispered and then, his teeth broke through.
I shuddered in ecstasy as my blood flowed into him with a rush of pleasure so great, that I could have died and it wouldn’t have mattered. “Ethan,” I breathed, clutching him tighter so that I wouldn’t fall.
A gunshot echoed through the night and suddenly he was backing away from me, a look of horror and pain etched on his face. Before I could ask him what had happened, he was gone.
“Did you get him?!” shouted my mother’s voice in the darkness.
“Yeah,” said Caleb. “He’s bleeding. He won’t get far.”
My mother was crying hysterically as she rushed towards me. “Nikki! Oh, my God, you’re bleeding everywhere. We have to get her to the hospital!” she screamed at Caleb.
Caleb nodded. “I’ve already called an ambulance.”
“Mom,” I whispered, staring at her in confusion. How did she get there? Where was Ethan?
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah… I’m… fine.”
She shook her head and sobbed harder. “No, you’re not! You’re bleeding and you’re so pale. Dear Lord, what was that monster doing to my little girl?!”
I couldn’t answer her, because at that moment, I lost consciousness.
***
End of Book One
Book two, Shiver, is available at most eBook stores.
For more information on Kristen Middleton, visit her website at www.kristenmiddleton.com or see her facebook author page
Other books also by Kristen Middleton -
Zombie Games Series
Enchanted Secrets
Tangled Beauty (Written as K.L. Middleton)
Tangled Mess (Written as K.L. Middleton)
Sharp Edges (Written as K.L. Middleton)
Chrissy Peebles - Eternal Vows
Eternal Vows
(Book 1 in The Ruby Ring Saga)
By
Chrissy Peebles