Wicked Road to Hel (League of Guardians 1)

The smell of his blood mingled with the scent of sex permeated everything around her. Ana’s fangs broke free and she was too weak to do anything but allow them freedom.

She looked up at Declan, and the raw passion in his eyes undid her. She clenched tight against him, her legs locking behind his hips as an orgasm shuddered through her.

Ana writhed beneath him as a guttural cry fell from his lips, and she clutched at his shoulders, pulling him down to her. Declan’s right hand held her ass tight to him as his orgasm erupted and she opened her mouth, welcoming the intensity of her own release as it washed through her.

Her fangs ached and she was inches from his neck. Her thoughts were scattered but one thing stood out with clarity. The need to complete the act. To take his blood and ma

ke him hers.

“Do it.” Declan’s cry was hoarse and she scraped her teeth along his flesh, inhaling the scent of him as her body continued to rock with the most incredible orgasm she’d ever had.

Yet it wasn’t enough. Her belly clenched almost immediately and a hunger like nothing she’d ever experienced before hit hard. The urge to feed from Declan was painful. It erased the pleasure that thrummed through her body in less time than it had taken to fall into bed.

Dark thoughts crowded her mind and she shook her head, crying out as she tried to push him away. She could not feed from him. Ana knew she’d never be able to stop with just a taste.

His other hand was at her head, urging her forward. “Do it,” he commanded.

Ana stared at the flesh before her. His heartbeat pounded inside her head, a melody so beautiful it hurt. Her mouth watered, her fangs ached, but she whispered, “No.”

Declan moved so that he could look at her and shame scorched her cheeks as his eyes lingered on her fangs. She knew her face was in the throes of bloodlust and she wanted to look away, but couldn’t. Declan needed to see what she really was.

What he should be afraid of.

His breaths fell in short, fast bursts and slowly the passion fled, leaving a blank, cold look upon his face. He was still inside her and yet the space between them seemed infinite.

Declan withdrew and turned from her, his shoulders hunched forward. She ached for him and when he stood, hands clenched at his side, her hand reached for him but then she let it fall. He scooped up his pants from the floor and she hugged herself, suddenly cold.

He turned his head and she gazed upon his profile. The light filtering in from outside bathed him in an eerie glow. Her heart ached because she knew he was confused, that he would take her refusal to feed from him as rejection. And why would he think otherwise?

The only way to guarantee his safety was to steer clear. She’d already crossed the line today, hell, she’d fucking leapt over it, and now she’d have to deal with the consequence.

“You feed from humans all the time. Press that hot body of yours against strange men, and yet you won’t drink from me.”

Ana heard the accusation in his words and though she didn’t trust herself to speak, she managed to blurt, “That’s different.”

He turned then, his anger palpable. Vibrations rippled along the floor. They crept up the bedposts and rattled the shutters that covered her windows.

“Why is it different?”

“I need blood to live, Declan. They’re a food source. Nothing more.”

He arched a brow. “Did you take from Diego?”

Ana’s belly dropped and she felt faint. Diego was a name that would haunt her forever it seemed. Diego Castille, her former lover and the man she’d fancied herself in love with when she’d worked at PATU.

“When you had sex with him . . . did you feed from Diego?” Bitterness hung in the air and she swallowed heavily. She couldn’t lie.

“Yes.” But I didn’t bond with him. I didn’t give him my blood. There was no fear of consequence. I never wanted him the way I want you.

Declan stared down at her, his dark eyes fathomless and cold. His chest rose and fell as he fought for control, yet he remained silent. Slowly he pulled on his jeans and left without another word.

Sadness welled in her heart and Ana fought the tears that stung the corner of her eyes. She slipped from the bed and grabbed his T-shirt. It still held his warmth and she hugged it close to her body. Eventually she pulled the shirt over her head and fell back onto the mattress. His scent was all around her—on her body, his shirt, and her sheets. She inhaled it and closed her eyes as she savored his unique signature.

Ana didn’t regret one moment she’d shared with Declan. She was selfish enough to admit that, though the hunger he’d awakened would curse her until the end of days.

Outside the sun was nearly full in the sky. A new day dawned for the residents of New Orleans. Ana snuggled deeper into the bed, hating the emptiness that sat in her gut. There would be no promise of new beginnings for her.

They’d died the minute Declan had claimed her heart.