And yet the idea of her lips pressed against my pulse, the feel of my teeth digging into her flesh had such a dizzying ef
fect on my equilibrium I tripped over the carpet and nearly faceplanted against the black leather couch.
Vampires.
I was halfway between paranoia and blood lust; at least that was what it felt like, this crazed need to run up the stairs and do something unthinkable.
What the hell makes any of my family think I am able to control myself without someone watching my every move?
Maybe that was part of their plan.
Nobody was here to stop me.
Nobody but me.
Hell, I’d be better off chained in the basement.
My thoughts perked up. Now, that was actually a solid idea born out of necessity to keep my body, my tongue, my mouth from the one woman who would take it all — and refuse to give it back.
I’d be lost to myself.
She’d be lost to me.
And I didn’t know how to be an us anymore — maybe I never had. I’d been a horrible mate to begin with. What sort of mate dreamed about other women? I’d loved my human mate.
But she had been frail.
I’d been in a constant state of fear whenever we joined, fear that I would kill her with a flick of my wrist because I wasn’t cautious enough.
It would be difficult to injure a vampire.
I shook the thought when a knock sounded at the door. My ears strained to hear what was on the other side.
Heartbeat.
Rapid.
Even breathing.
I sniffed the air and then rolled my eyes as I stomped over to the door and jerked it open.
Timber grinned at me with white teeth and creepy blue eyes. “Just checking up on my old friend.”
I almost slammed the door in his face. “We have never been friends.”
He took a step over the threshold and spread his arms wide. “Fine. Cassius said that you were going to lose your mind and either kill a vampire or screw one. Had to see so for myself.”
“Hate demons,” I muttered under my breath as I made my way back to the living room to my pacing, to my torture.
Timber spread his massive body out on the couch and let out a pleased sigh. “Is she pretty?” He sniffed the air. “She smells pretty.”
My hand was on his throat before I could stop myself, squeezing with the intention of a good kill — blood — though demon blood tasted like ass. I wondered if Timber’s would be any different since he’d been saved by Alex’s mate, the last remaining elf and only immortal able to give life back to the damned.
I felt my fangs elongate as my mouth filled with saliva.
Dark hair fell across Timber’s sculpted face as confusion replaced his smile. “Have you looked in a mirror recently?”
“Why do people keep commenting on my body?” I growled, releasing his throat and closing my hand into a tight fist as my talons shoved back into my fingertips like they hadn’t just been clawing out and itching to rip flesh.