Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

"And she won't just bite, she'll savage. I may be wolf, but I dare not risk such a bite, especially given it'll taken more than a few minutes to cure her thirst. She'd more than likely suck the life from me. Nor can we call in a medical unit, simply because few doctors have seen a werewolf in bloodlust, let alone know how to treat it."

Quinn took another deep breath, then released it slowly. It hit like a blow. I lunged toward him, snarling and snapping

"Keep an eye on everything while I do this."

"Be careful."

"I'm not a fool."

The door slammed, and silence fell. The scent of sandalwood caressed the air, suggesting Quinn was still close. I waited, muscles quivering, ready to lunge should he step within reach

Material rustled. A zipper slid down. Shoes were kicked off. Anticipation quivered through me, bloodlust and moon lust at war through my system

His fingers pressed into me, and the moon heat surged, momentarily overwhelming the red tide. His touch slid back and forth through my slickness, and pleasure stormed through every nerve ending. Then he slipped two fingers inside, stroking hard. I shuddered, writhed, until it felt as if every fiber of my being was about to tear apart from the sheer force of the pleasure. Then everything did shatter and I howled the glory of it to the moon I couldn't see

But it was nowhere near enough to satisfy the hunger

He stepped closer. I snapped at him. He raised an arm and pressed it against my mouth. I reared back enough to rip into his flesh, tearing deep. He made no sound, but as his blood filled my mouth, he thrust himself into me, stroking hard and deep. It was a sensation unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Ecstasy itself

He made love to me hard and long, until the quivering in my body eased and the lust faded under the taste of his blood and sweat. Eventually, there was nothing left but sweet relief and the need to sleep. It was a need I was finally able to give in to

When sanity finally resurfaced, it was to the awareness of satin rather than wall pressing against my spine. The room was filled with a dusky light that spoke of sunset, and my body was sated, the aches distant. But all I could taste was blood. All I could remember was the rich flavor of his flesh as my teeth tore and slashed...

My stomach roiled and I clambered off the bed, running for the bathroom. I barely made it

When there was nothing left to bring up, I flushed the toilet and leaned back, closing my eyes. Beneath the taste of bile, blood still lingered. I had to get up and find something sweet to rinse my mouth out with; otherwise, I'd be sick again. But right then, I didn't have the strength to move

Footsteps approached. The softness of the tread and the scent in the air said it was Quinn. I didn't open my eyes. Didn't want to see the damage I'd done

"How did you find me?"

"I saw Talon snatch you, but the creatures stopped me from coming to your aid." He stopped in front of me, a warmth I could feel rather than see. "When I could, I called Liander, and he did a search for all of Talon's known addresses."

So Liander was the other voice I'd heard. "This place was only recently purchased by a subsidiary company, so how did you find it?"

"The subsidiary is one of the ones Jack had uncovered. Given this was a recent purchase, we took a chance."

And Talon had thought he was being so clever. But any amusement I might have felt was smothered under the apprehension of what had happened there. What I'd done

What he'd done

"I don't want to become a vampire on my death." It came out little more than a cracked whisper, and I swallowed to ease the dryness. But that only succeeded in pushing the bitter taste down my throat again, and my stomach stirred in warning. "I hate the taste of blood." Not that I'd ever tasted human blood before the moon madness, but I'd hunted enough rabbit over the years, and every time I'd sunk teeth into flesh, the rush of warm blood into my mouth had made me want to vomit. Rhoan reckoned I was a vegetarian who just wasn't willing to admit it yet

"Many vampires hate the taste in the beginning." He pressed a cup into my hand. "But you and I would have to share blood thrice, and perform a ceremony on the third occasion, before you'd turn into a vampire on your death."

I looked up, surprised. "I never knew that."

He raised an eyebrow. "If it were not so, don't you think the world would be overrun with vampires by now?"

"I never really thought about it."

He moved my hand, pressing the cup to my lips. "Rinse your mouth out. You'll feel a little better, believe me."

It wasn't water in the cup, but something that was both sweet and spicy. Whatever it was, it worked, and I did feel better once the bitter, metallic taste had fled my mouth. He took the cup, rinsing it quickly under the tap

His arm was bandaged from wrist to elbow, and the fact that it wasn't in a sling at least meant I hadn't bitten through bone. But he used his left hand rather than his right to wash the cup and turn off the tap

"How much damage did I do?"