Forbidden Blood (20 page)

To Payton
’s surprise, Saxon didn’t fight back.

He held his arms up in surrender
. “Dude, nothing happened. She kissed me.”

Sawyer pulled Saxon closer and growled.

“A peck. No tongue. When she asked me, I told her I couldn’t sleep with her.”

“
Couldn’t or wouldn’t?”

“
What does it matter?” Saxon knocked Sawyer’s hand off his shirt. “It seems like you don’t want to have anything to do with her anyway.”

Sawyer looked confused and frustrated.

“Maybe you need to figure that out,” Saxon said. “It’s been two months, and you’re driving yourself crazy. You’re obviously drunk right now, and you rarely drink—at least hardly enough to get intoxicated. Why do you think that is?”

Payton
remembered Sawyer coming home one night two months ago, and he’d been all pissed about some girl. Could this be the same one? Payton had half teased him that night, but maybe she had been right about Sawyer liking this girl.

“
I know.” Sawyer dropped his head and rubbed his face in his hand.

“
I will tell you one thing,” Saxon said.

Sawyer looked back up.

“I really don’t know what your problem is with her. She seems great, and for some reason, she fucking likes
you
.” Saxon poked Sawyer in the chest with two fingers. “But you have your head so far up your ass that you can’t get past your own bigotry. So, you know what? The next time she wants to go home with me, I’m going to take her up on it. Then, I’ll ride her so hard that she won’t even remember your name.”

“
You fucker.” Sawyer lunged at Saxon.

Vaughn nodded again, and Camden grabbed
Sawyer around the chest to stop him. Saxon turned and stalked toward the bunkhouse.

Vaughn ran up to Saxon.
“Don’t you think that was a little harsh?”

Saxon swayed back around
“Maybe, but he needs a goddamn reality check. He’s too fucking stubborn. I’m not going to sleep with her, but I needed to make him think. He obviously wants her, but he can’t get over his biased feelings. He’s miserable, and she’s miserable. It’s going to stay that way until he does something about it.”

“
Yeah, well, I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

“
I know. He’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. Hopefully, I got him thinking at least.” Saxon rotated on his heel and headed into the bunkhouse.

Vaughn rubbed his hand down his face in frustration.
“Fucking hell, I don’t need this shit tonight,” he said to himself.

When h
e turned around, he noticed Payton standing there, watching. “What are you doing here?”

“
Um…I live here.”

Vaughn laughed, the humor not quite reaching his eyes.
“Smart-ass.”

“
Better to be a smart-ass than a dumbass.”

His expression turned serious.
“Hey, don’t go and tell Dad about this, okay? I have the situation under control.”

Payton
studied her brother. He looked stressed, but he also knew his limits.

“
My lips are sealed. Good luck with him.” She gestured toward Sawyer where he was standing on the dock and removing his clothes to jump in the lake.

Vaughn looked in the direction she pointed.
“The cold water will probably do him good.” He looked back at her. “Good night, sis.”

“Good night
.” She turned and walked to the front of the house.

She
grabbed her mug and headed to her room. She slipped under the covers of her bed and considered her past relationships and Sawyer’s situation. She decided that it might be smart to just stay single forever.

W
AITING OUTSIDE NAYA’S door, Arianna tried to convince herself that she had no other choice but to enter even if she preferred to stay outside. She had woken up after sunset this evening, and she could no longer deny her hunger. She had continued to put off her need as Naya had not been in top health for many weeks, but now, Arianna desperately needed to feed.

Since Arianna was unmated, she
would feed from her aunt or Naya. With Aunt Celeste still overseas, Naya was Arianna’s only option. A large part of her hesitation stemmed from the last time she’d fed from Naya about seven weeks ago. Arianna had noticed Naya’s blood tasted different. Arianna now wondered if it had been the first sign of Naya’s current ailment. About a week after the feeding, Naya had experienced her first bout of light-headedness along with a decreased appetite, but she had still managed to keep up her normal daily routine.

However, after the night Naya
had come home early from her evening out, her symptoms had increased. Naya would not admit that she was sick, but she would sleep a lot and not eat much. Arianna also knew Naya had not fed from her for several weeks, long before her aunt and uncle left town. Perhaps Naya fed from someone else. Could one of these be the reason Naya had not been feeling well.

When Arianna
had first noticed the urge to feed, Naya had not been as weak as she was now. Arianna had put it off, hoping Naya would get better. But Naya was not improving. With her aunt and uncle returning home in a week, Arianna had assumed she would be able to hold off until then. However, she could not wait any longer.

With no other possibilities available to her, Arianna knocked on Naya
’s door. When Naya did not answer after a few attempts, Arianna poked her head inside. Naya was lying in bed again, which seemed to be one of her favorite places as of late. Along with Naya’s other symptoms, whatever was making her ill had changed her scent, too. Arianna was becoming increasingly worried for her cousin.

Arianna walked up to the bed to see Naya asleep on her back. She had not
awoken at all to Arianna’s knocking, so she shook Naya’s shoulder in an attempt to wake her. “Naya. Naya.”

“
Hmm?” Naya rolled away from her.

“
Naya?”

“
What?” she said in a drowsy voice.

“
How are you feeling?”

“
Sleepy.”

“
Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“
No. It will pass. I’m just tired.”

“
But you are not eating. Do you need to feed?”

Naya moaned.
“Yuck. That doesn’t even sound good.”

“
But—”

The doorbell rang.

Arianna sighed. “I will return.”

She
found she was rather irritated. She normally prided herself on being reserved and maintaining a calm demeanor, but she was past the point of simple hunger. She needed to feed, and her hunger made her bad-tempered. She feared whoever stood at the door would not be welcome.

She looked through the window before answering.
It was Emerson. She was in no mood for his polite indifference toward her. Since he had begun courting Naya, he had been civil with Arianna, but it never went beyond that. She had thought they could at least be friends, but her hopes had faded as time passed.

Naya and
Emerson seemed to get along rather well. They often talked and laughed, and they genuinely appeared to enjoy each other’s company. It was a bittersweet time in Arianna’s life. The vampire species needed an admirable royal couple to lead them even if only by example, and Emerson and Naya fit the mold. However, Arianna could potentially lose the man she loved. She did not understand why she still had feelings for him after the way he continued to ignore her.

She opened the door, bracing herself for Emerson
’s aloofness. “Hello, Emerson,” she said crisply.

“
Arianna.” He nodded in greeting.

“
Come in.” She stepped out of his path while she held the handle for balance as he entered.

After he walked through the doorway, he looked up toward the stairs.
“Is Naya here? I just got back into town from my business trip, but I was sure we had plans tonight.”

Arianna only half listened to him
. Instead, she was focused on his hazelnut scent and the way his pulse beat in his neck. It only reminded her of her need. She had never fed from a male before.
What would Emerson taste like?
She shut her eyes and tried to rein in her thoughts. When she opened them, Emerson was staring at her, waiting.

She almost forgot he
had asked a question.

“
I apologize. Naya has not been feeling like herself. I should have made sure she called you to cancel.” Arianna hoped he would leave if she took the blame. “It is my fault, and I apologize.”

He stood there, studying her, and she swore his heart rate changed. His pulse increased in tempo, the beat bec
oming more prominent at his throat. As her cravings intensified, she swayed, and she was grateful for the open door because she would have fallen if she was not holding on to the doorknob.

She turned her eyes away
, hoping that not looking at him would help her gain control. Unfortunately, she could still smell him. She did not know how much longer she could hang on.

“
I am sorry, Emerson.” Arianna spoke toward the floor, still avoiding his gaze. “Naya does not feel well, but I can give her a message for you. She is in bed, and she is not able to come down to see you. It’s best if you leave.”

Emerson did not reply. He was probably caught
off guard by her unusually bold statement.
Well, he would just have to accept it.
She was starved and impatient, and having him stand there only made her desire to feed more urgent. She needed him to leave before she could make a fool of herself by begging for his vein. When Emerson did not say anything, she looked at him again. He was merely watching her attentively.

“
Please, you must go,” she pleaded with him.

Instead
, he stepped forward, and the aroma of hazelnuts and male vampire surrounded her. She swayed again, unable to hold herself up.

Emerson caught her in his arms.
“What’s wrong, Arianna?” He leaned in and inhaled her scent. “You need to feed.”

She closed her eyes and did not reply. She did not
want him to know how weak she was.

“
Don’t you?” he demanded.

When she remained quiet, he barked,
“Answer me!”

She gave in
and opened her eyes. “Yes.”

“
How long has it been?”

“
Seven weeks.”

“
Seven weeks?” he said in wonder. “What is wrong with you?”

Most vampires needed to feed about once a month. Waiting almost two months was past the limit and not good for a vampire
’s health.

Regardless of how hungry she felt, she would not let him insult her. She tried to push him away. He set her on her feet but held on
to her arms.