Forbidden Blood (21 page)

“
I already explained it to you. Naya has not been feeling well for many weeks now, and my aunt is still out of the country. I do not have anyone else to feed from at home.” She smoothed her dress down, refusing to look at him. “Besides, why does it matter to you? Should you not be worried about Naya?”

When she raised her head,
she saw Emerson’s eyes were narrowed, and his lips were tight.

“
What I am,” he said through clenched teeth, “is mad that Naya would let you go this long without feeding. She knows she’s the only one available to you while the rest of your family is away. What is she thinking?”

Arianna was stunned.
Did he actually care about her well-being? And it was odd he had made no mention of Naya’s illness. This was not the Emerson she had come to know.

Emerson shut the front door, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the house.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“
Somewhere you can feed.”

Arianna pulled on his arm.
“But it is not proper. You are supposed to be—”

He turned his head and glared at her.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about propriety right now. I am not letting you starve another minute.” He turned around and strode forward, towing her behind him.

When they got to the sitting room, Emerson let go of her hand
. He sat on the sofa, rolled up his sleeves, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. He rested his bare wrists on his knees. She stood there and looked at him.

“
What’s wrong?” he asked.

What was wrong was, for a second, she
had actually thought Emerson cared for her.

Blood flow increased when it was below the heart, so she
had assumed he would stand while she sat and fed from his wrist. But he had sat down, which had left her with no choice but to kneel at his feet. He obviously still thought she was beneath him. She was grateful he could not know the direction of her thoughts. She felt foolish for presuming he held any compassionate feelings toward her.

Her pride demanded she turn away, but being this close to feeding caused her stomach to cramp with need. She could not refuse his offer now. So, she sauntered up to him as if he were not doing her a favor. She kept her head
held high as she lowered herself to the ground.

She did not know if she should grab his wrist or wait for him to offer it to her. This was all new to her. After a few seconds of his silence, she looked at him to ask him what he wanted her to do.

Before she could speak, he asked her, “What are you doing?”

She sensed his displeasure, and she felt her face immediately
flush with embarrassment. Had she done something wrong? Had he not said he would feed her? She replayed his words in her head. Perhaps she had misunderstood. Maybe he had meant he would find someone for her to feed from. She hung her head. Evidently, he did not want her to take his vein.

“
I am sorry. I did not understand. Please do not be upset. I know I should not make excuses, but I have never felt this hungry before.”

Emerson put his finger beneath her chin and lifted her head until she
was looking in his eyes. She was astonished when she saw kindness there.

“
Arianna, when I asked you what you were doing, it was not because I hadn’t planned to feed you. I’m wondering why you are sitting on the floor.”

H
er eyebrows drew together. Emerson was older than her and should understand how feeding worked.

He leaned over and grabbed her hand.
“Stand up.”

More confused now, Arianna complied. Once she stood, Emerson put his legs closer together and grabbed her other hand. He pulled her forward
to stand on each side of his thighs.

“
You are going to feed from my neck.”

Her eyes widened with his words
. This was more than improper. “But—”

“
No buts. You are too hungry to take my wrist. Come here. Straddle me and take my vein.”

She was a virgin and without any sexual experience,
so his words were the most sensual thing anyone had ever said to her. Her belly fluttered.

Emerson
drew her toward him again, and she lifted her simple dress, so she could sit astride his lap. He leaned all the way back, and she had to sit forward to reach his neck. When he began rubbing her back, she paused for a moment.

“
It’s okay. I want to do this,” he said.

S
he sank her teeth in. His blood tasted of pure ambrosia. He was the first male she had fed from, and he had the most intoxicating flavor. He continued to rub her back in comfort, and although she was inexperienced, she knew the hardness she felt against her was his erection. She marveled at the knowledge that she might be the reason for his arousal. She was experiencing an unfamiliar tingling between her legs, and she realized consuming his blood was causing it. Did the opposite gender’s blood cause sexual urges? She briefly wondered what it would be like to take him in her body, and she moaned.

“
That’s it. Drink,” he said in a tight voice.

She
moved her head to let up, but he held her there.

“
I’m fine. Take all you need from me.”

She continued to drink and wondered when he
had last fed. She worried she would take too much.

As if he had read her thoughts, he said,
“Don’t worry. I fed two days ago.”

After taking a bit more
, she withdrew her fangs, licked his wound, and sat up. “Thank you for giving me your vein.”

“
You’re very welcome.” He took her hands in his. “You know, you are the only female to ever feed from me. I like knowing that my blood is in your body.”

He brought her thumb to his mouth
. He cut the pad on his fang and drew it into his mouth. He looked her in the eyes as he sucked, and the sensation between her legs became stronger. He ran his tongue over the cut and released her.

“
And now, yours is in mine.”

Arianna was completely taken aback by both his actions and his words.
“I do not understand. I did not think you even liked me. You all but ignore me.”

Emerson cupped her cheek in his hand.
“I’ve had to deny and hide my feelings for you, Arianna. I’ve watched you from afar for years, and I have wanted you for a mate for quite a while. I was planning to ask for your hand after Naya was mated.” Vampire tradition required the eldest daughter to be mated first. “I didn’t know I would be the one chosen for her. I’ve suspected you felt the same way about me for some time. When my parents informed me of the arrangement with Naya, I told myself that I needed to forget about you and not encourage your feelings toward me. However, after seeing you in need tonight, I cannot deny my feelings for you any longer. When your aunt and uncle come home, I plan to tell them at the next Council meeting that I cannot be Naya’s mate.”

Arianna sucked in a breath.
“But what of Naya? I do not want her to be hurt. I thought you both were developing feelings for one another.”

Emerson laughed. Arianna did not understand what was amusing about her cousin
’s wounded feelings.

“
We are nothing more than friends. Trust me. Naya loves someone else.”

Arianna gasped.

“You didn’t know?”

She shook her head.

“Have you never noticed that she smells like someone else after she goes out for the night? Even when I see her a few days later, I can sense him. His scent on her is strong.”

“
Well, I have noticed her scent has changed. I did not realize it was due to someone else. Poor Naya. She most likely feels like she cannot be with him.”

Emerson brought her head down and gently kissed her lips.
“You are wonderful. You’re always thinking of your cousin first.”

When he let go, she brought her fingers to her mouth.
That had been her first kiss. Even though she felt bad for Naya, she could not help but feel happy for herself.

“
My sweet Arianna, that is the only thing you will get from me until we are properly mated. But after our ceremony, you should plan to not leave our bedroom for a week.”

Arianna giggled for possibly the first time in her life.
Could this be what it feels like to be in love?

V
AUGHN SAT IN his father’s office for their weekly meeting. They were currently discussing the items on the agenda. Most of the subjects were semi-boring, and he found himself ignoring everyone around him as he thought of Naya instead.

Two weeks had passed since he had any contact with her. There were no visits to Pulse, no phone calls, and no texts. They had truly cut off all communication
, and he could admit it. He fucking missed her.

He
’d never felt such strong emotions for anyone as he did with her. He’d known she was different, but he hadn’t cared because a part of him already thought of her as his. That same part of him was still pissed about the situation and his inability to do anything about it. She was supposed to be a one-night stand, and instead, she’d left a permanent brand inside him. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“
Vaughn,
” his father said, nearly shouting.

“
What? You don’t have to yell.”

“
Son, I said your name three times before you heard me. What is going on with you? It’s not like you to be distracted, especially when it comes to work,” Vance said.

“
He’s in love, boss,” Zane said.

He liked to open his big mouth, which tended to get him in
to trouble, but he thought he was a comedian. Everyone else thought he was mostly obnoxious.

Sawyer winced
. Saxon rubbed his temples while shaking his head. Camden’s eyebrows rose, and Reid appeared bored. Phoenix’s and Tegan’s eyes widened, and the two women sent each other looks. Vaughn knew they were all waiting for him to go off on Zane, but now was not the time.

When Vaughn
’s father turned to look at Zane, Vaughn shot him a look that said he deserved whatever ass-pounding was coming to him once the meeting ended. It wiped the smile right off his pretty-boy face.

His father turned back to him.
“In love?”

“
Ignore him, Dad. His head is wedged permanently up his ass.”

Vance
’s response was to give him
the look
. All the guys received
the look
, but unlike the rest of them, Vaughn had been receiving it since he was two years old, so he was now basically immune to it.

“
Dad, I’m serious. I spent some time with this girl, but it’s over now.”

Before his father could respond, Uncle Gerald walked in the door. Uncle Gerald was actually his father
’s first cousin, but Vaughn and Payton referred to him as an uncle out of respect.

“
Hey, everyone. Sorry I’m late,” he said.