Part 18 (2/2)

”Here's another: welcome to my parlor,” Lucian smiled, this time purposely showing me his fangs.

Like Violet's, they were sharper and larger than Jack's, and all the more frightening.

”My boyfriend is right out there, and he'll kill you,” I warned them breathlessly. ”And he left Olivia in charge, and I think she takes her responsibility seriously.”

”That drugged out old hag?” Lucian laughed and leaned in closer to me. ”She's not going to do anything. She's not even conscious.” I wanted to check and see if this was true, but I was too transfixed. His eyes were locked on me, but that was better. As long as they weren't on my neck, watching my pulse, I still had a chance. ”And you're boyfriend won't hear anything. If he really cared, he would never have brought a snack like you here in the first place. I think maybe he wanted this to happen.”

”That's not-not true,” I stuttered. Then it happened. His eyes dropped to my throat and he had leaned in even closer to me.

91.

”Oh, Alice, I'm afraid you've really fallen into a rabbit hole this time,” he whispered. I closed my eyes, unwilling to witness the inevitable.

”Lucian!” Olivia shouted. ”Oh, Hannah, will you move!” I whipped open my eyes and saw the irritated expression on Lucian's face, and then Olivia appeared next to me. ”I told you to back off!”

”Olivia, Olivia,” Violet purred, stepping away from Lucian to take care of Olivia. Lucian meanwhile, had leaned back up straighter, but hadn't really moved away from me. He just wasn't quite as poised to bite my neck. ”Aren't you sick of that tired old blood bag you're always taking around with you?”

”Violet, not right now,” Olivia groaned, looking disgusted. ”I'm just trying to keep this girl out your hands, okay? She's not yours. There's plenty of other girls here that you can go crazy with. So just leave this one alone.”

”I'm here too, Olivia,” Violet batted her eyes at her and rubbed her arm seductively on Olivia's. ”I know you're always traipsing with those little dolls of yours. When was the last time you were with a real woman?”

Olivia was momentarily distracted by Violet, who had started pressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s up against her, and that was all the time that Lucian needed. His arms were around me, so strong and tight, that I couldn't breathe or move or even scream. He was carrying me away, but it was too quick and nauseating for me to figure out where. The wind was whipping through my hair, and he had my face pressed into the hard, unyielding muscles of his chest. If he didn't let me go soon, I would suffocate.

Without warning, he dropped me, and as soon as I could gasp for air, I started to scream. I was about to call out Jack's name, but then I realized Jack was already there. We were in a narrow hallway dimly lit by a single bulb, and I had apparently been dropped rather heavily onto the cement floor. Lucian was sprawled out on the ground a few feet from me, and Jack stood in between the two of us. On the other side of Lucian, blocking the door back to the bar where we'd come from, Milo stood growling, and behind him, Olivia was looking none to happy either.

”Get up,” Jack said his quietly, his voice trembling with restraint. Lucian scrambled to move, and I could see blood on his face, extending from a wound that was already healing. ”Get out of here before I rip your f.u.c.king throat out.”

”You shouldn't have brought her if you didn't want to share her!” Lucian insisted, almost plaintively. Milo made a move towards him, but Olivia grabbed his arms and held him back.

Frightened, Lucian snuck past them and hurried away.

Jack glared after him for a second, but before Olivia could even release Milo, Jack had turned and dropped to his knees next to me. He gently touched my forehead and let out an uneasy breath, and then with great effort, he pulled his eyes way to look me completely over. His breath came out in shallow rasps, and I could feel a hungry panic from him that I didn't understand.

”Are you okay?” Jack asked, looking carefully at my neck. His eyes met mine, and they were filled with agony.

”Yeah,” I nodded. ”Are you? What's the matter?”

”I'm okay.” He took the hand that had been touching my forehead and held it for me to see. His fingers were shaking, and I noticed something dark staining them. ”You're... you're bleeding.”

”Oh no,” I whispered quietly.

92.

”Take her out the back way!” Olivia suggested. ”She won't make it through that room.”

”Okay.” Jack kept his eyes fixed on me. ”Alice... do you trust me?”

”Yeah,” I breathed.

”Good.” He leaned over and gently, he kissed my forehead.

I heard Milo yelling something, but Olivia kept him restrained. Ever so softly, I felt Jack's tongue lap at my wound, and that simple little touch sent s.h.i.+vers of pleasure rippling through me. He wanted me so badly I could hardly stand it, and it made me desperate for more of him. I moaned softly, and then suddenly, Jack sprang back from me, panting hoa.r.s.ely.

”What did you do?” Milo wailed.

”I need the bleeding to stop!” Jack licked his lips and looked at me hungrily. ”You and I ... we won't last being around it. But my saliva will make it heal quicker.”

”Get here out of here before the others catch scent of it!” Olivia commanded, sounding far more worried than I would've liked.

Unfortunately, I could no longer really feel worried or frightened. Jack had overwhelmed me with his ravenous thirst for me, and that left me wantonly reciprocating. I was still sitting on the floor with my back pressed against the wall, and I was vaguely aware of a throbbing headache and a pain in my back. Jack was half crouched across from me, pressing himself tightly against the other wall, and his translucent blue eyes were completely locked on mine. He was almost willing himself to stay there, and despite the precarious situation I was in, I couldn't shake how badly I wanted his will break.

”Jack!” Milo snapped, and I felt his painfully strong grip on my arm as he yanked me to my feet.

He obviously hadn't quite gotten the magnitude of his new strength, and I was lucky he hadn't snapped my arm in half.

”Sorry,” Jack mumbled, reluctantly standing up. Milo had managed to semi-snap us out of the trance we were in, but we were both still pretty dazed.

”We gotta get out of here!” Milo hissed, looking nervously over his shoulder. I looked back behind us, but all I could really make out was darkness.

”Yeah, right, okay,” Jack nodded but made no effort to move. He just stared dumbly at me, and I tried to look away before we got ourselves caught in a moment again. He shook his head, then looked at Milo, almost stuttering, ”I, uh, I don't know where the back exit is.”

”Oh, h.e.l.l,” Olivia rolled her eyes. She slid in between us, her long hair brus.h.i.+ng like silk across my skin.

”Grab the girl. We have to hurry.” She was already jetting ahead, gliding lightly on her knee-high boots.

There would be absolutely no way I could keep up with her, and I was about to say that when Milo tried to put his arms around me. At the same time, Jack was making the same play, and they b.u.mped into each other. Jack gave Milo an odd look, but he seemed unwilling to relinquish me so easily.

”I got her!” Jack insisted, and then scooped me up in his arms before Milo could protest further.

93.

”Just be careful,” Milo warned.

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