Page 13 of Treasured

Sebastian pressed a hand against his forehead and grimaced. “There was a blizzard.”

“I c-c-can see that.”

He gathered me in his arms. “The snow has stopped, but the temperature—”

“D-d-dropped,” I interrupted, finishing his sentence for him.

Why didn’t he seem to feel the cold as much as I did? It probably had something to do with everything else that was not quite normal about me. Or maybe he was just better at hiding it. If I was this cold now as a vampire, I couldn’t imagine how this would have felt as a human. I probably would have frozen to death. I scowled at the thought. At the same moment, a shooting pain ran through my head.

This time, even I could hear the faint, Come, that accompanied the call.

Sebastian swore, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

“We need to move.” He pressed his hand against his head, wincing. “The snow is going to make things difficult.”

Of course, it would. That didn’t surprise me in the least. So much for arriving at the abbey in an hour. At this point, it seemed like we’d never make it.

Sebastian handed me my bag. “I watered your plant before putting it away.”

My lips tilted up in a frozen semblance of a smile. “T-t-thank you.”

His mouth pinched into a frown, and his eyes searched mine. “You need to eat, Luna. It’ll warm you.”

I shook my head. “I d-d-don’t want to. It’ll weaken you f-f-further.”

Fighting the summons was exhausting me. It must have taken all his strength.

“I’m slightly insulted by your belief that it’ll be too much for me.” He smiled, but the expression was strained. When I didn’t respond, he added, “You forget, Luna, I am much older than you. I fed yesterday.”

We both did.

“I’ll be f-f-fine,” I lied. My body temperature was dropping. Was I dying? Could vampires freeze to death? I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t want to be the test subject. I was endeavoring to keep my research out of the realm of life and death experiences.

Sebastian drew me towards him. “You won’t hurt me—your blood runs through my veins, strengthening me far more than anything else. Please, drink.”

How could I say no to him? Especially when his crisp scent flooded my nostrils, and my core tightened despite the cold running through me.

“Fine,” I whispered, giving in. “Will you drink too?”

His eyes searched mine for a moment longer before he nodded.

“G-g-good.” I ran my tongue over the tip of my fangs, extending my arm before biting his wrist.

Sebastian groaned, letting me drink first before he pierced my skin with his fangs. It didn’t matter how many times we did this. Every single time he bit me, I melted in his arms.

I would never admit it, but he was right. His smoky, cinnamon blood warmed me far faster than any fire ever had. Strength ran through me, and the sharp, bitter edge to the air was gone by the time I finished drinking. He lifted his mouth from me, his eyes still closed and his chest heaving as the aftereffects of our feeding ran through him.

“Better?” he asked after a moment, opening his eyes.

I nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

Another pulsing wave came through my head. Sebastian cursed, slamming his fist into the side of the log.

I frowned, cupping his face. “Can I help?”

“No, love. We can’t do anything.” His eyes were heavy. “She won’t stop calling for me, and I won’t go to her. Let’s get to the abbey.”

“Maybe they’ll be able to help?”