Page 87 of Burn for Her

“When you took off to chase that vampire down, all I thought was I need to kill him before he hurts Dorian. I’ve never felt a level of protectiveness like that for anything in my life. I’d kill for you, I realized. I’d take a life to protect yours. When he got the upper hand on me, and I saw your face, I knew that fear and possession and anger in your eyes, because I also felt it in my goddamn bones. That blade he held to my throat?” She leaned in with a vicious glare and whispered heatedly. “I wanted him to use it, Dorian. I wanted him to spill my blood if only to make you drink it. But you popped his damn head off with those weird bullets, and that was when I realized you’d kill for me too.”

“I’d do worse for you, Lena.”

“And I you,” she leveled him with her stare.

There was a strange silence between them for a minute. He wanted to say something but fuck if he had any words that would help. What might soothe her? What could make up for all this? Not a damned thing.

Lena sucked in her bottom lip and held it between her teeth. Her eyes softened. “I can’t feel this much in me for no good reason. Even psychos have a limit, but I seem to have none where you’re concerned.”

Fate is a twisted and savage beauty. For destiny to give him a woman so fierce was one thing. But for her to most likely match his thirst for darkness was more than he’d ever have the courage to wish for.

Yet here she was.

It scared the piss out of him to take a leap like this. His fears of turning into his father were still prominent in his mind. He refused to forget whose blood coursed through his veins. Staring at Lena, however, made him hopeful that he wasn’t a complete lost cause. No beast could feel this tender for another creature without having some goodness in him.

“Would you really kill me?” He bumped his body against hers.

“Would you really want me to?”

“Is it fucked up if I say yes?”

“Is if fucked up if I promise?”

Dorian laughed at that. It was hard to tell if either of them was being serious about that last bit or not… but part of him hoped so, because if this didn’t work out, he’d need to be put out of his misery because failing her as a mate was a Hell far more gruesome than the one he let burn down in that shack three centuries ago.

Chapter 28

Lena focused on Dorian’s green eyes, then let her gaze linger on his slender nose, and finally land on his mouth. His lips were slightly parted, and she could see the tips of his fangs. Tingly sparks of lust trickled down her spine and straight to the joining of her thighs.

Dorian was built like a weapon. He was a killer. If they were a true match, she figured his brutality was merciless. He’d fight to the death and make sure he always won. That much potential danger, all wrapped in a stunning package of toned muscle and seduction, made him incredibly alluring.

“We’re designed to lure you in.” That’s what Lucian explained to her. Looking at Dorian now, she felt drugged by his sensual mouth and charming eyes. His thick, curly hair was chaotic perfection. His jawline? Razor sharp. Even the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed was sexy.

Swallow. Lena was weakened by that word. Empowered by it too.

Would her blood sustain him? Would he enjoy pulling from her vein? Would she somehow boost his abilities? She wanted to find out. Now. “Are we doing this or what?” She tempted him, tilting her head to the left to expose her throat.

Dorian’s gaze deadlocked on her jugular. She watched his pupils blow wide, until his eyes were solid black. More heat pooled between her legs. This man… no, this vampire, was deadly.

“What’s running through your head right now, Lena?” His voice was pure sin. Deep, gravelly - like he swallowed a bucket of fiberglass and lead. The bass of his tone rumbled through her ears, down her spine, and made her nipples hard.

When he wrapped his hand gently around her neck and rubbed his thumb along her pulse point, she was undone.

“I’m thinking about how dangerous you are, but also that you’d likely saw your own arms off before laying a violent hand on me.”

“Fucking right, I would.” Dorian smothered her with his body, taking up all the space in the room, and stealing the air straight from her lungs. “I’m glad you understand that.”

“I’m glad you understand that too.” Her gaze fell back on his mouth again. “Bite me?”

She was part begging, part praying.

Lena saw the trepidation in his eyes even though his sexy mouth turned upwards into a wicked smile. “This isn’t going to turn you, but it is the next step.”

Her disappointment must have shown. Dorian’s gaze softened, “There’s still time,” he whispered. Collaring her neck with his hand, he rubbed his thumb up and down, over and over her pulse, until he lulled her into a hazy headspace. “Do you want it to hurt a little?”

“Would you judge me if I said yes?”

Dorian shook his head, his smile widening. “Close your eyes,” he said softly.