Page 61 of Blood Match

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he growls, his voice deep and rough. The words seem to vibrate through me, settling somewhere low in my core. My pulse thunders in my ears, drowning out everything but the sound of his voice and my own ragged breathing.

“Your blood…” Darick dips down, and I feel his breath ghost along the curve of my neck as he inhales deeply. “I can hear it…smell it…”

I try to summon some defiance, some cutting remark, but all I can manage is a shaky exhale. I’m trembling, caught between fear and something else I don’t want to name. The hunger in his tone is unmistakable, and it terrifies me how much a part of me yields to it. I get a flash of that dream once more, how much I wanted him. I want him now.

His lips touch my throat, and I feel the slight sharp graze of the edges of his teeth. I flinch. Then I moan as his tongue flicks my skin, swirling over the tiny nick he’s made.

God, how I want this.

You’re dreaming again.

But this is no regular dream. What happens in here is…real. Gran told me. Which is why there’s no way I can give in to him…to this. Letting him drink my blood again would be the same as if I let him do it in real life.

No.

No!

Hell no!

His fangs are a hairsbreadth from my skin when he suddenly goes rigid. I look up and see confusion flicker across his face.

I gasp as a shock of emotions surges through me – fear, anger, and something else I don’t want to acknowledge. The misty dreamscape around us begins to warp, the swirling fog taking on an ominous reddish tinge. Unseen forces whip my hair wildly around my face as the air grows thick and heavy.

Darick releases me abruptly, his brows furrowing as he takes a step back. There’s a bead of my blood on his lower lip, and he licks it away, his expression deepening into something inexplicable. But I can sense his wariness, his eyes fixed on me with…

Is that alarm?

My hands begin to tingle, and I look down to see them glowing with an inner light. Golden tendrils of energy pulse visibly beneath my skin, sending waves of warmth up my arms.

“What’s happening?” I barely recognize my own voice, strained and small against the rising storm around us.

The tingling intensifies, spreading through my entire body. I’m bathed in a brilliant light that seems to pour from every pore. Darick stumbles back, his skin beginning to smoke and blister where the light touches him.

“Rowan…” he growls, but his voice is drowned out by a deafening roar.

With a surging blaze, a beam of pure sunlight erupts from my body. It slams into Darick, flinging him backward. His form wavers, then dematerializes entirely, leaving me alone in the suddenly calm dreamscape.

I’m left panting, staring at my luminous hands in disbelief. The power rages through me, leaving me both awed and terrified.

What is this? How did I do that?

“What the fuck…?” I whisper, my mind reeling from what just happened. My whole body is pulsing with that strange energy; it’s rippling through me. But as the adrenaline fades, a realization hits me like a ton of bricks.

This power…it’s not just random. It’s been growing stronger every time I’ve encountered Darick. The dreams, the psychic connections, and now this?

It can’t be a coincidence.

I stare into the misty dreamscape, my mind racing. If this newfound strength is tied to Darick, what does that mean? More importantly, what happens if I cut him out of my life completely?

The thought makes me go still. On one hand, getting rid of Darick would solve so many problems. No more intrusive vampire in my head, no more confusing feelings, no more betraying everything my family stands for.

But on the other hand…

I look down at my palms yet again, watching the light fade slowly from my skin. This power feels incredible. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel like a failure as a witch. I feel strong, capable, maybe even special.

Could I really give that up?

I close my eyes, torn between two impossible choices. Keep Darick in my life and explore this strange connection, possibly betraying everything I’ve ever known. Or cut him out completely and potentially lose this incredible power forever.