Page 4 of Deadly Cravings

They liked it when you ran. I learned that the hard way and my neck remembered it clearly. I pressed my lips together as my pussy tightened at the possibility of being brought down by fangs.

Not a new thing for me. Fuck.

I’d embraced the perverted mindset I’d developed since it was the only way I got off... imagining the Pale One’s bite.

But actually doing something with a vampire was a line I refused to cross.. .

Was it really?

Shut the fuck up, brain. Totally not the time.

My jaw clenched as I flattened against the building. Rubbing against the brick would so not be good for the cashmere.

The thud of my pulse against my throat fluttered like hummingbird wings. I inched forward a few steps to round into the alley I had to pass to get to my vehicle. Movement called my attention to the crevice between the buildings. A hiss floated to me and my breathing hitched.

That sound . . . familiar and terrifying.

My heart thundered as my chest reached the pinnacle of tension—lungs squeezing painfully. My hand shook as I buried my fingers into my rose-colored purse. It took a bit of tugging, but I eventually popped my inhaler free. With my thumb, I pushed the cap off and pressed the mouth bit to my lips. Applying pressure to the tip, the medication puffed into my mouth and I inhaled it into my lungs. The tension in my chest eased and I dropped my shoulders as the medicine worked through my body, offering me relief. The ache at my temples subsided.

Stress-induced asthma . . . another little gift the Pale One had left me with—other than life-long trauma and a fucked up sexual kink. Now that I would not pass out, I stuffed the inhaler back inside and gripped the wooden, metal tipped stake and clutched it to my chest.

A soft glow of the lamp over the door illuminated the spectacle. A man was hunched over another. They grappled, rolled, and twisted. A bald guy got the other one down and his head lowered as he struck.

Vampire.

I needed to run the opposite direction, but I couldn’t move my legs.

My stomach tightened and heat spread down my limbs. Fangs... blood. I bit my lip to stop my whimper.

It was pure agony. The feeling of my throat being torn, the tug and tear just as hurtful. Agony.

But why did Icraveit?

A shouted curse tore me free from my thoughts. The bald vampire tore into the man’s shoulder. I knew how agonizing that was. Blood sprayed across the cement. He would kill him while I watched.

No.

With my hand around the only weapon I carried, I burst forward, my heels slapping against the concrete.

The vampire turned at the last moment, hissing, and my aim was off, slamming closer to his shoulder than his heart. His eyes slitted and he lashed out, causing me to teeter on my heels and fall to my ass with a yelp. God, this was it, I was done for. I put my hands up to protect my face except he didn’t touch me. There was a scuffle, so I peeked between my fingers.

The man that had been flat on the ground was now behind the vampire, pinning him down. He slammed the stake into his heart with ease and jerked it to the side. Blood leaked across his chest in a line.

The vampire froze.

“You Crimson fucker.” That was the last thing he shouted before he slumped. My eyes widened and I gaped, struggling to wrap my head around the deteriorating body.

Stakes really worked.I was still gawking as the bitten man fell to his side, avoiding falling on the rotting vampire. I crawled over to him, leaning over his face. Disheveled hair fell across his eyebrows, the tips grazing his closed eyelids.

The fibers of his dress shirt split where the vampire dragged his fangs. Blood drenched his throat in a gash leading to hisshoulder ... It didn’t seem like the vampire tried to feed on him. It looked like he’d tried to maul him.

I blinked and met gray pain-filled eyes. The sharp angles of his face hollowed his features.

“We have to go,” I breathed and grabbed his arm. I was what many would call sturdy. Taller than average and bottom heavy, but his height sent me stumbling to the side. Pressing my heel into the concrete, I caught my balance, wincing at the weight and the pinch in my ankle. With my lips tight, I half-dragged, half-guided him to my van. It felt like forever, but the distance was no farther than fifteen yards. “Do you have anyone I can call for you, or do you need to go to the hospital? You feel dangerously cold.” Blood stained his face, but the ravaged collar of his sweater covered the actual bite marks.

His lips parted on a heavy, frustrated-sounding exhale.

I gasped and recoiled, but his cool hand lashed out and wrapped around my wrist. Ice spiked through my veins, and I froze in place.