The open collar of his shirt exposed his chest and neck, and the compulsion to taste his skin overpowered all sense of reason. My heart skipped like a stone as he dragged his mouth away, his soft whiskers scratching along my jaw.
When the tip of his fangs grazed across the sensitive skin above my artery, every muscle in my body locked. Dark hunger flooded my veins as if my blood were alive and whispering secrets with every beat of my heart. The sharp points of his teeth pressed at my tender flesh—beckoning to go deeper. Christian Poe reduced me to a pile of ash within his molten touch.
What am I doing? Is this really happening?
Energy poured through my body, turning my hands into weapons. Vampires were unlike other Breeds in that Mage energy had no effect on them, and we could touch them without inflicting pain. Their body was able to absorb it without the destructive power.
As ignorant as I was about some of my abilities, I knew this energy was sexual. It was the kind of energy that could only be exchanged with another Mage—something I’d heard about but never done.
Christian’s mouth latched onto my neck, and he thrust his hips forward. There was no concealing his arousal as it pressed against me like granite, awakening my desire to be touched by a man.
“Your skin tastes like the Dead Sea,” he whispered against my neck.
I tried not to think about Christian’s words of seduction, but they kept repeating in my head until I erupted with laughter.
“Are you touched?” He backed up a step, wiping his mouth.
I waved my hand, regaining my composure as tears rolled down my cheeks. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve never had a man say that to me before.” A loud snort at the end of my laugh embarrassed me enough to settle down.
“We’ll resume our lesson tomorrow,” he said.
I lifted my shoes with two fingers and strode toward him. “Is that what you’re calling it these days?”
All that passion from moments earlier dissipated from his expression. “I think I’ve figured out your problem. You just need a good shag. Perhaps that’s something you should remedy.”
“I thought that’s what I was trying to do last night at the bar until someone interrupted. Jealous?”
His eyes narrowed. “Jealousy isn’t in my vocabulary.”
“Nor is a razor. If you weren’t such a petulant Vampire, you might have a chance at pairing up with a decent woman. Maybe you should think about brushing up on your sweet talk.”
“You’re covered in sweat,” he protested. “It was like licking a pillar of salt.”
“At least I don’t have to charm someone to sleep with me.”
That silenced him, and I gathered my things and climbed the stairs.
“I don’t charm anyone,” he barked at me from behind. “Do you really think I have to do that?”
I pushed open the door and strode down the hall. “After what I saw down there, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Christian gripped my arm and stopped me in my tracks. “Deny your attraction to me. Tell me you didn’t want that to happen back there.”
I averted my eyes.
“That’s right,” he said in a quiet voice. “You lust for a Vampire, and that scares the feck out of you. Imagine the holy mortifying shame of it.”
“Christian, this week isn’t going to be about your crusade to lure me to the dark side and prove why Vampires are superior to all other Breeds. My distaste for Vampires offends you, and that’s why you’re cursing my immortal soul one minute and putting your mouth on my vein the next. I’m not like you, no matter how you slice it. I’m only half of what you are. At the end of the day, you don’t really care what happens to me, so why should you care how I live my life? I’ll see you tomorrow, and let’s work more on knowledge. If you’re too afraid you’ll break me in a fight, then you can just answer all my questions.”
I strode away, listening to him crack his knuckles.
“You’re on,” he called out. “Tomorrow morning—bright and early—we’ll fight if that’s what you want. Don’t forget to shower, because I’ll be spending all day with my head between your legs so you can demonstrate that trademark move of yours.”
What a shame I no longer menstruated.
Chapter 22
Why did I care so much about what Christian thought about me? After all, he was just a Vampire, and you couldn’t trust a fang as far as you could throw him. They were secret-stealers by nature—most turning it into a profession of blackmail. Nevertheless, I spent that entire evening thinking about what he’d said. I wanted to hate him like I hated all the others. His banter might have rubbed most people the wrong way, but I had to admit there was a familiar comfort to it. It matched my own personality, and maybe I didn’t want to see similarities between us.
While his delivery had been boorish, Christian had a point about ignoring my Vampire nature. There was no excuse for ignorance. How humiliating to think I’d been going around staking Vampires through the heart, believing that was enough to kill them.