Page 116 of To Crave Deeply

His pale blue eyes found mine. “You need to leave. You need to go home.”

Home? But this is my home… isn’t it?

“Things will be different, but I know you have the strength to overcome anything. Everything is all part of the plan. Have faith, Lori. It will all come right in the end.”

The old man was crazy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You have to go home now. It was nice to finally meet you.” He stood from the bench and started to walk away.

“Wait. What do you mean by things will be different? Please! Stop!”

“Goodbye, Lori,” he said and then faded into the horizon.

Something unfurled behind my solar plexus. It was like a knot unravelling. Then there was a sudden tug, and I was falling backwards. Falling down into the dark, the old oak tree disappearing from sight and the breeze becoming a gust of wind as I fell further down the dark hole. My scream echoed around me, and only my fear accompanied me on my descent into the dark.

***

My eyes flew open. At least I think they did. It was so dark it was hard to tell. After a few moments and some rapid blinking, objects started to appear from the shadows. A chair, table, desk. I could see some floor length curtains hanging across the room and I was lying on something soft and squishy. I was in a bed.

A large hand splayed across my stomach.

Shit. I was in a bed with a man. Fuck. I wasnakedin a bed with a man.

I rolled over but it was still too dark to see who it was.

Nothing about this room was familiar. Where was I? How did I get here?

My memories were fuzzy, and the harder I tried to remember, the more my head ached with the effort.

Suddenly, pain sliced through my stomach, and I curled in on myself with a gasp. It was a pain like nothing I’d ever felt before. A thousand knives twisted in my gut, and I barely held back the scream that wanted to rip out of my throat.

There was movement from the man behind me before a lamp was turned on, emitting a soft glow around the room. The light was too bright for my eyes. I squeezed them shut. Fuck. It hurt.

“You need to feed,” the man said as he pulled me into his lap and wrapped one arm around my back. I didn’t care that I was naked; I just wanted the pain to stop.

A waft of the most beautiful scent hit my nostrils and I instinctively searched for it. There was a sharp sting in my gums as my canines lengthened. I didn’t have the willpower to even think about what that meant. I reached out blindly and grabbed the man’s arm, dragging it to my mouth and sinking my teeth into his flesh. Blood poured into my mouth and the pain instantly started to recede. Such sweetness. Such pure decadence cascaded down my throat and I sucked as hard as I could.

The man’s desire pressed against my hip and the more I drank, the more I felt my own grow.

“Slow down, little one. You’ll drain me if you carry on at that speed.”

I instantly stopped. My heart thudded in my chest. I knew that voice. Knew that stupid fucking nickname.

I opened my eyes.

No. No, no, no.

Mordecai looked down at me with a mixture of fondness and desire burning in his ruby gaze.

And I was sucking on his wrist like I was a goddamn…

Fuck.

I pulled my mouth away from his wrist and swiped my tongue along my teeth. Oh, god. I had fangs.

Holy fucking Hell.

I was a vampire. An honest to God vampire.

Oh, hell no.

To be continued...