Page 102 of Wounded Soul
“Ian! No!”
A weight slammed into him from the side, sending him back and away from the guard.
Ian hissed out a warning, struggling against the arms that held him.
“Hey, it’s me,” Jesse whispered, his voice breaking through the haze.
“Jesse?” Ian shook himself, the room coming back into focus with a snap.
“Yeah.” Jesse rested his head on Ian’s shoulder.
The tang of blood lingered in the air and Ian clung to Jesse’s shoulders, fingers digging in way too hard, but he daren’t let go. “I can’t fight it.”
“You can.” Jesse squeezed him, as though he could force the words into him. “You need to concentrate on me, on my scent.”
Ian buried his face in the crook of Jesse’s neck and breathed as deeply as he could, trying to block out everything but Jesse. It worked for a moment or two, but as soon as he raised his head, the smell of blood was there, tempting him. “It’s not helping.”
Jesse seemed to hesitate. “Then think about the guilt you’ll feel if you feed on those men and snatch their lives away. They have families, people waiting for them to come home. Think of all the lives you’ll ruin if you give in to your hunger.”
Jesse’s words were harsh and cruel, but they hit home and guilt rushed into Ian as though he’d already done it. Already killed them. The urge to feed receded enough for Ian to relax his grip on Jesse. “Thanks,” he muttered, feeling like shit.
“Hey.” Jesse nudged Ian with his shoulder until Ian raised his head and met Jesse’s gaze. “It’s okay. Nothing happened.”
“But it would’ve done. The only reason it didn’t is because you stopped me.” He searched Jesse’s face for...something. He wasn’t sure what reaction he expected, but what he found was understanding and maybe a touch of guilt.
“I know.” Jesse kept hold of him, grip not lessening in the slightest for which Ian was extremely grateful. “Raph’s gone to find you some blood. Harper said they kept a small supply for emergencies.” He hesitated. “So... if I let go of you, are you going to try and eat Detective Sergeant Marlow again?”
Ian shuddered, still horrified at what he’d almost done. Would still do, judging by the way the scent of it called to him. “Honestly? I’m not sure. He smells so fucking good.”
“Ian,” Jesse soothed, stroking his cheek. “It’s okay. You should never have been put in this situation in the first place.Fucking Peter.”
Ian slumped against him, then straightened again. “What about Peter? Did he—”
“They caught him. Blake stabbed him with an iron stake.”
“How fitting. Is he dead?” Ian fucking hoped so.
He felt Jesse shake his head. “No. Not yet anyway. They took him down to the cells.”
“Good.” Jesse closed his eyes, breathing in Jesse’s scent again in an effort to keep his mind off the blood in the air. “What about Cate? You know that’s the only reason I changed my story, right? He threatened to kill her and—”
“I know, Ian. You did what you had to. I understand.” He ran his nose along the column of Ian’s throat, and Ian hummed with pleasure. “And Cate’s fine. A little shaken—well, a lot shaken, actually—but she’s on her way here with Lys and Liam.”
Christ.More vampires.
She was going to have nightmares for weeks.
Hurried footsteps sounded outside, and Raph appeared along with more VLCD officers who quickly started treating their wounded. Raph picked his way towards them, two bags of blood in hand. “Get these down you.”
Ian didn’t hesitate, grabbing both bags from Raph and drinking greedily until there was nothing left. With his thirst sated and no longer a danger to those around him, Ian slumped back against the wall.
He looked from Jesse to Raph. “So it’s over, right?”
“Yeah.” Jesse smiled back at him and reached out to stroke along his jaw. “It’s over. You can go back to the coven with Raph and he’ll get you settled in your own room, introduce you to the rest of the coven.”
“If you want to remain with us, of course. The choice is yours,” Raph added.
“Of course I want to stay with you.” Ian frowned. He was missing something. “What’s wrong? What aren’t you telling me?” For the first time he noticed the collar around Jesse’s neck and the red chaffed skin underneath it. “Why the fuck have you still got that thing on?”
