Page 55 of Reapers Don’t Ride

Chapter

Fifteen

The world grew dark and hazy, and then with a shock, I felt his lips against mine, his breath, and then his blood on my tongue. Sweet burning. It was mine. All of him was mine.

I rolled over on him, aware of the stickiness of my blood smearing between us. I shouldn’t get him so disgusting. Most people didn’t want to be rolling around in blood, but when I tried to pull away, he grasped the back of my head and held me against the inside of his elbow, where my fangs were attached.

“Drink, my sweet love. Drink, or you will die.”

Angel blood would also kill me, but it would be a sweet death. And sweet love? Why would he call me that? Someone else must be watching. I should drink him for our cover. Or because otherwise I’d die. Our cover was a worthier cause.

He held me tight, but I was losing too much blood. I couldn’t heal fast enough, not when my heart was still burning, bleeding. I drank and drank until I lost consciousness, and didn’t wake up for a long time. It wasn’t hibernation; it was general unconsciousness from my body’s need to regenerate. Hibernation was from too much blood.

I opened my eyes and there was my angel, bent over me, eyes bloodshot, scowl terrifying. His pulse beat erratically in his throat. How many days had it been? His beard had started to grow in, so it had been some time.

“Why did you let them almost kill you?” he asked, voice even, but there was rage in his eyes.

I raised a hand and touched his beautiful face. “Did the cake get crushed?”

He turned his head, kissed my palm and then returned to scowling, only even more dark and foreboding. “What cake is so important to protect? Is it more important than your life?”

I stroked his cheek, then his mouth where his bottom lip was so silky and beautiful. “I’ve never made a cake before. It’s for your birthday.”

He stared at me, death and darkness shifting in his eyes. “You made me a cake for my birthday? Happy birthday to me, you almost died?”

“Happy birthday to you I made you a cake. I didn’t almost die. It was fine.”

He leaned close enough that our noses touched. “No, it wasn’t fine, Louisa. You can’t fight off a dozen men while holding a cake.”

For a moment I just stared into the reaper’s eyes. He’d called me Louisa, like I was a human, like I was alive, and that I mattered.

I cleared my throat. “It’s not the best situation, but I was worried that someone would step on it. Kesti’s cake box isn’t as sturdy as it could be.”

“Kesti? Who is Kesti?”

“The fairy girl who taught me how to make cake. Did it get crushed?”

He hesitated and then sighed and left me to retrieve the round, blue-and-white striped box. “Here is your cake.” He knelt beside the bed. “But I don’t think you should have cake. I think you need blood.”

I nodded and tried to sit up. He held me down with one hand on my chest, scowling at me again.

“What are you doing?”

“I was going to get a blood bag.”

“You are going to drink from my other arm. I don’t want to get lopsided. I thought you would take at least as much as last time, but you drank hardly any blood at all.”

“Your blood is angelic.”

“And goblin. You’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want to take more of your blood. I already did that once.”

He leaned over me and kissed me, slow, sweet, irresistible. When he pulled away, his eyes were intent, impossible to resist. “You’re going to drink my blood while we snuggle in bed.”

He was too sweet, and I was too weak. I didn’t have any negative consequences after the last time, and this time I wouldn’t take as much. Just a bit to make him feel better about this situation, his partner getting injured again. But…

“I’m still covered in blood. So are you.” I winced when I saw how much of my blood was on him, particularly his face.