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No, no, no! He can’t possibly…

His fangs pierced the column of her throat.

For a single heartbeat, shock short-circuited all rational thought. Then instinct kicked in.

“Jericho, no.” She slapped her palms against his chest, preparing to shove him away.She didn’t know this vampire and sure as hell didn’t trust him. Her body braced for pain. She’d pushed him too far. Like the monster who’d murdered Charlie, Jericho would hurt her now. He would…

Warmth emanated from his bite, tingling down her shoulder and chest, banishing every ache and pain in its path. His breath fanned her nape in a whispered caress, and the heat of his mouth seared her oversensitive flesh.

With a mind of their own, her hands crept over the tops of his shoulders—pulling him closer.

He tightened his grip on her head and circled his arm around her back, drawing her flush against his body. Her breasts, heavy and aching, pressed against the muscled planes of his chest.So warm.

Jericho’s throaty groan rumbled in her ear, doing strange things to her insides. His arm tightened to the point of pain, preventing her escape, a vampire subduing his prey.

His mental walls fractured. Hunger blazed through her nerve endings. She tensed.He’s losing control.

Endorphins pumped through her bloodstream, and her concern slipped away on a soft exhale, taking with it any drive for self-preservation. She tilted her head, opening herself to him. She was his Chosen. How could she deny him when everything about his mouth on her flesh seemed so right?

Her limbs grew soft and relaxed, and she floated on a familiar wave of euphoria. For the first time in days, she was free of the inexplicable need that had her twisted in knots. Heat flooded her system, rolling through her body in a delicious wave. With it, a new tension grew.

“More,”whispered a voice. His? Hers? Did it matter? Nope.

She wrapped her legs around him and gasped at her discovery. While he seemed to have gained control of his hunger, his erection had a mind of its own.

From deep inside, a smoldering ache surfaced—its presence strange and terrifying. The emotion washers. One she’d never encountered before.Longing…Longing to be closer to the man who held her. Longing to feel his bare flesh sliding against her own. Some instinct told her Jericho could fill that void.

Lost to sensation, she ground her sex against the hardness pressed to her center. Jericho’s low growl rumbled against her chest, and she thrilled at the sound. He rolled his hips between her thighs, providing a grinding pressure where she needed it most. Sparks of pleasure fired along herglyph,and a whimper parted her lips. She tunneled her palms beneath the hem of his shirt, eager to explore the warmth of his skin and the connection it would bring. Her fingers grazed the dimpled contours at the base of his spine.

Jericho tensed.

Disgust washed through her senses—dark and bitter. It shocked her system like scalding coffee.

Withdrawing, he sealed his bite with a swipe of his tongue.

She dropped her forehead to his shoulder while the room did a slow, tilt-a-whirl spin. Whether it was from the feeding or the sharp one-eighty from Jericho’s emotions, she wasn’t sure.

Jericho untangled his fingers from her hair. Harsh breathing filled the silence between them, both hers…and his.

Once her spinning world settled, Alex squeezed her eyes closed, prolonging the moment until she’d have to look him in the eye. God, what had she done? She’d practically molested the guy.

Never in her twenty-six years had she ever experienced anything like it. Her response to Jericho had gone beyond physical. It was as if the deepest part of her had reached out to him, seeking a sympathic connection.Because you’re afreak.

Nothing about this desire was normal or welcome. Self-loathing beat her confidence down in waves. All her life, she’d denied this side of herself, kept it buried deep.

And that’s where it needed to stay because after so many years of restraint…she wanted more.

Jericho stood stiff as a block of ice, his emotions equally frigid, perhaps becauseher legs were still wrapped around him.

She unwound her limbs, and he lurched from her embrace, eager to be free. The loss of his warmth left her chilled in more ways than one.

Embarrassment warmed her cheeks, spreading down her neck and into her chest. When Liam fed from her, there’d been a sense of affection, of camaraderie between friends. With Jericho, there had been…heat, fire, passion.All the things she’d yet to experience in her life.

Unfortunately, that heat was totally one-sided. Jericho’s disgust came across loud and clear when he pulled away from her. Who could blame him? She’d led him to believe she was in love with his best friend. Just last night, he’d claimed he’d never met a faerie who was trustworthy, and Alex had to go and prove him right.

I could always put in a call to Jerry Springer.Or better yet, find a hole to crawl into and hide.

She pressed her fingertips against the fire in her cheeks—steadyfingertips. She splayed her hands in front of her, feeling surprisingly good. Her focus shifted past her fingers to Jericho’s back. He stood next to the stove with his arms braced on the counter and his head lowered.