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He slipped the phone back into his pocket and his free hand joined the one at my throat.

SEVENTEEN

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Pressure expanded in my temples.My head would pop soon. I dug my nails in harder, but he didn’t loosen.

I thought I’d die at the hands of vampires . . .

The man suddenly jolted. A thin line of red slowly spread across his throat in a diagonal, then his head slid right off leaving me staring at bloody severed bone. My stomach lurched, but since his hands still remained around my throat, it dissuaded vomit from rising.

In a sudden breath, he collapsed and I fell in an ungraceful bundle beside his decapitated head. I pressed my trembling hand to my mouth to muffle my scream.

Ren staggered and dropped the sword with a thud that vibrated the ground. His palm pressed into the wall over my head.

His shoulder faced the sunlight spilling in through the front door window. Steam floated off his shoulder accompanied by a low sizzle.

His eyelids shuttered his brown eyes and he dropped to his back. Light fell across the front of his chest and within moments, the steam started at every point the sun touched him.

If he stayed like that, he’d end up boiling alive.

I forced my attention away from the dead body and crawled to block the light from hitting Ren. Blood puddled under my legs, the slippery sensation coating my skin and making it harder to scramble over to him. As soon as I blocked the sun from his body, the smoking tapered off. He’d crossed the sun to save me. He could have waited for the human to come at him.

I would need to move fast to get him covered. Jax’s room was closest. Sliding my hands under his shoulders, I used my legs to drag him.

Little by little, I nudged him toward the bedroom. I panted from exertion, but adrenaline must be working through my system because I managed to not stop until he was safe behind Jax’s door.

The threshold was as far as I could drag him if I didn’t want my lungs to explode. He draped across the entrance ungracefully, muscled limbs all over the place.

The scent of burnt flesh singed my nose from the wounds that didn’t sizzle any longer. Still, they remained open and nasty. If he’d burned any longer, the tattoos would have been a jumbled, unrecognizable mess.

I pressed my wrist to his parted mouth, but he didn’t react. Blood dripped off my chin and splattered on his chest. I gingerly touched my forehead. A gash split my eyebrow. Using what was smeared on my fingers, I rubbed it on my wrist before placing it against his mouth.

His nostrils flared and fangs distended. Yet, he remained peacefully slumbering. Shoving my wrist to his teeth, I awkwardly punctured myself with one fang. I winced from the sting.

Blood leaked from the puncture and into his mouth.

Ren grabbed my arm.

I grunted, forced down from his pull. He suckled sleepily, hugging my arm. He only swallowed a handful of times before his tongue lapped against my wound.

I tried to pull free, but he didn’t release me, keeping his lips against my wrist. The sunlight wounds at his shoulder reunited inch by inch. Amazing how it didn’t ruin the mosaic of tattoos. My neck pinched at this position of bracing up while he hugged my arm.

It would leave me even more sore than I already was. I moved my elbow so it poked out enough for me to lower.

I lolled with my ear against his abs.

My head pounded and as my body relaxed and adrenaline leaked away, each wound became startlingly easier to feel.

The human male had done a number on me.

Being held like this, even if he didn’t know it was me, comforted me. Tears pricked my eyes and they drooped with each blink, but I couldn’t fall asleep.

I missed Peter.

As soon as I had the chance, I was sending an anonymous email to my lawyer informing her of my demise. From there she would know what to do to pass along my estate to Peter. He could continue having a life without worry. That would be enough.

Ren groaned and the vibration traveled to my ear.