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“I might need to track down your blood myself.”

I brush my lips over his neck. Every one of his muscles tenses—and I know. I’m pressed against them.

“Sorry.” I pull back just a little. “I’m breaking the rules again.”

“Such a little rebel,” he teases in my ear, sending butterflies swarming in my stomach.

“You can be a rebel, too, you know.” I bring my hand up, trailing my fingers through the soft, short hair at the nape of his neck. “If you want.”

He won’t though. Because he’s responsible. He’s cautious. And he is far better at practicing self-control than I am.

Or so I think…until his arm tightens around me.

My eyes fly wide as Noah suddenly lays me flat on my back. One minute, we’re sitting, and the next…not sitting.

Oh. Heck.

The handsome vampire hovers over me, forearms pressed into the mattress next to my arms, desire swirling in his amber eyes. He only says two words—two words that steal my breath and make my pre-vampiric heart beat double time:

“Iwant.”

He growls the words—actuallygrowlsthem. And oh, it’s delicious.

“At least close the door,” Cassian drawls from the hall.

I squeak out a scream, and Noah rolls over like he was shot. I leap up—nearly passing out when a flurry of black smudges dances in front of my eyes.

“Whoa, there.” Noah catches me and presses on my shoulders, directing me to sit at the end of the bed.

Cassian crosses the room, offering me a red smoothie with a strawberry placed on the rim of the glass.

“Fancy,” I murmur, taking a sip.

And it tastes good. Too good, maybe. I close my eyes, riding a wave of pleasure.

“That’s not a good sign,” Cassian says.

Noah frowns. “That’s what I said.”

I feel like myself again after finishing about half of the smoothie.

“I don’t remember feeling that off since I started taking blood,” I say, coming out of the weird fog. It’s not until the dizziness lifts that I realize how disoriented I felt.

Did I really ask Noah to bite me? How embarrassing.

Shame he didn’t.

Anyway.

I take another sip of the smoothie, a little worried.

“The cravings are stronger in the second stage,” Noah says. “You’re probably going to have to start taking more blood.”

“So, you think it’s a done deal, then? I’m a second-stage pre-vamp now?”

Noah glances at Cassian. They share a look, and then he nods. “I’m afraid so.”

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