Page 12 of Bitten by Bloodmoon (Mateless Shifters #2)

“Fuck. But I still don’t trust you not to turn me into a vampire.”

“Why would I turn you into a vampire? You’re a human whose ability to shift into a wolf is tied to an asshole alpha. You’re powerless against me. I don’t even need to use my mind control to control you. Why would I want to give you vampire abilities? That seems foolish to me.”

She scoffs, and I take the opportunity to inspect her body, looking for any other injuries I missed.

But my eyes betray me, straying from her wounds to the curve of her naked ass, then up her slim waist to the swell of her breasts that I want to bite.

Everything about her is a magnetic desire being served on a platter for me.

Kill her, taste her, fuck her—she has to be mine.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to fuck me. I will never sleep with you. I’m going to kill you.”

I nod my head. “Then stop looking at me like you want me to bed you.”

She scowls. “Why would I ever want to fuck a man who nearly killed me?” She points to the gash on the side of her body.

I clench my jaw, remembering how foolish and brave she was jumping between Ambrose and me to stop us from killing each other. It’s a miracle neither of us killed her.

“Speaking of that, you shouldn’t ever interfere with a fight between Ambrose and me again.”

“Stop telling me what to do! I’ll do whatever I want.”

“I’ll stop telling you what to do when you stop almost getting yourself killed.”

She glares at me stubbornly.

“Now, will you follow me back to the Bloodmoon village? Or would you prefer I carry you?”

“Neither,” she says stubbornly.

I scratch the back of my neck, trying not to explode on her. She’s infuriating. All I’m trying to do is keep her alive so we can figure out how to break the curse, and she’s making everything as difficult as fucking possible.

“Do you have a death wish? If you stay here, you’re going to die. You’ll bleed out or die of infection. And that’s if another animal or vampire doesn’t come along and finish you off first.”

That gets her attention. Her eyes widen when I say the word vampire, and she suddenly sees the woods very differently.

“You can’t keep me as your captive.”

“I can,” I remind her. “But then again, I think you’re going to stay willingly.”

“Why would I ever stay with you?”

“Because right now, you hate Ambrose more. And Ambrose can’t get to you as long as you are here.”

“He did before.”

“Only because I allowed him on my territory. I won’t again.”

She frowns, but doesn’t ask any other questions.

I sigh. “Let’s take this one step at a time. For now, come back to the village. Let a healer look at you. Get some clothes on. Eat some food. Then we can talk.”

Take a bath and wash Ambrose’s stench off you…

She doesn’t agree so much as she begins walking in the direction of the village, and I take that as her consent.

We walk at a steady pace, Lumi doing her best to act like the slash in her side isn’t bothering her when I can hear her little winces with each step she takes.

“I could get you back to the village in seconds if you let me carry you.”

“Fuck off.”

I smirk. “Just offering to help end your suffering.”

She growls back at me, and I chuckle.

“You’d better watch your step, you wouldn’t want the sunlight to accidentally touch you,” she tosses back.

I take another step, easily dodging the flicker of sunlight that breaks through the branches.

The sun has begun to set, so I won’t have to dodge the light much longer.

Not that it’s much of a hassle for me anymore.

It’s become so second nature to me that I find myself doing it even when I don’t have to, even in my wolf form.

“This way,” I say when she makes a wrong turn.

She begrudgingly follows me, and we walk the next half mile in silence until the village comes into view.

I alert Sylara that I’m going to need her and a healer, which is about all I can communicate with pack members, especially while I’m not in my wolf form.

I can’t talk to them clearly in my head like I can Lumi.

I lead Lumi back into my house, back into my bedroom.

She’s fighting for every breath when she finally makes it up the three stories of stairs, but she refuses to let me help her, and I’m too tired to argue with her.

“Sylara will be here with the healer any minute now. Rest in the bed. I’ll have some food and more clothes brought up.”

Lumi collapses onto the bed, too exhausted to argue with me.

But she’s not so tired to resist sending me one last searing look.

“You can try to control me all you want. Force me into completing the marking ceremony with you and becoming your mate. But I will find a way to break free. And I will kill you. I loved Ambrose and rejected him. Just think about what I’ll do to you. ”

“Do you want to kill Ambrose, too?” I ask because I’m curious what she thinks about him.

She pauses, and I know her answer. There is still a part of her that loves him. Still part of her that views him as her mate. Still part of him that she hasn’t fully severed from her body yet.

A hint of disappointment crosses through me, but then I shake it away. She’s been through a lot. It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t immediately demand revenge against a man she loved and was willing to die for an hour ago.

“Ambrose was the one who caused that gash by the way, not me, if that helps at all.”

She frowns. “It doesn’t matter whose claws sliced through my skin. You’re both controlling bastards. And I want nothing to do with either one of you.”

I nod and walk to the door, but before I leave, I say one more thing.

“I didn’t use mind control back there. Just because I have the ability to doesn’t mean I will.”

I know what it’s like to be controlled, and I will never take away anyone’s free will unless there is no other way. I’m afraid Lumi will give me no choice but to eventually use it against her. The curse has to be broken, and she’s the key to breaking it.