Page 71 of Desired for Her Blood

“Is…issexinvolved in the transition process?” I ask as a flush rises on my cheeks.

“No.” Zuben shakes his head. “Not normally. Although, now that you mention it, in your case I cannot be certain. Your reaction to vampire blood has already proven to be different to that of a human—mosthumans,” he corrects himself.

“Typically baby vampires do not engage in coitus with their makers. At least not until well after their transitions are completed, and then, only if… Only if it is mutually desired.”

He looks away, but the evidence ofhisdesire shifts under the wool of his pants.

“You’d better not be doing this just for another chance to fuck her,” Ryker says, with a slight growl.

I turn to Ryker, but his expression shows that he was joking—or at leastpartiallyjoking.

Zuben frowns. “If Ember desires sexual congress, I think you will both agree that I should not be the one to…to assist her.”

“Damn straight.” Ryker snaps. “Your cock’s never getting near her again.”

Zuben looks away, and my heart goes out to him. I long to break through whatever’s hurting him, whatever holds him back from fully connecting with me, whatever fuels his desire for rough sex.

Although, even if the sex between us is always rough… I actually wouldn’t mind.

But it doesn’t feel right to tell him that now, not in front of Axe and Ryker. Not after how everyone reacted last night.

And even if they all claim that it’s okay for me to love more than one man, I’m still not fully comfortable with admitting how badly I want all three—how hard it would be to give any one of them up, if one asked that of me.

“How do we begin?” I stand, and the men do too, forming a tight circle around me, their heat penetrating my body so strongly that only the flickering light on Zuben’s skin tells me which side of us the fire is on.

Nerves scramble inside my body and I keep my gaze on Zuben. If I look at Ryker, or see the fear in Axe’s eyes, I might lose my nerve.

“First,” Zuben unbuttons his shirt while he talks, “I will drink from your vein.”

I nod. This part I’ve experienced before, and I know how good it feels.

“But you should know—” he carefully lays his shirt down “—that I will not use my venom when I bite you this time. Therefore, it will be painful.”

I suck in a sharp breath.

“We’ll be with you.” Ryker takes one of my hands.

“Yes.” Axe takes my other.

“I will do my best to be gentle,” Zuben says, “but it is important that youfeelthis feeding, and very important that…” He looks down.

“What?”

His gaze rises to once again meet mine. “I must fully drain you. I must take nearly all of your blood.”

“But…” My voice comes out faintly, not enough air.

The two men on my sides squeeze my hands. Back in my apartment, what feels like a lifetime ago, Ryker assured me that vampires aren’t dead, or undead… “Won’t thatkillme?”

Zuben shakes his head. “I will be able to sense when you are slipping away, and at that moment, I will feed you.”

“Withyourblood.”

He nods.

“How will I do that?”

“It is possible,” he answers, “entirely possible given your unique nature, that you will have fangs. And if so, your instincts will drive you to bite me and feed.”