Page 73 of Desired for Her Blood

I am well and truly blinded, completely deaf, hearing nothing and seeing nothing but red above me. I can’t move. My eyes remain open, but I can no longer see, no longer breathe, no longer feel Axe or Ryker beside me, or even Zuben above me.

My heart slows.

The world fades.

Even the pain abates, and then…

And then there is nothing but black.

Chapter Nineteen

Zuben

Leaningagainst the wall of the cave, I fight to push down the terror rising inside of me. Terror is an indulgence. The only emotion I deserve is self-hatred.

Hope builds inside me that Ryker will keep his agreement to drive a stake through my heart.

It has been seven hours since I fed her my blood, so much of my blood I was weakened most of that time, and my hope and certainty are draining out of me too. She should have either revived or died, right after I fed her.

Instead, she writhed in pain for hours, convulsing, screaming, not recognizing any of us, and although I was relieved when she fell into a deep, coma-like sleep, she has yet to awaken.

“Ember, wake up,” Axe says from beside her.

The pirate and bear have been trying to revive her, but it is well beyond time for hope.

“You killed her!” Axe’s roaring voice echoes through the cave, shaking loose small stones and dust, which fall to the pool like rain.

“Get over here, you coward,” Ryker shouts.

Accepting my fate, I rush back to join the other men on the furs beside her.

Ryker’s hands are around my throat in an instant, while Axe remains lying at her side, holding her gently, his body shaking, his hands stroking her skin as he looks at her face for signs of life.

Deep sorrow overtakes me, and I go limp.

Ryker releases his hold on my throat and I collapse, falling across Ember’s motionless legs, gasping to pull air through my crushed windpipe, feeling it heal, but wishing it wouldn’t.

It’s not like I had any risk of dying from strangulation. But I deserve to suffer before I meet my fate with a stake.

“Get up, man,” Ryker says, disgust in his voice, and I push myself up to sit, keeping my gaze cast down on her motionless body.

“What can we do?” Kneeling next to her, Ryker grabs my upper arm and pulls me off her legs. Then holding my shoulders he shakes me. “There has to besomethingwe can do. Does she need more blood?”

I bow my head, wishing I had answers. The intense pain and convulsions she experienced usually lead to death. And while she is still alive, I have never seen a vampire candidate slumber this long—not one who woke.

It is time.

I tug open my shirt, sending buttons scattering over the stone floor of the cave. Then I turn toward Ryker. “Stake me.”

He sits back on his heels, shaking his head. “You asshole. She’s still breathing. Even if it’s slow, her heart’s still beating, and you’regivingup?”

“Fine, then I will incinerate myself in the sunlight.” I turn toward the pool to confirm that daylight is striking the water in a large circle, radiating danger toward us.

Ryker grabs my ankle.

I could easily pull away, but I don’t.

“You stupid jerk,” he says. “You drank her blood, remember?”