Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
As she took another step, his muscles jerked and his hands fisted, all around offering a pretty good impression of a trapped, cornered animal.
“Kaira, don’t,” Jakob said in a low voice.
She waved him off just as Henrik growled.
Why was she doing this? Why was she taking this chance with her life?
In truth, she didn’t know the answer, she simply felt she had to, that it was what she was supposed to do…because she was the only one who could.
Suddenly, she knew that was the truth. He’d even said as much—without her, he had no chance at survival. More than that, though, it felt like something bigger was at work here, as if some cosmic force had put them in each other’s paths.
And it was right where they were supposed to be.
Determined, Kaira grappled for something to say that might connect to the real him, the him she’d talked to earlier. A thought came to mind. “Hey, did you know that many people believe you shouldn’t wave or sing or whistle at the northern lights?” Something flickered behind his eyes. “It’s supposed to attract spirits to come down from the sky and take you away.” She took another step. One more and she’d be able to reach out and touch him. “They say you can fend off the spirits by clapping your hands.”
A single tight nod. She would’ve sworn it.
Holding her breath, her final step closed the distance between them and she curled her free hand around his rocklike fist. The men behind him tensed, but she threw a glance to Jakob, begging him to stay back.
“Hey.” She smiled. “It’s Kaira.”
“Hurt you,” he said, glaring at the hand still pressed to her face.
That’s what he was so wound up about? Her getting hit?
Her heart swelled in her chest. “Just a bump. It was my fault. I guess you shouldn’t come up behind a group of fighting vampires. Lesson learned.” She stroked her thumb over his knuckles.
His hand flinched, then slowly relaxed. He slipped his fingers between hers and gripped almost painfully hard. Like he was scared to let her go. Surely her chest couldn’t contain a heart as big as hers felt just then.
“Come sit with me,” she said, tugging him toward the bed. “Let’s just relax for a minute.”
He sat heavily, all the fight just draining into the floor beneath him. Kaira took a step around him to sit, but he tugged her until she stood between his knees.
His forehead slumped against her breastbone and his shoulders sagged. He released a long, shuddering breath.
Tears pricked the backs of Kaira’s eyes. Defeat rolled off him. If this whole episode really was part of whatever ailed him, she could totally relate—how many times had she felt so sick that she gave into an outburst of anger or a moment of despair. Though she worked hard to remain positive, sometimes the unfairness of it was more than a person could bear.
Maybe it was like that for him, too.
She stroked her free hand over his hair. Oh, so soft! She wouldn’t have guessed it, but it was like dragging her fingers through thick strands of pure silk.
Minutes passed before his breathing returned to normal. Occasionally, his big body trembled against hers.
She glanced up…to find four huge vampires absolutely gawking at her.
Red-hot shame and a profound sadness rooted Henrik in place, head against Kaira’s breast. The beat of her heart in his ear was the sweetest music. He concentrated on the sound, because he wouldn’t be hearing it for much longer.
Without question, her blood attracted him, satisfied him, and was almost indisputably what he’d been needing all these long years. Even now, her sweet crimson coated the inside of his mouth and fueled his body with a small dose of vitality he hadn’t felt in so long.
But she wasn’t just a source of blood. She wasn’t for him to use. She was so much fucking more than that.
Kaira was everything. Beautiful, brave, compassionate, strong, smart, artistic. Somehow she’d been able to accept that there was so much more to her world than she’d previously known. And here she was protecting and defending him.
Proof that he was a complete and utter train wreck. And that he shouldn’t read into their kisses nor her achieving ecstasy because of him. None of that meant she wanted this, wanted more, wanted him.
And even if, by some miracle, Kaira did want him, how could he possibly saddle her with a male so despicably weak? He couldn’t. Not when he didn’t even know for sure that her blood would cure him, if the cure would be temporary or lasting, or if it would take days or decades to return him to the male he’d once been—a male deserving of a creature like her.
Christ, he thought again about what she’d done…
Fought for him against his warriors and put herself in harm’s way, single-handedly pulling him back from the brink…