Blood and Loss (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) (17 page)

“Well, I was a little tipsy. You were just being a gentleman
. It is probably for the best. Declan would have gotten me sooner or later. It would have made this situation even more complicated.”

He looked hurt. “I don’t
agree. I think if we had spent the night together, your decision as far as Declan goes would be a lot easier.”

I knew my mouth was hanging open and my cheeks
were hot and flushed. I couldn’t believe he had just said that. How in the hell was I supposed to respond?

Lucius let me off the
hook. “I am luscious after all, or so I have been told anyway.”

I smiled and started to walk away when a wolf came out of
nowhere, charging right toward me. My feet wouldn’t move no matter how much my brain yelled at them. Lucius turned to see what I was looking at. In one continuous graceful movement, he pushed me out of the way and caught the wolf in mid-lunge. They fell to the ground with Lucius on the bottom. The beast snarled and snapped trying to get at his neck. Keeping him at arm’s length I thought the danger was over, but the wolf wiggled its body and Lucius lost his grip. Before he could grab it again, the wolf had him by the throat. I screamed as the wolf tore into his flesh.

Quintus was there in an instant
, tearing it off him. The wolf went flying through the air like a stuffed animal. It hit the side of the cabin with a wet thud. Before it hit the ground, it had morphed back to human. A very dead naked young woman lay on the ground. Her face was looking over her back with a quizzical expression on her face, like some deranged owl.

Lucius wasn’t looking very good.
The wound was already closing over, but the amount of blood on the ground would have been certain death for a human. He should have at least been conscious. It didn’t make any sense. Quintus held his son’s head in his lap. The look on his face was heart wrenching. It was also scaring me. If Quintus was this upset, it had to be bad.

Chapter 21

The wolves slowly filtered around us. As they realized that one of their own was dead, a wave of anger came out from the crowd. It started as a few murmurs and then someone shouted that we should all die. We didn’t have a chance if they decided to make their move. Lucius was unconscious, I was a human, and Quintus would take out a lot of them first, but even he couldn’t win against the whole pack.

Patrick Langois stepped out from the crowd. He raised his hand and
the crowd went instantly quiet. “You killed one of my wolves. Let this one die and we will forget about this.”

“No
. She attacked him. She was trying to kill me. He saved my life,” I pleaded.

“It doesn’t matter
, little girl. Declan, take your woman home. She is making a scene.” He made a face like the mere sight of me made him sick.

Declan looked
at me and he knew by the look on my face that touching me was not a good idea. He hesitated. I wasn’t letting Lucius die because that dickhead had too much hate in him.

“No
.” Without thinking, I gathered the air around the three of us, then pushed it out. The wind was so powerful it knocked some to the ground.

“I will carry him
, Cassandra, quickly.” Quintus scooped him up and ran. I came behind him as fast as I could.

In a blink
, we were back at the cottage, before any of the wolves had a chance to recover from the surprise attack. I slammed shut the door and locked it. It wouldn’t likely keep a whole wolf pack out, but it made me feel better. Quintus carried his son into one of the bedrooms. Lucius looked fragile in his maker’s arms.

He laid him on the bed
, covering him with a small blanket. Lucius looked like he was dying and there was a whole wolf pack outside that was determined to make that happen. Our chances didn’t look too good.

Quintus stroked his son’s hair.
It was such a tender moment I felt like an intruder. My heart was breaking. I couldn’t let him die.

“Why does he look so bad? He had a terrible wound, but it’s healed. He looks almost shriveled.”

“It’s
how we look when we don’t take blood. He hadn’t been eating properly since becoming your bodyguard. He never wanted to leave you and he never wanted to upset you by feeding in front of you.”

This was
my fault twice over. He was sacrificing his own health to keep me safe. “What can we do?” If the wolves let us do anything, then I was determined to save him.

“He needs human blood
, Cassandra. There is nothing else that will help. If the hoard outside will let me go, I will try and get to the nearest town. There will be someone there who will donate. I will pay any price.”

I went to the window. The wolves were all
out there. “Send Cassandra out, you dead cowards.” Declan and his father stood on the bottom stair. The rest of the pack stood back from the cabin, but ready for what needed to be done.

I
pried the door open to find Declan glaring at me. I had to think of something that would make them back off. I owed Lucius my life. I wasn’t going to let him die. I had to think of something quick, something that would convince the wolves to let me save Lucius.

“Declan
, if you go and let me heal him, I will come back tonight as your mate. We will be together like you wanted.” I swallowed hard. “Like I want.” 

His eyes widen
ed at the implication of what I just said. “Lucius saved me tonight, Declan. Can you let the man who saved your mate twice die when I can save him?”

I held my
breath as he talked to his father. Please let him do this. Patrick held up his hand and growled a little. Everyone started to disperse. “I understand why you want to save him, Cass. I wish you had made this decision under different circumstances, but … just come back to me. I love you.”

That one statement felt like a kick in the gut. He looked
hopeful and I felt like I was being smothered. “I love you too. Just let me do this in peace. If you let him die, there can never be an ‘us.’ I couldn’t be with someone who would let someone I care for die.”

Nodding
, he turned to his father and they walked away. Why did that feel like the easy part? Quintus was holding Lucius’ hand when I walked in. I had to make this better. “I want to give him my blood. I can’t let him die.”

He took me in his arms. Pulling me tight against his
body, he whispered in my ear, “You don’t have to do this. He wouldn’t want to put you through this.”

“This happened saving my life. Would he want his death on my conscience for the rest of my days? Just tell me how to do it.”
My tone left no room for argument.

“You know with that deal you made that you will be leaving us forever.
When I said I would pay any price, I didn’t think it would be so dear.”

I choked back tears. I did know on some level, but saying it made the reality hit home. “I can’t let him die
, Quintus. He saved my life and he means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me. I couldn’t let you lose him if I could do something.”

He nodded
, and then was silent for a long time, just staring at his son. “He will need a lot of blood, young one. I want you to have some of mine first. It will help you recover faster. My blood is very old, Cassandra. Your experiences will be more intense. Sounds, sights, touch will be more vivid. You will feel stronger. I will have to puncture your wrist. He is too weak to do it himself. After he has had enough to make him stronger, I will help him latch onto your neck.”

I waited for him to move. He just kept staring at Lucius. “There is another thing you should know. What we
are about to do can make you feel quite intense. We can feed and it is as clinical as drinking a glass of water, but tonight will be different. You are very… special to us both. We have strong feelings for you. You have strong feelings for us and, of course, Lucius and I are already bonded.”

He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs. “It will bring us closer. You will become a part of us. I hope you don’t regret this.”
His mouth was drawn and his voice was low and wispy.

“Whatever it takes
, Quintus.” I meant it, but I was fully aware that there might be regrets. It would be worth it if Lucius lived.

The room was dark except for one
small hurricane lamp in the far corner. The light it threw off made everything feel more intimate. I held onto Quintus a little while longer, feeling his arms around me. I relaxed into his strong embrace. I could finally do something to save someone’s life. “Let’s do it.”

My heart was beati
ng faster. The air in the room changed. It was thicker and electrically charged, caressing and teasing at the same time. Nothing else existed in the world but the three of us. I looked up into his eyes. They glowed slightly. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, then a chaste kiss on my lips.

Quintus pulled my sweater over my head
, leaving me in just my bra. I started to shiver, even though the heat in the room was unbearable.

He sat and pulled me down onto his lap
. After biting his own wrist, he lifted the wound to my eager mouth. His blood tasted like aged wine; a hint of spices and a coppery undertone. My eyes locked onto his as I drank. With each pull, I brought more of him into me. His eyes were hooded; his mouth was slack. I sucked hard, feeling the wound starting to close over. Quintus pushed up into me and moaned. I got one more mouthful and then his skin was healed. My tongue darted out, licking around the wound for any errant drops I may have missed. I reluctantly let his arm go.

I had never felt this way. Every touch from him sent a bolt of electricity to my core.
If he had laid me on the bed and wanted to make love, I would have let him. He had always been my boss, my friend, my saviour, but right now, he was someone I ached for. I reached up and gently kissed his lips. His eyes blazed. I kissed his neck. His skin was soft and smooth. I pushed apart his button-down shirt and kissed the top part of his chest. His scent of musk and earth filled me. I trailed my lips back up and moaned his name into his mouth. Our tongues entwined and then I flicked mine across his fangs. A tiny pinprick of blood welled to the surface and Quintus lapped it off with his own tongue. We broke apart, breathing hard. I snuggled into him.

He lifted my wrist and
I knew he was about to bite me. I licked my lips. He kissed each fingertip, then the palm. His lips were cool and each touch sent a current of pleasure through my body. I was on the edge and it was almost painful. I wanted him to go faster and I wanted him to take his time. His tongue darted out over the inside of my wrist. He sucked hard without breaking the skin. I sighed when he finally sunk his teeth into my flesh. He took the first sip. His name fell from my lips again. When he brought my arm down to Lucius, his lips were red and full and I wanted them on mine.

I was about to lean forward when Lucius latched on and began to suck.
Quintus only let him do this for a few minutes, but it brought me even closer. My cheeks colored, knowing that he would know how close I was. He could hear my heart race and smell my arousal. When he brought the wound to his lips, he sucked one last time, bringing me over. A thunderous crash of pleasure ripped through my body. I clung to him as wave after wave of pure bliss crashed over me.

“Is
thu m'annsachd” he whispered in my ear.

He positioned Lucius and
me so it would be easy for him to drink without much effort. He laid a kiss on his son’s cheek and then one on mine, lingering just a few seconds. “I know the cost and it makes me sad and grateful.”

Quintus left as Lucius plunged into my neck. The wrist felt good
, but that was foreplay compared to my neck. After each swallow, he gained in strength. Each time he took from my neck, it brought me closer to the edge until I couldn’t hold off. I was pressed to his hard body and he brought me to my second orgasm of the night. What was wrong with me? I promised myself to Declan and now I was acting like a slut with two men.

He pulled out and licked the wound. I moaned softly into his neck.
His licks turned into kisses. His kisses trailed from my neck to my lips. I arched into him. I wanted him inside me. I opened my mouth to let in his tongue. It searched every nook and cranny, like he was trying to memorize my mouth. This was Lucius. I wanted him. If I was honest, I had wanted him since he walked in my house. Then I got to know him and I wanted him even more.

“I want
you, Cass. Fuck, I want you.”

His hand came up on my breast
s. They were out of my bra and his mouth nibbled on my sensitive nipples. It felt too good. I had to stop before it was too late. I couldn’t do this to Declan, as much as I wanted to. “Lucius, please stop,” I begged.

“I’m sorry
. I shouldn’t have assumed it was what you wanted too.” He looked hurt. I wanted to scream it was what I wanted. It would only make leaving harder. I choked back a sob.

“Cass
, I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He looked frantic. This was killing me. A man who never played games with me, protected me, and took care of me when I needed him, wanted me to stay and I had to leave.

“No
, I’m fine. I have to go. I promised Declan I would come back as soon as I could.”

His mouth returned to my
neck, kissing over the spot that had just been an open wound. His voice was deep and husky. “Don’t leave me. Don’t leave us. Quintus and I love you. We are your family.”

He could have said anything else and I would have had the strength to run from him, but that was something I had been wanting for so long.
“I made a promise. They wanted to kill you, Lucius. I couldn’t live with that.”

He stiffened and pulled back.
“You should have let me die.”

“
Don’t say that.” I felt like he had punched me.

“How am I
supposed to live with that? You fucking that dog so I could live.”

“You don’t have to be
hateful. I love Declan. It isn’t ideal, but it is what I want.”

“Liar!
Your blood is in me. I know how you feel about me. I know that if my fingers trailed down your bare spine to push down your pants, you might protest, but you wouldn’t stop me; that if I pressed my cock to your opening, you would thrust up to meet me.”

“Then don’t do those things. If we make love
, it will only make leaving you harder. Please, Lucius, don’t make this harder. If you truly know how I feel, then you know I love Declan too.” This was too hard. I wanted to stay and go.

His tone was harsh.
“You want to be here all alone. They will never let him be pack master. Do you know why? He won’t be able to continue on his line with you. He won’t be able to have wolves with you. I don’t want to hurt you, but you need the truth. Can you live here forever with Declan as your only friend?”

“
We will work it out.” I didn’t know if it was true, but I was determined to try.

“You will stay with him until one of you realizes that no matter what you feel
for each other, you are miserable.”