Aphrodite's Hunt by Jennifer Blackstream Page B

teeth and violence.”
     
    Gia blinked, slowly. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
     
    Such a foul mouth for such a pretty face. “It means, he shared with me his ability to absorb lifeforce. I no longer—”
     
    “You stopped drinking blood.”
     
    The absolute horror on Gia’s face annoyed him. Clearly she didn’t see what he’d told her as the supreme gift it was. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
     
    “You’ve been repressing your wolf for all this time and you haven’t even been drinking blood,” she whispered. “What kind of a life have you had?”
     
    Anger flared into a brilliant temper. The ice melted under the sheer molten lava of his fury. “How dare you? My life has been perfectly satisfactory. Not everyone needs blood and gore to enjoy life.”
     
    “Oh, yeah, you’ve got a handle on everything don’t you?” Gia snapped. “I suppose you meant to take my life before? Bathing the floor in my blood was all part of your brilliant civilized plan?”
     
    “I hadn’t taken blood in seven years!” Sorin seethed. His skin seemed ready to catch fire his anger burned so hot in his blood. “You forced your carnage to my mouth and—”
     
    “Wait a minute— seven years? I thought you stopped taking blood when your sire taught you how to be more civilized and suck lifeforce instead?”
     
    Sorin’s stomach dropped out as he realized his mistake. “I—”
     
    “Did some other evil woman force you to—” Gia’s eyes widened. “The rogue werewolf. You killed her didn’t you?” She straightened, her body tensing as if preparing to run. “You weren’t trying to stop her from killing people, you just killed her by accident because your bloodlust got the better of you!”
     
    “NO!” Images of Cossette flared to life in his mind. Gia’s accusation was a knife in the heart that had beat for the woman he loved. He glared at Gia, rising up to tower over her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never have hurt—”
     
    “Yes you would. You denied your beast and your thirst and it got the better of you.” Gia backed away, her eyes never leaving his. “I’m lucky you didn’t eat my face off the first time I forced my blood on you.”
     
    The sharp scent of fear filled the air and Sorin’s nostrils flared. His fangs slid from their sheaths as the delicious aroma curled deep inside his belly. He wavered on his knees, looking at Gia with renewed intensity. The scent grew stronger. Her heartbeat echoed in his ears, each pulse of her blood pulling him closer and closer. Every ounce of his energy went into resisting the urge to pounce on her.
     
    The world grew fuzzy as it narrowed down to the sound of her heartbeat and the scent of her fear. He could practically taste her blood on his tongue, the spice of her panic like sweet ambrosia. His lips pulled back, flashing his fangs. Her breath hitched in her throat and another scent crept into the air. The fear was still there, but under it lay another thicker scent—arousal.
     
    His control cracked.
     

Chapter 7
     

     
    Gia held her breath as Sorin’s eyes glazed over and his lips pulled back to reveal sharp fangs glistening in the light. The threat of violence in his eyes urged her pulse ever faster. She thought about their first bloody kiss. Starved for blood, in complete denial of his beast, she’d had no idea at the time how much danger she’d been in. The thought of how that could have ended sent a spike of terror through her heart and washed her body in cold fear. She didn’t fight it, didn’t try to stay calm. Sorin was too deep in denial for words to make a difference. If she was going to help him, she had to make him let go. The smell of fear would appeal to his wolf. The fact that his intensity aroused her beyond reason would help too.
     
    Come to mama.
     
    Sorin leapt. Anticipating his attack, Gia dove to the right, dragging her hand down the cool skin of his side as he flowed