Chosen by Blood by Virna Depaul

him would always despise her . Sometimes that hurt so bad she wanted to rail at the injustice of it all.
    But as much as his nearness sometimes hurt her, her words shamed her. “I’m so sorry. That was a horrible thing . . .”
    Her voice trailed off and she stared at Knox. He was looking at her unflinchingly, not with disappointment or recrimination as she’d expected. In fact, his expression had seemed to go deliberately blank—blank but for the faintest edge of guilt in their dark depths.
    Unbidden, her eyes filled with tears. “You’ve already found her. Haven’t you?”
    He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. “Felicia . . .” he murmured.
    “Did you?” she demanded.
    He nodded. “The Vamp Council has someone in mind, someone that can help unite our clan with those abroad.”
    The hurt was almost debilitating. “And this someone,” she choked out. “She was the reason you and the children went to France?”
    “Yes, but I’ve already explained everything to her, Felicia. Why we’d marry. That I’m in love with you. That the only times we’ll be together are to—”
    Felicia laughed. It started as a small chuckle, then progressed to a high-pitched giggle, and then to an almost hysterical guffaw. She fumbled behind her for the doorknob and thought of her friend.
    Noella.
    The beautiful, sweet-natured full-blooded vampire who’d married Knox and bore him two children. The one who’d died, knowing that Knox had wanted Felicia. And that Felicia had wanted him, as well. Whoever this female was, whoever the Council had picked out for Knox, was going to walk right into the same fate. If Felicia allowed it.
    “Stop,” Knox snapped. “Stop thinking of her. Them. This has nothing to do with Noella or Michelle.”
    “Michelle? That’s a beautiful name—”
    “This is about you and me and the hunger that won’t go away, no matter how you try to deny it.”
    “It will go away,” she cried. “It did. All you have to do is stay away from me.”
    He barked out an incredulous laugh. “I’ve stayed away from you long enough and that was my mistake. I let your romanticized notions about fidelity sway me, when what I should have done was fuck you. Hard. Fast. Every day until you admitted you were mine.”
    Shocked, her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to respond. She’d seen him lose control before, but not like this. Or maybe it wasn’t that he was out of control, she thought. Maybe he had simply made a decision and wasn’t going to mince words letting her know that. The notion made her tremble with a hint of fear and a tidal wave of desire.
    Walking up to her, he palmed her hips and lowered his head until his rough breaths stroked her ear. “ And you are mine, Felicia. Every inch of you. Your tits. Your ass. Your mouth. And your sweet, hot core. I’m going to love every single inch of you.” His teeth nipped at her again, harder than before, and his voice got even deeper. “When the time is right, I’m going to have you and I’m never going to let you go.”
    “Stop!” she cried, even as she imagined it, his body taking hers in every way possible. She ached for him just as she’d always ached. Hungered as she’d always hungered. Her body was so close to orgasm that she was shaking, but still she denied herself. No matter what he said, he wasn’t hers. He couldn’t be.
    Pleadingly, she whispered, “Please don’t do this to me, Knox. Please. Marry this female the Council has picked out. Marry her, have children with her, and leave me alone.”
    Her desperation must have gotten through to him because he suddenly jerked back. Eyes almost completely silver, he stared at her. “Felicia . . .”
    She finally managed to get the door open and slipped outside.
    Thankfully, he chose to let her go.
    She’d barely been able to resist him. She honestly didn’t know if she could do it again. From the moment she’d seen him, long before the kiss they’d shared two years ago,