Free Bled Dry by Erin McCarthy

he should have wiped her mind completely clean so as not to jeopardize vampire security. Or if that was unsuccessful, turning her to vampire. Letting mortals die hysterical deaths was not something they could advocate without looking draconian.
    He hadn’t advocated it either. But Brittany was the first to understand why he hadn’t been able to turn someone so obviously unstable to a vampire. He had felt a horror at the very thought, like the woman had no idea what it meant to walk the earth undead forever, nor had he thought she would be capable of following the rules of the Nation, given her behavior.
    “It was not an easy decision, and it all happened so quickly. I just reacted. But that doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for my own actions. I am. I initiated contact with her, and I did in fact infect her with the virus, and take her blood. That was not ethical.”
    “Yes, but if you had to live through the situation again, same circumstances, with forty years to reflect, what would you do?”
    Corbin didn’t really need to consider. He hadn’t had a choice. The other options had been more abominable than the decision to refuse her his lifeblood. “I would do the same thing, though I would disarm her of the knife more quickly and call for medical help sooner. But even more to the point, I wouldn’t have approached her in the first place.” But that wasn’t entirely the truth and he knew it. He still sought out unwilling donors to provide him with genetic material for his research, and he used both glamours and charm to achieve that. That was in fact precisely why he had originally approached Brittany—for her blood. The work was more important than worrying about taking one little vial of blood from someone, and he had to remember that, had to focus on the big picture. But the guilt ate at him.
    He also knew that the real reason he wore the wristwatch and was banished from polite vampire society was because his research scared the powers that be. They had used the woman’s death, and his clear remorse, as a convenient excuse to keep him in Las Vegas, to have him visible at all times. They didn’t want him finding his cure or making any other genetic discovery, then taking it to the wrong vampire.
    “You know what you believe is right, Corbin, and don’t let them tell you otherwise. I think you did the right thing.”
    Looking down at her, seeing the conviction in her eyes, he believed her. Brittany and he had a lot in common, given that she was misunderstood the same way he was. Hadn’t he heard her sister telling Brittany she was too trusting, too naïve? That wasn’t the way Corbin saw it at all. What he saw was an intelligent, compassionate woman who stood behind her convictions. Convictions that were remarkably similar to his own.
    He bent over, kissed her forehead. “Thank you. You are an amazing woman.” Stroking her hair, he added, “Perhaps I should leave you, let you sleep.” This may be his last chance to be inside Brittany for months, but he had ruined the moment with his confession, and she was fatigued anyway from the pregnancy.
    Her eyebrow shot up. “Are you stupid? I don’t think so! Take your pants off and let’s do this thing.”
    “Do this thing?” He almost laughed.
    “Yes. Do me .”
    Corbin felt his ardor immediately rise. He appreciated that she knew what she wanted, and just dove into it with her eyes open and heart on her sleeve. “Excellent suggestion. I will do this thing to you again and again until you are begging me to never stop.”
    Her eyes darkened. “Don’t stop,” she said, raising her hips, a smile playing on her lips.
    Corbin scoffed. “That’s not begging.” He disposed of his pants and pushed himself inside her without warning, sinking his teeth into her shoulders.
    She enclosed him, sending ecstasy sliding through his body, while simultaneously her blood sluiced over his fangs and rolled back into his throat. It felt amazing, delicious, but he