Free Beloved Forever by Kit Tunstall

up. “Very well. You aren’t hungry enough yet.”
    She watched him stand with disbelieving eyes. “What? You’re leaving? I haven’t eaten.”
    “I gave you a chance.”
    Emily shuddered. “You want me to drink your blood.”
    “Yes. It’s what you need, what you crave and what you can’t live without.”
    “I don’t believe you.”
    He scowled. “Then believe what your body tells you. Listen to its plea for my blood and give in.”
    She hesitated, unable to commit to such an act. How could she bring herself to indulge in his psychotic fantasy? Emily squirmed and faced the truth. She was afraid she would like it too much, so what did that say about her? She yearned to taste his blood, and that frightened her. More than that, it aroused her.
    “Well, what will it be? I won’t stand here all night.”
    Tears pricked her eyes as she struggled to make a decision. Either starve or drink his blood. Her stomach gurgled, and she bent forward, cradling her sides in a futile attempt to deny the hunger pangs. Finally, her shoulders dropped. “All right,” she said in a low voice. Her eyes widened with apprehension when he returned to the bed and gathered her close. How would she live with what she was about to do? Yet, she would die if she didn’t surrender. She was determined to escape this lunatic, and that meant she had to do everything in her power to survive. The thought wasn’t enough of an excuse to justify her actions, even to herself.

Chapter Four
     
    Emily tensed when he wrapped his arms around her. He shifted until her lips were near his neck. Her eyes locked on the pulsing vein, and her stomach rumbled. Still, she hesitated. “I don’t know what to do.”
    He smoothed away the hair on her face and pushed it over her shoulder with a gesture full of tenderness that repulsed and attracted her simultaneously. His arm remained around her. “Sink your fangs into the vein and slash it open. When the holes are wide enough, you’ll be able to suck freely.”
    She shuddered. “Won’t that hurt you?”
    Nicholas lifted a brow. “Do you care?”
    She licked her lips and didn’t answer.
    “You will learn how to feed from the wound with your incisors eventually, but I suspect you’re too hungry for finesse tonight.” He relaxed completely, keeping his neck exposed. “I’ll teach you how to take away the pain for the ones you feed on, but you can’t do that for me.”
    She frowned. “Why not?”
    His lips twisted into a half-smile. “Your powers are still dormant until you feed. Even if they weren’t, your mind isn’t strong enough to overcome mine and convince me I’m enjoying the experience.”
    Emily pushed her face against his skin, realizing he was warm compared to her cool skin. Her stomach quivered with nerves as she positioned her neck to a semi-comfortable position. She touched her lips to his vein, but couldn’t make herself bite him. She sighed and said, “I can’t do it.” Having her lips against his neck muffled her voice.
    He was firm. “You must. If you can’t feed from me, how will you ever learn to hunt on your own?”
    She shook her head against his neck, brushing her hair across his skin. Slight shudders rippled through him at the action. “I won’t be hunting.”
    Nicholas laughed. “You can bet I’m not going through this every couple of nights, love. Bite me.”
    She shook her head more vigorously. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
    “Yes, you do. You must be seething with anger at the moment.” His voice was a low whisper. “I took you from your home and changed your life forever. You must want to hurt me at least a little.”
    She didn’t want his words to work, but they did. Emily’s anger stirred again, propelling her forward. She paused to trace her tongue across the vein, getting a feel for where it was. A corresponding dart of arousal in her pussy made her eyes widen, and she struggled to block out her reaction as she concentrated on feeding. Before losing