Land of Wolves

Chapter 18

Rolling onto my side, I shove my hands under my head and watch Caleb's chest rise and fall with breath. His fingertips rest against my thigh, the man needing to touch me even in his sleep. I have a feeling if I were to move to the side even the slightest bit, he'd extend his arm so he's still in contact with me.

I gulp and stare at the spot where I'm going to sink my knife into him. There's a bit of stubble on his neck, the hair having grown since he shaved this morning. I like the look of it, and I like even more the feel of it when he nestles his face against mine.

The large vein in his neck pulses with each beat of his heart, full of blood that fuels his brain. Humans die within fifteen seconds when their jugular is cut, but I'm not sure how long it will take Caleb to die. Wolves heal faster than us, and his body will fight harder to stay alive.

I hope it doesn't take long.

I know I shouldn't, but I want to stay with him until he's dead. Seeing the light in his eyes dull will be torture, but I need to do it. I'll never forgive myself if I don't. As much as I hate it, the mate bond has taken a firm hold of me. I can't leave him here to die alone.

I just can't.

Caleb wrinkles his nose in his sleep, the action much cuter than it has any business being. I feel my lips curling into a soft smile as I watch. I wonder what he's dreaming about. A small part of me hopes it's me.

I selfishly like the idea of being the person he thinks about in his sleep.

Licking my lips, I lean in and place my lips on the vein. I want to see his reaction time. He stirs, his head tilting back so I have more room to kiss. That's a good sign.

I was scared he'd jolt awake the moment his neck was touched.

It's a vulnerable spot, but Caleb's instinct isn't to protect it when I'm in bed with him. That will probably change when it's a knife touching him and not my lips, but I can't exactly test that theory without raising alarms.

Caleb lets out a sleepy moan, and I carefully rise and plant a hand on either side of his head. He still doesn't move, and I give him another kiss before sinking my teeth into his skin.

That seems to alert him, and before I can register what's happening, I'm on my back with Caleb hovering above me. His eyes are wide open, his sudden alertness concerning. If he wakes this abruptly when I cut him, he'll still be able to pin and kill me before the blood loss makes him weak.

"What are you doing?" he asks, peering down at me.

A piece of hair falls over his eye, and I instinctively reach up to push it back. He needs to get a trim.

"Biting you," I say.

Caleb blinks, his hands loosening where they pin mine to the bed. He drops to his elbows, bringing our faces closer before his lips find mine. I sigh into the kiss, my body warming when he tilts his head to the side and deepens it.

"Why?" he breathes, pulling away.

I shrug.

"I thought wolves liked that. I'm marking you."

Wolves don't mark, but the books humans love to read often include some sort of bite. We romanticize it, and I'm going to play that to my benefit. I wanted to see Caleb's speed when a real threat was brought to his neck, and that's precisely what I got.

Even if the reaction wasn't what I was hoping for.

Caleb's too quick, and killing him isn't going to be easy. Not that I ever thought it would be.

He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, his attempt to hold back a laugh not exactly successful. I force my expression into a pout, hoping the next part of my plan works. I want to see if there's any further detail about how to kill a wolf I can pry out of him. I'd specifically love to know if a part of him is weaker than the others.