Mine, Bitten

Chapter Thirty-Three

Lily

            Lily stared at Varian with confounded disbelief. It shouldn't bother her, but it did. The thought that Varian created that stone beauty was incredulously problematic.

            "A bond between a sire and its sired is a powerful union-"

            She held up a hand to stop him. "You don't have to explain anything to me. It's not as if we're dating."

            "Lily-" he growled, "-you and I need to come to an understanding. I've marked you. That makes you mine."

            Her heart jumped at the word-mine. It had a startling effect on her. "I'm not yours!" she exclaimed heatedly, balling her hands into fists at her sides. "I've had it up to here with my being 'yours'!"

            He moved so quickly that she jumped, seizing her arms tightly in an iron grip that could easily hurt if he willed it. "Whether you like it or not-" he growled in a low tone, "-you are mine, I made certain of that the moment I drank from you."

            Her face blushed a deep red at the remembrance of how he'd stolen into her dreams and fed from her. He had done it so wickedly charming like-how could she feel any other way but enchanted? Ridiculous!

            His velvety black eyes moved caressingly over her face, arousing a flutter in her belly and frightened by it, she wiggled out of his grip. "Are we done?"

            "You're pale." He said noticeably.

            "I'm not feeling well." She confirmed, moving away from the insufferable heat of his massive frame that was doing strange things to her body.

            "You haven't eaten." He growled, "You need to feed."

            Lily's eyes widened, "Feed? As in-" her eyes dropped warily to the pulse at his throat and her stomach churned, "-certainly not!"
            His face darkened as he stepped toward her. "Your body is in transitioning, Lily. It will not digest human food but make you violently ill."

            She was doused in a sudden cold sweat. "This is your entire fault!" she whirled on him, "If you hadn't taken my blood this wouldn't have happened."

            "It's done, Lily."

            Her face reddened, "Just like that, all nonchalant and what not!"

            "I told you what would happen if the transitioning wasn't complete. The human in you will fight the change, but nothing can be done, eventually, the change will take course and you'll no longer be-"

            "Alive!" she cried, "I didn't want this! I want a normal life-one without you in it!"

            He winced as tears began to skim the length of her cheeks. He stepped toward her but she retreated, her face red and taut with fury. "Why didn't you just kill me?" she said dejectedly, "In Romania, why didn't you?"

            He straightened beneath her fixated glare, "I wanted to protect you."

            She laughed coldly, "I was doing perfectly fine until you came along."

            It was his turn to laugh, "Really, should we run down the laundry list of screw ups?"