Blood Bound- Book 1 of the Bonded Series- Complete

Chapter 28

“Open your eyes my sweet, I have a surprise for you.”

Shelby did as she was told and once again tried to push herself up.  And once again, the ever attentive Leo was there, fluffing her pillows and doing his best to make sure she was comfortable.  "Are you comfortable?" 

Shelby looked up at him and offered a weak smile.  "Yes," she said, wondering where the food was. "At least as comfortable as I can be, " she added subconsciously touching her throat and feeling like it was on fire.

Leo turned towards the door and called out.  "Come in, she's ready now."

She turned her attention to the door and was surprised when a twenty something year old girl walked through it.  She was paler than most and wore a plain navy blue slip dress that hit her at mid thigh.  It was nothing fancy and she even had her auburn colored hair pulled back in a simple pony tail.  She could just barely be a year or two older than herself, Shelby mused and she wasn't carrying a dinner tray.

Leo stepped out of the way.  "Over here," he gestured towards Shelby.

The young girl slowly made her way towards the bed.  She kept her head bent down and didn't meet either Shelby nor Leo's gaze.  Hesitantly, she sat down on the side of the bed and tilted her neck to the side, offering it to Shelby.

At first Shelby wasn't sure what to think and then it all sort of clicked.  "What is this?" she asked and turned to Leo.  Her stomach was already turning over as it was so obvious by what it was meant to be.

"You need to feed," he said as if it was the most normal thing to do in the world.  And maybe in his eyes it was but to Shelby, it wasn't right. She couldn't do it. "She is a blood slave, she enjoys the high that she gets from the bite.  You don't have to drain her Shelby but you need to feed directly from the source.  You're starving." 

Shelby closed her eyes and took several long, deep breaths.  Leo was right about one thing , she was starving.   Starving so much that she could hear the girls heart beating rhythmically in her chest.  The beats seemed to echo in time in her head and it was driving her crazy.  What this girl was offering her  was a temptation that she was sorely struggling to abstain from. 

The biggest problem was that Shelby was scared to death that once she started to feed, as thirsty as she was, she wouldn't have any control.  Leo said that she didn't have to kill the girl, but she wasn't confident enough in herself to say that once she started, she would be able to stop. 

"I'm not biting her," she screamed in outrage and made a weak attempt to get off the bed.

"You need food and you will eat Shelby.  Your health is my only concern right now.  This is not up for discussion."  Leo took an intimidating step forward and crossed his arms over his broad chest.  "Now enough of the nonsense, and feed Shelby."

Shelby narrowed her eyes in warning.  "No!"

Leo took one more step so that he now towered over the two girls.  What struck Shelby odd was the fact that the other girl just sat quietly beside of her with her head cocked to the side like a sacrificial lamb without muttering a single word.