Struck (A Vampire Novel) ✔

Thirty-Six

Jacobi pulled his spirit away from me abruptly; leaving me reeling from the sudden cold aching that was left. He slithered his hand under my bared body, trailing it to my mid-back before lifting me easily in his grasp. I winced from the leftover wounds and sensitive flesh he hadn’t quite healed as of yet. My left arm was still relatively useless and aching with sharp pain. Still, he lifted me until my body was aligned with his, sitting back on the bed so that I was left straddling him vulnerably.

I blushed, despite my injuries.

“Your arm is dislocated,” Jacobi stated his expression dark and dangerous. “Before I fix it, explain to me how you thought setting Noland’s headquarters on fire and releasing a vampire hunter was a good idea.” I watched his expression blankly, almost enthralled by the rage I found building there. I had wanted him to rescue me and now I wasn’t so sure this meant I would survive after all.

“I felt… protective,” I responded quietly, my voice hoarse from screaming. “I felt she was one of my own… my own coterie and I needed to help her. I was willing to be punished for it.” I immediately cried out when he grasped my shoulder, applying quick pressure and popping my bone back into place almost professionally. Though I knew he had to do that in order to heal it properly, I felt a part of it was revenge for betraying him.

“You have to make your decision tonight, Elysia,” Jacobi told me, leveling his intense eyes with mine. “You’re no longer claimed, however that happened. You’re now just a hunter on Noland’s territory. He’ll want compensation for his lost hunter and you know what he’ll demand.” I widened my eyes, imagining Noland replacing Clio with me, beating me when he felt like it and leading me around on a leash like an actual pet.

“You’ll give me to him?” I asked, sounding quite hurt despite the fact that Jacobi had been planning on killing me for a long time now. Quite suddenly, he tightened his grip on me, pulling me even closer to him and leaning forward to trail his lips over my bare collarbone. I gasped pleasantly, my flesh burning where his lingered. He lifted his face from my neck, hovering inches from own face and watching me with fierce eyes.

“You belong to me, Elysia. If he demands you for compensation, it won’t matter if you’ve rejected my offer. I will kill you before anyone else can have you,” Jacobi growled dangerously. My heart dropped at the declaration, fear rising in response almost immediately. “You must decide now. Be mine completely or accept your death. I won’t claim you without your permission. I won’t fuck you without your consent. It’s your choice.” I swallowed with difficulty, looking away from his demanding stare in fear. He grasped my face lightly in his hand, pulling me to meet his gaze which had suddenly softened.

“I wouldn’t hurt you, dove. My offer stands as before. Be mine until I no longer want you as I do now,” He moved against me then, pushing my hips down against him so that I could take notice of a sudden bulge pressing against my inner thighs. I blushed, wishing his hand didn’t have that grip on my face so that I could hide. “And I’ll let you go.”

“If I don’t let you have me, you’ll kill me?” His expression hardened at my inquiry.

“If I let you go now, you’ll just be killed by other vampires who are waiting for you to be left vulnerable. Or you’ll go to your father and put my coterie in danger. If anything, other members like Corentine will be enraged that you’ve been treated so kindly after what your family has done to us,” He paused, watching me for a moment.

“What makes you think, once you’re done with me and let me go, I won’t still be a threat to your coterie?” I asked, frowning deeply.

“By then, I’ll have set up another location for my coterie to move,” He answered simply.