Chapter 22
The door closes with a soft click. Bogdan's footsteps lightly trail across the wooden floorboards, a deceiving sound despite his massive strength. My ears ring as I listen to his every graceful movement with closed eyes. He has to know I'm not actually sleeping; my quickening pulse is making sure of that.
He paces back and forth, back and forth along the spacious stretch of floor. My mind wanders thinking about where he's been all day. Was he trying to find more vampires to kill? Did he return Axel's body to the Village?
I take a deep breath, and once again Bogdan's scent fills my nose. Vampires all have the same type of smell – a cool mint that's heady and laced with seduction. Yet there's something different with Bogdan's. Something more.
Maybe when a vampire changes, their pheromones from being mortal carry over, adding a hint of realness to them. Or perhaps his scent stands out to me simply because he has claimed my blood. I swallow hard, internally repeating the words a second time.
My blood is now his.
I am now his.
My stomach clenches with desire. I know I shouldn't want to be claimed by a vampire, to be considered an immortal possession. To any other immortal, I wouldn't stand for it. But with Bogdan...
A prickling heat of want dances through me. Even though our last kiss landed me into Axel's cruel arms, it was our most intimate moment yet. My lips ache for more. Even the pulse in my neck seems to be thrumming with anticipation, prepared for Bogdan to succumb to his hunger.
"What are you thinking, human?"
His voice produces a troupe of goosebumps to break out across my skin, slithering down the length of my arm with rehearsed precision. My eyes pop open. I keep my gaze focused on the ceiling, unsure of how my body will react when I see him.
"A lot of things," I whisper.
His footsteps come to an immediate halt. "What are they?"
He poses it as a question, but his voice is demanding. A heated blush rises to my cheeks. I'd sound pathetic if I actually confessed my thoughts of desire for him. Instead I route the conversation in a different direction.
"Kelly told me about Axel...and you, from the war," I mumble, hoping that'll get him talking.
Of course, it doesn't.
"It's not something I enjoy speaking about."
I hug the blanket around my shoulders. "Then why'd you tell Kelly?"
Bogdan grunts. "He wouldn't agree to my plan otherwise."
A small smile hovers at the edges of my lips imagining my best friend standing up to the likes of Bogdan. He may not remember me, but the goodness of his soul is still there. Kelly knew a plan like that would be dangerous, and he refused to execute it without a proper explanation as to why. Even as an immortal Kelly manages to protect me.
"You could have just told me about Axel, you know," I say after a stretch of silence.
There's a beat of silence and the pacing starts again. "If you had known the plan ahead of time, your emotions would have been different. You wouldn't have felt the same level of fear, of hope, or of pain. But you needed to feel all of them, human. Axel wouldn't have been fooled otherwise."
It makes sense. I hate that it does...but it does.
Bogdan had a chance to take down a highly dangerous and deathly destructive immortal. So he took it. If I was in his position, I'd probably do the same. The only difference is that I probably wouldn't have been successful.
"I'm glad he's gone," I finally say.
Bogdan hums under his throat with faint agreement. Silence settles between the two of us until another question surfaces.
"Why did you need Kelly's help?" I ask.
"I needed him to watch over you while you were in captivity," Bogdan answers with a strong, steady voice.
My heart flutters. He doesn't mean for it to be sweet, but it still manages to make an impact.
"You couldn't watch over me yourself?"
Bogdan's voice becomes distant guarded. "I would have failed."
The immortal man is chiseled perfection. Yes, he is brutal and unwavering with his ideas and convictions, but there's nothing about him that could be tied to failure.
"Kelly just changed," I counter. "You have far more willpower and strength than he does."
The pacing stops again. There's a beat of stillness until Bogdan's footsteps move closer to the bed. My pulse goes into overdrive, and my willpower caves. I drop my gaze to his. Fiery, red eyes collide with mine. The dim light casts shadows against the contours of his features.
He stares down at me. "Not when it comes to you."
Another heart flutter resonates in my chest, but this time it is so strong that it quivers in the pit of my stomach. It's the first conversation we're having now that both of us know the truth – that my blood is his and only his.
"Why?" I whisper breathlessly.
Bogdan stops at the end of the bed. He doesn't sit. Now that I'm looking up at him, he seems taller than usual. His broad shoulders tense at my question and his jaw tics.
"Because ever since I claimed your blood, whenever someone touches you...kisses you...it causes me to feel. It's something I haven't experienced since I was a mortal," Bogdan explains icily. "And I cannot control those emotions, human. They don't allow me to think clearly."
I nod in understanding, trying not to squirm under the intensity of his gaze.
"I think what you might be feeling is jealousy," I whisper hopefully. "Maybe even possessiveness?
"I know what it's called," he snaps with a sharp edge to his voice. "The problem isn't putting a name to the emotion, human, but rather how to control it."
He is practically growling with irritation. I suck my bottom lip into my mouth and nibble on it. The change must be infuriating for him, but is it so wrong that I find it attractive?
For weeks I thought Bogdan didn't care about me at all. Now that I know the truth, the other pain slowly slips away. He doesn't just want me; he is actually possessive over me. I shift the blankets, making sure Bogdan can't see my growing excitement beneath the comforter.
"I...I don't know what to tell you," I say hesitantly. "Have you had any luck so far?"
Bogdan stares at my swollen, bottom lip. "No."
His hungry gaze devours me. My heart slams against my chest, a wild bird pleading against a metal cage. Hopeful tingles caress the length of my neck at the mere thought of his lips pressing against the tender flesh above my racing pulse. I bite down on my lip again, this time so hard that the coppery taste of blood spreads over my taste buds.
Bogdan's eyes narrow. The red color swirls and recedes to make way for a simmering black.
"You should not have done that, human."
The double timbre in his voice is back, and despite knowing he won't hurt me, fear bubbles up my throat. I don't want to cave into it. I can't - not this time.
I scramble off the bed and force myself to get close enough to Bogdan that my chest brushes against the thin material of his shirt. His nostrils flare, his restraint hanging on by a shriveling thread. Before I can mentally talk myself out of it, I close my eyes and wind my arms around his neck.
Bogdan stiffens to my touch. I slide my hand up the back of his head, grabbing a handful of his hair and urging his mouth closer and closer...until it's nestled into the crook of my neck. I can feel his fangs elongating against the fragile skin and I shiver.
"Bogdan," I whisper, trembling against his arms. "Please..."
For a moment, nothing happens. I tremble so hard that I being to shake. Then Bogdan's arms replace the empty space behind my lower back, forcing me against him. His mouth finds the healing holes from Axel. He hastily slides his tongue against them.
The tips of his fangs hover above the sores, and then...
He sinks them into me.
I cry out in pain. Tears of agony collect at the sides of my eyes, and I thrash against Bogdan's hold. It only makes him hold me tighter. He presses his chest against me, taking my blood much faster and much harder than Axel did.
But then it sparks.
Pleasure.
White hot desire courses through my veins. Bogdan's sucking motion deepens, and his lips are like blissful drops of cool rain pressing against my skin. It's fire and ice, the heady pleasure far surpassing my moment with Axel.
I moan in pleasure and relax my weight into Bogdan's arms. He possessively presses his fingertips into my back. More and more blood is sucked into his eager mouth, the feeling blissful and unforgettable. It's only when I start to feel lightheaded that his teeth tear away from my neck.
He tilts his head back and lets out a deep, guttural groan of satisfaction. Blood drips from the tips of his fangs and onto his clean shirt. The red smears across his lips, but unlike with Axel, seeing Bogdan drunk with satisfaction from my blood is incredibly erotic.
Little stars wink in and out of my vision from the sudden loss of blood. I struggle to stay on my feet. The holes burning on the side of my neck almost feel like they're sizzling with heat. Bogdan gently urges me back into bed.
The darkness of his eyes ebbs away. The mahogany brown color that takes their place is so warm and devoid of hunger that they almost look human. His fangs retract slowly. Bogdan wipes the remnants of blood away from his mouth before taking a seat beside me near the bed.
My lower half twitches with unmet release and I give him a weak smile. "Your eyes don't look so hungry anymore."
Bogdan's features tighten, and his gaze studies my face before settling on my tired eyes.
"I drank too much," he says.
I try to shrug, but the movement is painful. The loss of blood is turning into an unbearable headache, and I close my eyes just to ease the dull throb. Bogdan's cool knuckles lightly trace down the length of my cheek. The touch surprises me, and I lean into it, craving more. Even if it's not an affectionate touch, I can't help but want it. Want him.
"Your color is gone," Bogdan accuses, touching and noting the sudden pallor of my cheeks. "You'll need to eat before you sleep. Your strength is imperative for our journey tomorrow."
"Why?" I ask sleepily. "What's happening tomorrow?"
Bogdan drops his hand away from my face. I prepare myself for him to tell anything – from setting me up as bait for another vicious vampire to staying in this bed all day and feeding him to his heart's content.
...but then he says something that makes my fragile world crumble with trepidation.
"Your friend is in danger," he whispers. "And if we don't save her soon, she will die."
"Who?" I ask.
But on some level, I already know.
A sickening fear bubbles around my intestines, laughing evilly as it travels through my stomach and into my throat. I hold my breath, bracing myself to hear the one name I don't want Bogdan to say.
He lowers his voice and confirms my worst fear in a single word. "Fiona."
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A/N: Noooo, Fiona!? Alright Finn, you've been used as bait once (Bogdan - you sheisty sonuva gun), but now you're actually aware of the situation this time.
So, what are you waiting for? Go save her!