I Bite She Sucks, Bloom, Penelope [recommended reading TXT] 📗

pattern of her steps and the weight of them. I tried to do the cool movie thing where I said, “Hi, Kyla,” once she was close without turning.

She snorted. “Enjoying the improved hearing, are we?”

I felt a little embarrassed. She was a vampire, too. I wasn’t going to impress her with the same abilities she’d probably long-since mastered and grown bored of.

“I have to admit,” I said. “I feel a little weaker today. For a while I was feeling like I could’ve ripped a tree out of the ground by its roots or run a marathon without breaking a sweat.”

Kyla nodded. “You’re just young. Your system is learning to burn blood more efficiently. Right now, it’s like a gas guzzling truck that gets two miles per gallon. Give it time and your strength will last longer between feedings.”

“So I should feed soon?”

“You should, but everyone here is a werewolf. You shouldn’t drink their blood if you can avoid it.”

“Why?”

She hesitated. “It’s taboo, for one. Werewolf blood is different than human blood. It gives them some connection to you if you drink it. They’ll be able to sense where you are for a time. Maybe even pick up on your thoughts and emotions. It gives them some power over you, but it also gives you a taste of their strength. It’s a delicate balance, but neither vampires nor werewolves consider it remotely okay to do. Vampires obviously don’t like giving over any control to werewolves, and werewolves don’t want vampires tapping into their strength. Besides, neither side wants to feel like there’s any need for dependence on one another.”

“Did your parents?” I asked, frowning when I couldn’t think of how to word it. “Share blood, I guess?”

Kyla thought for a few seconds before responding. “You’re wondering if Riggs should let you feed on him? Maybe thinking you wouldn’t mind him having that connection?”

I blushed. “I don’t know what I was wondering, to be honest.”

“I don’t know what my parents did when they were alone. If they were sharing blood, they were smart enough not to admit it to anyone. That’s all I’ll say.” She winked.

“Oh,” I said, stopping Kyla before she could get up and leave. “Has Riggs given you any clue about the plan?”

“No. He’s either been with you or trying to bond the pack. I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to him one on one.”

“I’ll try to give him a push to make time once this is all over,” I said, smiling.

Kyla smiled back. “Thank you. I would appreciate that. Riggs and the pack should be back soon, by the way.”

As if on cue, I heard a loud howling from the distance and several more rang out in response.

44

Riggs

I shifted back to my human form once I was inside. I felt so fucking alive. It was like every nerve in my body was electrically charged—ready to arc out with energy at the slightest touch.

I hadn’t realized how distant I’d grown from my wolf until I had him back like this. Part of me had been withering and dying, and I’d been too damn blind to see it.

The pack and I got dressed again, picking up our clothes from where we’d shifted before our run in the woods. There was no shame for our nakedness when we shed our wolf forms. It took time for the mind to return to normal, and during the early moments after shifting I was still more wolf than human. I saw naked human flesh as desirable as a human saw a “naked” dog.

Sylvie was waiting for me in the diner. I went to her and kissed her deeply, which drew a surprised sound from her that was muffled by my mouth. She laughed a little when I pulled back, then bit the corner of her lip.

“Did you have fun playing?” she teased.

I remembered my wolf tackling and rolling with Rourk’s wolf by a stream. I remembered nipping at the heels of Aranelle’s wolf as we raced through a field of dandelions lit by starlight. With a grin, I nodded. “I did, actually.”

The diner had been packed with every single full Hunter from the pack. I’d spoken with the Elders and made sure the howlers were kept carefully away from Kyla and Sylvie for now. I wanted to make sure I was completely bonded to the pack before I risked testing my ability to control them around the scent of vampires. In all, there were forty-two Hunters here. Less than when I’d left, but not by much.

I caught sight of Pax in the corner ordering some food. Every werewolf in the pack played a role in keeping the town functional. It was the price we gladly paid for independence and privacy. So Shaun and Pierce showed no reluctance to get behind the counter and cook hot meals for all the hungry bellies after our run in the woods.

I’d almost forgotten how much I missed the food here. Even the fare at The Wet Flea had been a poor imitation.

Pax had come limping back a full day after our fight. He was heavily wounded but acknowledged me as his Alpha and fell in line as a werewolf should. Nobody degraded him for what had happened. Strength rose to the top. That was simply the way of things, and Pax was no longer the strongest. There was no shame in it, but he also wasn’t the Alpha anymore.

Sylvie sat with me while I scarfed down enough food to feed four full-grown men.

She watched me with an adorable little smile while I ate, like she was enjoying seeing how much I enjoyed it. I had to keep reminding myself not to offer her any. It would’ve just been a cruel reminder.

Aranelle approached us. “May I speak with Riggs?” She was asking Sylvie—a sign that she was granting Sylvie the proper respect deserved for the mate of the Alpha.

Sylvie looked over her shoulder as if she wasn’t sure who Aranelle could be talking to. “Oh,”