Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2) by Theresa Hissong Read Free Book Online Page A

had
wasn’t just from the sexuality of the bite, but of the woman
attached to my vein. Lifting her up, I wrapped her legs around my
waist so that she didn’t have to stand on the tips of her toes to
reach me.
    “Drink, baby,” I whispered and stroked her
hair. Her tiny rumble was like a whip lassoing my heart. She was
perfect for me, and I’d be damned if I let anyone hurt her again,
like those humans had done when they tried to take her blood.
    “Thank you,” she whispered, pulling back
from my neck. I captured her lips again and when our tongues
collided, I tasted my blood on her lips.
    Tires on her driveway caused me to growl in
warning, protectively. Whoever was coming would face a wrath if
they were here to do her harm.
    “It’s okay,” she assured me, by placing her
tiny hand on my cheek. “It’s just Raul and Harper, my Nacthmann .”
    “I’ll be here as soon as the sun sets,” I
promised. She didn’t argue and I took that as a good sign.
    After a quick talk with her protectors, I
hurried home, arriving only minutes before sunrise. The pull of
death took me under and right before I died, I felt her. It
was a strange feeling.
    Like we were one.
     

Chapter 7

    Lydia
     
    As I opened my eyes, I laid in bed thinking
about the events of the night before. Ashby knew Leo, and he’d
spoken of me. How we’d come to actually meeting a hundred years
later was either crazy coincidence or pure fate. The memories were
hard to relive, but I wanted Ashby to know me…all of me. For some
reason, I felt that I needed to show him everything.
    I rubbed at the tightness in my chest and
frowned. It just didn’t feel right. If I thought of Ashby, the
pressure lifted and replaced with it was a sense of calm. I
pictured myself caressing his hair and holding his hand. The
feeling I conjured inside felt so real, as if I was really touching
him. I could’ve sworn I felt him purr in response. The rumble was
soft, but I felt it all the way to my core.
    Laughing at myself and my stupid girly
imagination, I climbed out of bed and decided to shower. I needed
to get moving, because he’d be here soon. I secretly hoped that I
wouldn’t be going to the Red Cross tonight for my feeding. After
having his blood touch my tongue, anything else would taste like
dirt.
    As I undressed, my fangs ached with the need
for his blood the more I remembered the flavor. When I turned the
corner, I looked up toward the mirror and frowned at my reflection.
My mind’s observation did a quick assessment as to why I looked
different. My body was the same, but something was off. As I
walked closer to the mirror, I checked my reflection and didn’t see
anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until I raised my gaze did
I realize what was different.
    My eyes are no longer the beautiful shade of
emeralds that I was born with. They were now golden. Staring back
at me, out of the mirror, was the yellow eyes of a mated
female!
    “What the hell?” I gasped, talking to
myself. My hands automatically shot to my face. I leaned closer to
the mirror and opened my eyes wider as if it would make a
difference in the color.
    My phone rang somewhere behind me, shrill
and demanding, but I was too stunned to move. The sound cut off,
only to begin again a few seconds later. My mind finally snapped
out of its haze, and I snatched up the phone.
    “A…Ashby,” I answered.
    “Did…Are...Did your eyes change?” he asked,
awe in his voice. His normally deep baritone voice was now nothing
more than a whisper.
    “Are yours?” I replied, returning to the
mirror to look at myself.
    “Yes, doll,” he sighed. “I’m on my way to
you. Unlock your door, I’ll be there in less than five
minutes.”
    “Okay,” I swallowed hard, then hung up the
phone without even saying goodbye. I used my superhuman speed to
shower and dress in a pair of jeans and a yellow, long-sleeved
cotton shirt.
    It was too soon. I shouldn’t have just woken
up, out of the blue, and been mated to