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

a man I hardly knew. What
sick joke was this that was happening to me? How was Ashby going to
handle this? Would he even want me? Did I even want him? Yes…yes I
did. My body craved his touch and wanted him here with me at all
times. Or was that just the newness of whatever we had going
on?
    Being a mate to a Krieger was a huge
deal. I’m talking, like royalty! Major…freaking…shit! How the hell
would I run the club? Charity had cut back at the club when she
mated Dragus. She promised that when they returned from their
honeymoon, she’d be working at least part time. We’d talked about
giving Meadow a promotion to manager, so that she could help me
out. Maybe we’d needed to have more than one manager now?
    The weight on my chest lifted only seconds
before I sensed Ashby was nearby. He was coming in fast, and I
braced myself for an impact that never came. Instead, I looked up
and there he was, standing in my doorway, looking sexy as hell in
jeans that hugged his thick thighs and a blue t-shirt that rested
tight across his muscular chest and arms.
    He dropped to one knee, placed his fist over
his heart and smiled. We were stunned in silence for a moment, just
taking in that we were now mated, that our eyes matched in
color.
    “Come here,” he commanded with a sultry
voice. My body floated toward him. The moment we touched, a
thousand bolts of electricity seared my veins, and I melted into
his arms. The weight I’d been feeling on my chest was completely
gone, not even a hint of discomfort.
    His mouth closed in on mine and as if on
autopilot, I gave myself over to him. Ashby was my mate, and I
wanted to please him…take care of him. My hands fisted in his
shirt, and I pulled it over his head, my lips seeking out his
muscular chest. His skin felt like velvet under my tongue. When I
used the flat of my tongue to slowly taste his nipple, a purr rose
out of his chest. When I looked up at him, his fangs had already
descended, the points super-sharp and dripping with need for my
blood. When I pulled my hair over to one side, in offering, Ashby
shook his head and reached for me.
    “Ladies of the Krieger always take
first, we, as mates, take second. Always,” he purred, picking me up
in his arms. Ashby’s yellow eyes took in every inch of my face, the
softness in his gaze tonight was nothing compared to his usual
harshness.
    My legs wrapped around his waist, and I felt
his erection pressing hot and hard into my sex. He smelled amazing
and I just wanted to crawl under his skin and never look back.
Ashby rubbed his face along my cheek, kissing my jaw as he marked
me with his scent.
    “Feed, baby,” he demanded. My fangs ached,
as I spotted the vein in his throat. The need for his blood was
just too strong, too insistent. My body molded around his,
burrowing deeper into his embrace.
    My mouth opened as I lined up with the vein
in his neck. I heard the blood flowing through his veins, a steady
hum that called to me. Ashby pressed his hand to my back and pulled
me closer to his body, as if I wasn’t molded to him enough
already.
    As my fangs scratched against his skin, I
felt him sit on the bed, but I didn’t acknowledge anything that he
was doing. I trusted him to protect me when I fed.
    When a vampire fed, it’s one of the most
vulnerable times for us. The animalistic side to our kind made
feeding a necessary evil that we had no control over.
    When thirst strikes, it had been said that
the need was worse than a drug craving any human has ever
been through. Our only thoughts are on the act of feeding, to drink
as much blood as we need to survive. It was a survival instinct
that we protect what we eat. Only if I was pulled away from Ashby,
at this moment, would I fight for my prey. Interrupting a feeding
vampire would be like pulling two rabid dogs apart during a fight
to the death.
    He moaned as my fangs broke through his
skin, the vein opened and blood flooded across my tongue. The warm,
rich taste coated the back of my