Claiming Emerald by Kat Barrett Read Free Book Online

to kneel.
    She did, a looming shadow over Em’s body. The woman lowered her head to Em’s mouth. Em sunk her fangs into the woman’s throat. The blood was enthralling, intoxicating as it hadn’t been in years. She needed it to heal, needed to be well and out of the agony that seared through her flesh like a roaring fire.
    “Em. Stop!” commanded Russell.
    She didn’t want to stop. It tasted so good. Roaring pain that caused her to open her mouth on the verge of a scream ripped through her arm as Russell squeezed it. The distraction worked, her fangs retracting long enough for the woman to sit up. “Em, I can’t see you. Russell said that you are badly burned. I hope I helped.”
    “Thank you, Leeah. Are you okay? I didn’t take too much, did I?”
    “I’m fine. I’ll go wake Jace up and he will give me a little to heal me.”
    “Good.” She was afraid to feed again, afraid that if the pain faded then Russell wouldn’t be able to stop her the next time. She waited as the two shadowy figures walked to the door and then spoke Russell’s name. “Wait, please.”
    “Em wants to talk to me. Can whoever is going next put the blindfold on?” Russell shut the door. He walked over and knelt beside her. “What’s up?”
    “I can’t do this.”
    “You can’t do what?”
    “I can’t feed. I’m going to kill one of them. The feel of the blood is too sweet and I need it too much. I can’t stop myself.”
    “Em. You need to do this. You can’t remain as you are.”
    “Rory can give me some blood when he wakes up.”
    He was silent and she could picture him scowling at her. “You need to feed. I will stop you.”
    “You stop me with pain. I don’t know if you can do it again once my body heals a bit.”
    He chuckled sarcastically. “Really, Em? Do you forget who you are talking to? Since when do you think I’m incapable of inflicting enough pain to get your complete attention?”
    She chuckled, the movement bringing tears to her eyes. “Good point. Who’s next?”
    “Samantha.”
    “Okay. I trust you to make me stop if I can’t on my own.”
    “I will.”
    Em feared that it was going to be a long day of self-control. The blood she had taken from Leeah hadn’t even made a dent in her burns. If anything it had done little more than heal her mouth. How much blood and how many humans was it going to take? She had to be careful not to use everyone and leave the other vampires with no one to feed from. Samantha knelt beside her, lowering her throat to Em’s mouth.
    The smell of her skin was delicious, warmth radiating with each thrilling beat of her heart. Em kept her mind on self control as she sank her fangs into soft silky skin. The taste, the need, she tried not to let it consume her. When Russell pinched the burned skin on her arm, Em wanted to ignore him. Would it really be so bad to kill a single human? She had never gone that far. Had never bled someone dry.
    Em snapped her fangs back into place, her willpower barely able to control the desire to continue. “Thank you, Samantha.”
    “I hope it helped.”
    Russell leaned and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I told you that you could do it.”
    “Almost didn’t.”
    “But you did. Marilyn said that Holden just fed on her, so Billy is next. Remember how much you like Billy.”
    “I’ll try.”
    “Remember that they have a child.”
    “Go get him.”
    Her body was demanding more, the sensation was nagging at her brain. The pain was not subsiding, but she was ignoring it as best she could. Em knew that if she tried to move, she would scream. There was no doubt of that in her mind. A shadow loomed above her and the scent of human flesh tickled her nose. Billy had recently showered. Maybe they had rigged something up in the kitchen as they used to do before the houses were built. Water could be boiled on the stove and used to wash with. Em inhaled deeply, the sweetness of his skin wonderful. Her ears were filled with the sound of his