He kept my legs pinned to the bed with his large hands, easily keeping me restrained with his vampire strength as I thrashed in his hold.
"One more time for me, baby," he urged as he slowed his tongue, now licking me at a leisurely pace. Every inch...
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James clutched my hand in his, our fingers laced together so tightly it felt like they were going to fall off.
But I was okay with that.
I never wanted to let him go again, and now that I was a vampire, I'd never have to.
My breathing hitched with that sentiment, and a tingle started up in my spine, working its way through each of my limbs as we raced back to the house and away from that horrid clearing in the woods.
James said he'd never seen any fledgling physically adjust to vampirism so quickly before. Apparently, it usually took weeks, if not months, to get the hang of the new enhanced abilities. But I perfected sprinting on my first try.
Why? We don't know.
All I knew in this very moment was that I was more than ready to see my family. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like years since I'd seen them.
And the worst part is, they all think I'm dead. God, I could only imagine the pain they're going through.
"Are you ready, iubirea mea?" James snapped me out of my thoughts with his deep, soothing voice.
I looked up and realized that we'd already made it back to the house. I hadn't even noticed. When I glanced back at him, I blew out a shaky breath. "I'm scared." I whispered, my words cracking slightly.
"It will all work out, baby. I'm right here." James squeezed my hand—extra reassurance, I realized—before dropping it and pushing the front door open, stepping in before me. I quickly clutched the back of his jacket between my fingers, afraid of how my family will see me now that I was no longer human.
On top of that, I was still covered in my own blood from my throat down to my stomach, and the deer blood that I drank earlier had dried on my mouth and chin.
Multiple voices filtered into the foyer as we entered the house, but they came to an abrupt halt once they heard the door shut behind us. Footsteps raced across the hardwood floors, growing closer and closer until they came to an abrupt halt right in front of James. My whole body trembled, and I tightened my hold on James's hoodie, squeezing the fabric in a vice grip.
My heart was thudding so quickly, and it was so quiet I feared they'd be able to hear it, but then my father's broken voice filled the entryway. "Where's Cleo's body?" he sounded like he'd been crying. I could hear the hurt in his tone, and it broke me.
James opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, I decided it'd be easier to see than explain. I stepped out from behind him, my eyes cast downward because I couldn't bear to see their disappointment.
