Page 47 of Fangbanger

He nods, eyes dark.

It’s hard to think when he looks at me like this. The bond must be affecting me too, because my blood is humming.

“How does sealing it work?”

“You take my blood while I take yours.”

“Simple.”

He nods tightly. “Far too simple. I will try to compel you to seal it.” The words sound dragged from him. He almost sounds resentful at the thought of losing control. “It is getting worse.” The last word is ragged.

“Worse how?” I whisper.

His gaze fastens on mine. “I think of nothing but claiming you. Of hunting you. Taking you. Biting you and forcing you to bite me. It makes it hard to think. Hard to reason.” His gaze dips to my neck, and hairs go up at my nape.

“I wouldn’t mind that.”

The air pulls taut between us. I can feel his need—in the tension hanging in the air and in the bond. I delve deeper into that place in my head, and I’m walloped by the depth of it. It’s an ocean of heat and hunger.

I grip the counter. “Oh Goddess.” My pulse throbs between my legs. How does he stand this? The answer comes swiftly—he is stronger than I realize.

His frame trembles before he squares his shoulders. “Bind me.” His words are harsh.

“What? No.”

“Bind me, Leah.”

He grabs for my wrist and flashes us upstairs to my bedroom, with my giant four-poster bed and the curtains that blow in the night breeze.

He yanks open my closet door so quickly he nearly blurs. “Where are the chains?”

“No,” I snarl. Something hot pulses in my chest, behind my eyes.

In answer, he grabs the chains I pulled out the first night and starts wrapping them around his hand.

“No,” I bark. I rip them from him. He snarls again, his fangs extended before his gaze softens.

“Leah,” he pleads. His voice is edged with panic, and my stomach drops. “I will not risk you. Or this.”

I stride for the bed, determination pushing me to move faster. “And I won’t chain you when it’s the last thing you want.” I loop the chains around the post at the headboard. “Go to the box and ask it for duct tape. I’m out.”

“Duct tape?”

I slice him a glance. “Yes. The box will comply. Technically, it’s wearable. For tonight, at least.”

30

MARCUS

“Tighter.”

I cannot. I run a finger down the satiny skin of Leah’s arm. She glares at me. I have the insane urge to laugh.

“Tighter, vampire.” Her voice is hard. She’s formidable, this one. Fierce, even when she’s vulnerable.

“This does not seem necessary.”

She jerks her head sharply. “Listen to me, Marcus. You need to tape my mouth. You’ll need to tie me up to do it. My slayer instincts are already shouting at me. If it feels like last time, I might be too gone to care what I do to you. I might not even realize.”