Melora Merriweather is searching for a fellow witch to protect her from a scheming uncle with plans of marriage. When her carriage overturns on her journey, she is rescued by a mysterious man whom she learns is the very person she seeks. But, he's not the witch she thought he was...
Sebastian Collins should have left for London days ago. Now a snowstorm has trapped him with a woman who has come seeking protection, a woman who intrigues him like no other. And with each passing hour, his hunger for her grows...hunger for her kiss, her caress, and her blood.
Excerpt:
"You may have his books, any of them, but only if you grant your protection."
Protection? Sebastian clung to the mantel, the effort to keep himself from going to her, from embracing her, ravaging her... he licked his lips... from tasting her blood, was becoming increasingly difficult. He couldn't remember a full moon when he'd felt quite so weak. There had been challenging moments surely, but never a time when he feared his own loss of control. Not since the beginning, anyway.
"Protection from what?" He felt compelled to ask, even though he certainly knew her answer. But how could he protect her from himself? Even if she barred the door to her bedchamber, he knew of ways to get inside... to touch her. Taste her... He flinched.
Oh, God, control.
He must have control.
"There may be..." She hesitated, and he held his breath waiting for her to continue. "There may be men following me. I want you to assure me you will protect me. That you will not allow them to take me."
Fear.
He smelled it swirling in the air. It circled her like a flock of eager vultures about to descend on a roadside feast. His mouth watered. He placed the back of his hand against his mouth, feeling the sharpened length of his eyeteeth beginning to descend.
His breathing quickened, but it only brought more of her scent to his nostrils.
"And protection for my sister. They search for her, too. I need to know you will keep us safe."
She was vulnerable. Full of fear and uncertainty. Lack of food had weakened her, but her blood still surged strongly through her young, healthy veins.
How easy it would be to reach out to her, hold her and comfort her, stroke her hair and inhale her lavender scent, to nuzzle her neck, taste her skin...
His gut spasmed, nearly buckling his knees.
"Please, go," Sebastian said, panting, nearly bent over from the urge to attack her. He needed blood. What he wanted was her blood, but he was not so far gone as to give in to the beast within. Not yet. He would not kill another innocent. "Go, now."
"But..."
He could not let her see what he was about to do. He couldn't allow anyone to witness such degradation.
"Go back to your room. Lock the door... Please... leave me!" He shouted savagely.
He heard her confused scrambling feet, dashing to the doorway. He heard her heart thumping wildly, and he wondered if it was his appearance that frightened her or the desperation he heard in his own voice. At the sound of the door clicking shut, Sebastian stepped away from the fireplace and dropped to his knees. He unbuttoned his shirtsleeves, pushing the fabric up to reveal the naked flesh of his arm. He took great gulping breaths, attempting one last time to regain some manner of control over himself.
He could do this. He could fight this.
He glanced at his bare arm. The vein in his wrist throbbed violently.
Thirst burned his tongue.
It took only a moment for his fangs to descend fully to pierce his own flesh.
https://books2read.com/TheWitchandtheVampire
The Merriweather Witches series:
The Witch and the Wolf (Book 1)
