Daric’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #5)(5)
Author: J.S. Scott

Daric stood in the snow for a moment, not feeling the cold even though his chest and feet were bare, his legs protected only by denim, a fierce look on his face.

Snow swirled around the two of them, beating at Daric’s massive body, but he ignored it, turning his back to the wind to protect the woman in his arms. He lifted a hand and unzipped her pink ski jacket to her br**sts, shoving it aside with a grunt.

I have to do it. No choice.

Daric didn’t think about his actions any longer than he had to, knowing that he was doing what he had to do to heal her, his compulsion to heal greater than his repugnance. Letting her head tilt to the side, he lowered his mouth to her delicate neck and let his fangs slide into the soft skin, preparing himself for his initial negative reaction to taking blood.

His body tense, he drank, trying to be as gentle as possible with the injured woman. As he drew her essence, he waited…

And waited…

And waited…

But the revulsion never came. Instead, her warm blood slid over his tongue like the finest wine, making him suck harder, faster, unable to get enough of this woman’s taste. She was intoxicating, and his muscles bunched and released, his power surged, building until he was at full-strength, yet still wanting more.

Mine!

Every nerve in his body on fire, Daric closed the punctures on the woman’s neck with his tongue, savoring the last drop of blood that lingered on her skin.

Mine!

His heart ready to pound out of his chest, Daric teleported to his bedroom, laying the woman on his bed. One mental command removed her damp clothing and dried her body, replacing the garments with sheets and a heavy quilt to keep her warm. Vanishing his soaked jeans and underwear with his magic, he crawled under the covers, pulling her body against his while his chest heaved in shock and mortification.

His large body shuddered as placed his hand on the female’s head. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to concentrate, his palm growing heated as he healed the woman’s head injuries in moments.

Opening his eyes, his gaze landed possessively on the woman in his arms. He groaned as she began to stir, her bare thigh rubbing lightly against his engorged cock. His dick was f**king sensitive, but he pushed the sensations aside, his main concern the health of his woman.

My woman. Mine. Fucking Mine.

The woman squirmed, moaning as her eyelids fluttered. The quilt slipped, revealing a mark that Daric already knew existed somewhere on her creamy skin. He just hadn’t been sure exactly where it was positioned on her body. There, on her left upper arm, was the royal mark, his royal mark. It was small, no larger than the size of a half dollar, but it was vibrant against her ivory skin, a Celtic knot in a perfect circle that had the Carvillius royal sword over the top of the marking. He turned his arm, looking at the exact same marking on his right forearm. It was vibrant, just like hers, glowing with a brilliance he had never seen before.

This woman belongs to me.

Momentarily forgetting that he never wanted a mate, Daric was swamped with fierce possessiveness, an emotion he had never truly experienced, and it nailed him right in the gut.

He froze as his gaze was compelled back to her face, finding her eyes open and looking at him in complete confusion. Green. Her eyes were the color of the sweeping pastures of the Emerald Isle, and just as stunning, keeping Daric prisoner, completely mesmerized.

Finally, he blinked, only to open his eyes to the same beguiling face, the same ferocious need rolling over his massive body.

Holy Shit!

Like it or not, whether he wanted it or not, Daric Carvillius, Prince of the Vampire Healers, had just found his mate.

Chapter 3

Hannah stared at the formidable male face before her eyes in fascinated horror.

What the hell?

She shook her head slowly, blinking to try to clear her mind. The last thing she remembered was trying to plow her ancient truck through the snow-covered roads to get to Daric Carvillius’s place.

I made it. I turned into his driveway.

Barely. She remembered the turn. Her heart started to race as she remembered losing control of the truck on a slippery patch of ice, her panic as she realized there was nothing she could do to stop her truck from plunging down the incline on the right side of the driveway, and then…nothing.

Until she had opened her eyes a few moments ago, seeing this dark-haired male, this dark-eyed savage face in front of her, a face that frankly scared the hell out of her.

Realizing that she was in a bed that was definitely not her own, Hannah started moving backward, trying to scoot away from the man who had her clutched against his massive – really massive – chest. “Where am I?” She tried again to move away, but his enormous, muscular arms tightened around her, not allowing her to move away from him. “What happened?” She knew her voice sounded panicked, but hell, she was panicked, and working on hysterical. A rare occurrence for her, since she’d never been the hysterical type.

I’m naked!

Her bare body rubbed against his, skin to skin, one of his massive legs between hers.

He’s naked!

Struggling in earnest, Hannah pushed against his muscular chest, feeling like a fly swatting at an elephant. The man was pure muscle and strength, and she was no match for him, even if she wasn’t exactly petite. “Let go. What the hell happened? Why are we naked?” Why are you so aroused? Really, she was more interested in the answer to the last question, the one that she hadn’t spoken aloud.

His rock hard member rubbed against her pelvis as she wriggled, trying to get out of his grip.

“Stop!” His command was issued in a harsh voice that obviously expected to be obeyed. “You’ll hurt yourself. You were injured. I brought you here. I’m not trying to hurt you, woman.”

Oh, God. It was him, the owner of the panty-melting baritone. “Mr. Carvillius?”

“Daric,” he replied with a low grunt.

Relief flooded her body and she stopped struggling. “Why are we in bed naked? You can let go of me now. I think I’m all right.” She didn’t know why in the hell she was here, but she felt fine. Maybe she had been hypothermic and he had needed to get her warm. Obviously he had rescued her. “What happened?”

Hannah pulled away slowly, as the bunched muscles in Daric’s arms relaxed. He still looked fierce, and dangerous.

The man behind the voice was just as sexy as his baritone. Daric Carvillius was huge, but he was all muscle, his bulk a mountain of raw power. Hannah nearly salivated as the quilt slipped away from his body, stopping at his hips, uncovering a set of ripped abs like she had never seen before. Her eyes devoured him, drank him in, as she moved slowly away from him on the massive bed.