The Chosen by Jenika Snow

tender flesh. Her climax ripped through her, gripping him in a stranglehold. He could taste her pleasure and let it wash through his own body. Her blood was the sweetest thing he ever tasted, like a drug he was already addicted to. The sweet liquid slipped down his throat as his fingers plunged in a little farther His eyes snapped open as his fingers came up against a barrier—her innocence. He swallowed another mouthful of her sweet life-giving nectar, and he wrenched himself off of her. As he swallowed her blood, it triggered something in him so primal the change took over him.
    His Chosen . She was his. The one woman that was his…
    Mine.
    The lone word echoed in his head as he stared at her glorious naked form on his bed. Her back was arched, her flushed breasts pushed up as her climax continued to course through her. Everything inside of him screamed for him to claim her, mate her, and make her irrevocably his for all eternity.

    The Chosen: A Tale of the Blood Breed
    67
    She looked at him, fear taking over the pleasure filled-expression she had. His hands landed on the cool wall, and he could only imagine what he looked like to her. She scrambled off the bed, her beautiful body making him go crazier with lust. He was doing everything in his willpower to control himself, to not take her right here on the floor. His primal side, the one that was pure instinct, fought with his better judgment for supremacy.
    She held up her hands in surrender, and his heart clenched in regret. He was the cause of her fear, and it tore him up. He knew he looked like a monster. His eyes were no longer blue but black and bottomless. His body was taller and bigger, and his fangs pressed against his bottom lip. His voice was no longer his but more distorted, animalistic.
    Her blue eyes were wide with fear, and her heart beat an erratic rhythm. He told her to go to the bathroom and lock it. He knew he would never harm her, could never harm her, but he couldn’t control himself completely right now. She wrapped herself in a sheet and ran toward the bathroom, and when he heard the door lock, relief had his shoulders shagging. A door wouldn’t stop him if he really wanted in, but it blocked off some of her mouthwatering scent. It took all his willpower to pick up the phone and call his brother.

    * * * *

    He pulled up to the front of the home he shared with his siblings and turned the Hummer off. He sat in silence for a minute, getting himself under control and ready for who he was about to face.
    Lana.
    He didn’t doubt she would want to run screaming from him, but he could not allow that—could never allow that to happen. His hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel, and he looked at his home.
    The house was built into the side of a mountain, hidden by the towering evergreens and pines.

    68
    Jenika Snow
    His fangs hadn’t descended fully, the idea of claiming his Chosen still fresh in his brain. He got out of the car and walked up the stone steps that led to the front door. He closed his eyes and closed his fingers around the doorknob. His body was already pulsing with need.
    He knew what waited just behind the door, and it wouldn’t be controlled much longer. His mind was screaming at him.
    Claim her.
    Take her.
    Make her yours.
    He opened the door and walked inside, knowing instantly where Lana was. Her blood ran in his veins now, and because of that, he could find her anywhere. He shut the door and walked toward her, his destiny.

    * * * *

    Lana floated in and out of unconsciousness, a pleasure-filled sleep with erotic dreams of touching and kissing. She wanted to open her eyes, but she didn’t have the strength. Her arms and legs were like weights, and movement seemed impossible. She could hear sounds close by, deep voices arguing with each other in a language she couldn’t understand. One of them sounded familiar and sent desire through her. She concentrated on that one voice, trying to place where she heard it before. She