Feral Instincts (The Feral Series) (24 page)

“It
wasn’t Ava. Joseph fed an injured female from the shooting at Howler’s. To my
knowledge she has only fed from you.”

 Teagan
sat in stunned silence for a moment as the ramifications of what Victor said
plowed over him.

“Where
is she?” Victor’s voice vibrated with anger.

“I’ll
take care of her. What do I need to do?”

“Tell
me where you are and I will help you.”

“I
will care for her. It would be best if there were no other males around her
right now…

“Teagan?”

Shit
he was going to have to tell Victor everything before Ava’s mentor sent an army
in after her. If he sent his men in then someone was surely going to die. “She
is my mate. I claimed her last night. I don’t think I have enough control right
now to tolerate another male touching her. The bonding is too new.”

Victor’s
low growl spoke volumes. He knew he didn’t need to tell Teagan about the
repercussions of his mating Ava. The damage was already done. “Very well. You
will need to force blood into her. When she begins to respond, get her to take
as much as you can, then you will need to get her warm so her body circulates
the blood through her system. If you have any trouble call me. If needed, I
will bring reinforcements to restrain you while we help Ava. Do you
understand?” Teagan could hear the barely restrained fury in Victor’s voice.

“Understood.”
Hanging up the phone, Teagan sat on the bed next to his mate and settled her
into his lap. Without any hesitation he sank his fangs into his wrist and
gently parted Ava’s lips, pressing his wrist to her mouth. Sharp spikes of fear
crawled down his spine when she didn’t respond. He gently stroked her throat,
trying to get her to swallow. “Come on Ava, you can do this. Come on baby.”
After just a moment or two he was rewarded with a gentle flexing of her throat.
Slowly he released the breath he had been holding.

He
held her like that for several moments, closely watching her take small
swallows. She remained unconscious though and he noticed that her teeth never
descended. After several long agonizing minutes he could see that her face was
losing its gray color and he could see her lips begin to pinken again. Pulling
his wrist away from her lips he laid her on the bed and went to the bathroom to
fill the tub for her.

Not
sure if she would sink under the water since she was unconscious, he removed
his jeans so he could get into the water with her. Leaning over her he pulled
his t-shirt over her head, revealing her naked form. Teagan froze at the sight
of the damage he had done to her. There were faint bruises on her wrist and
hips where he had held her down and a faint smear of blood on the inside of her
thigh.

Teagan
clenched his fist in anguish. Oh Gods. He had been her first and he hadn’t even
noticed. What had he done? How could he have let this happen? Not only had she
not lain with Joseph she had never been with another. Why had he been so out of
control last night? The memories of the things he had said and done to her
painfully ran through his head. She had been an innocent and he had abused her.
Even worse she had such complete trust in him that she had allowed him to.

What
the hell was wrong with him? How could he have thought for even a moment that
she was anything but an innocent. All of the signs were there, why the hell had
he been so enraged? His chest ached with remorse and guilt. She will surely
hate him after this. Hell, he hated himself.

Gently
lifting her in his arms he carried her into the bathroom and sank into the
steaming, two man tub with her. Settling her into his lap he held her close,
waiting for the heat of the water to warm her. Running a soft wash cloth over
her skin he gently cleaned her. Very carefully he wiped the cloth across his
mating mark on her shoulder. He could see that he had bit her unnecessarily
deep and hard.

Dam
it this never should have happened. He never would have marked her had he been
in his right mind. He couldn’t deny though that he had been drawn to her from
the beginning. Never had he been so consumed by a woman before.

His
pack would be furious that he had mated to a vampire. He would do everything in
his power to protect her from any repercussions that came from their bonding
though. He found himself holding her tighter to his chest as his protective
instincts awoke with a roar.

None
of this was her fault. He was the one who had lost control. What was done was
done. She was now his mate and dam it if he didn’t… like it. Ever since he
found her the night of the raid he had come to think of her as his.
Instinctively he had wanted to take care of her, wanted to protect her but it
hadn’t been his right, but now it was. Now she was his.

Remorse
washed through him as he drug the soapy cloth across the curve of her hip.
There was a pattern of bruising on her pale skin that matched the span of his
palm. The sight of it made his chest ache.

Dam
it, she hadn’t fed from anyone but him and that was several days ago. She had
come to him last night vulnerable and weak and he had abused her. Dam but he
had made a mess of things. Setting the cloth aside he kept rubbing her skin
with his hands. Somehow he would find a way to make amends to her for what he
had done, even if it killed him.

Teagan
stopped stroking her skin as he felt her begin to stir against him. “That’s
right sweet, wake up for me.” Ava groaned softly and moved closer to all of the
delicious heat that she felt beneath her cheek. Settling her closer, he rubbed
her back and spoke softly to her. “Come on Ava, open those beautiful blue eyes
for me.”

Pulling
her up his body he brought her face closer to his neck. Extending one claw he
reached up and scratched his neck. “Come on sweet, you need to feed.”

Ava
thought she was having the most bazaar dream. She was ravenous and her
instincts were screaming at her to wake up. There was a most delicious woodsy,
copper scent coming from the source of all that heat and she could feel her
fangs descending. With a moan she eagerly placed her mouth on Teagan’s neck and
sank her tiny fangs into him. She had never felt such hunger. It pulsed like a
living thing inside her chest. Eagerly she drew more of the spicy sweet warmth
deep into her body.

Nearly
mindless with hunger she sank her fangs even deeper into Teagan’s thick neck.
With a feminine growl that sent goosebumps running down Teagan’s spine she
gripped his dark brown locks in her fist as her other hand sank dainty vampire
claws into his bare shoulder. A low groan left Teagan’s lips as his shaft
pulsed to life beneath her bare thigh. Although her grip on him was one of
dominance his beast still purred in appreciation.

Although
his body was responding to her desperation his mind was registering just how
hungry his mate had been. She was his to care for, his to protect and provide
for and she had been starved to the point that she had collapsed. All because
of his arrogance in thinking that he could actually give her up. Clutching her
tighter to his chest he vowed to himself that his mate would never again know
hunger.  

Teagan
breathed a sigh of relief when her grip slowly began to ease as her hunger was
sated. Shifting his hips beneath her he struggled to control the erection that
was now straining against her silken thigh. His mate was naked in his arms and
her bite was sending waves of heat shooting through his body. He dared not
touch her like he wanted to. He knew she wasn’t fully conscious yet and he
didn’t know if she would fear him once she was fully awake.

Ava
drank her fill and was rewarded with the feeling of euphoria that always came
after she had fed. Sealing the bite with a sweep of her tongue she snuggled
contentedly in Teagan’s arms, feeling her strength slowly returning. Her moment
of peace was short lived though. Teagan could immediately feel the change in
her as she became aware of her surroundings. As her body began to tense against
his he knew it was time to get her out of the water. He was sure the last place
she would want to wake up would be naked and in his arms right now.

Standing
up with her in his arms he stepped out of the tub and lowered her legs to the
floor while keeping his arm around her waist. “Can you stand?”

“I…
I think so.” Her soft voice was music to his ears.

Grabbing
a towel while keeping one hand on her in case she fell, Teagan began to dry her
off. His movements were very efficient and he worked quickly. Wrapping the
towel around her, he again picked her up and carried her out to his bed,
relieved when she did not struggle to escape him. Setting her down on the edge
of the bed, he moved to his dresser and pulled out a fresh t-shirt for her.
Cautiously, Ava raised her arms as he pulled the shirt over her head and slid
the damp towel from around her.

He
could see her glance towards the door as she tensed to run. “You won’t make
it.” His eyes flared brightly for a moment as he issued his warning. With a
ragged sigh Ava scooted up the mattress and sat up at the head of the bed.
Dragging the comforter up over her chilled body she bent her knees up in a
protective position and hugged the comforter to her chest.

 She
had been shocked when her brain had started functioning again and she found
herself naked and in a tub with Teagan. She remembered sneaking out of Teagan’s
bed last night and moving towards the bathroom, apparently she hadn’t made it.

God,
Victor hadn’t been kidding when he had warned her that her body would shut down
if she didn’t feed. What a horrible feeling that had been. She hoped she would
never have to experience that again, but… Teagan had saved her. How did he know
what to do? Did Victor know she hadn’t listened to his advice and collapsed?
She sure hoped not. It was yet another one of her failures as a vampire. She
was thoroughly embarrassed. She hated looking any weaker and more pathetic that
she already must look to them all. 

Pulling
on a pair of jeans, Teagan came around the bed. Ava eyed him warily, pulling
her feet in a little closer as he sat down in front of her. Teagan rubbed the
lingering ache behind his eyes in frustration. His mate was afraid of him. She
had been very quiet and watched him like a cornered rabbit. Raising one
delicate arm, Ava unconsciously rubbed at his mark on her neck.

He
was relieved to see that it was mostly healed now and the bruises on her wrist
were gone. Unlike any other wound she received this one would never completely
disappear. It was the mark of her mate.

He
was becoming concerned with her silence. He would rather she yelled at him,
instead of this quiet wariness. A frown creased his brow when she once again
looked at the door with longing. “Don’t Ava. You must never run from me. It
would awaken my prey drive and there is no where you could run that I couldn’t
track you.” A quiet weariness settled on his handsome face. “Gods Ava… finding
you on the floor like that… I think you shaved a couple centuries off my life.
I want you to stay here in my room today and rest. I won’t be able to tolerate
another male near you right now anyway, our mating is too new.”

That
finally got a rise out of the silent Ava. Her eyes grew larger in alarm. “Wait,
what do you mean by our mating is too new?”

Dam,
she didn’t know.
“You are now bonded to me, the bite on
your neck is a mating mark. Any male that sees it will know you are mated to
me.”

“What?
Wait. I’m… I’m…
your mate?!
But… I thought that you could not bond with
me! What about your pack? Victor said that a Lykan would never want to bond
with a vampire. He said you were expected to take your father’s place as pack
alpha and that a Lykan mate would be chosen for you.” Ava fought back a hiss at
the thought of him with another woman. A hot wave of jealous possession tingled
through her system.

“Don’t
worry about that right now. I will deal with my father and the pack.”
…and
protect you from them if needed.

“Teagan,
this is all wrong. I don’t understand what happened last night but I don’t want
to be the one responsible for ruining your life and… and… I don’t want to be
mate to someone who… who… doesn’t want me.” Tears began to choke her but she
stubbornly pushed through it. “I refuse to bind you to me against your will.
You shouldn’t be bonded to me for eternity for something had happened accidentally
in a moment of weakness. You will only come to hate me. I know you must want a
Lykan mate and I will always be the one who kept you from the life you wanted.
Maybe if you tell them it was a mistake they could help you find a way to
reverse the bond.”

Teagan’s
reaction was immediate and aggressive. His eyes glowed brightly and he
practically snarled at her. “The bond will not be broken.” Moving in front of
her he caged her in and grabbed her chin, looking into her eyes
and scaring
the hell out of her.
“You are my mate now. Nothing will change that. No one
will take you from me. Not my pack and certainly not my father. Do not think
for even one second that I would allow you to leave me. There is no place that
you could go that I would not find you. You are my mate and nothing short of
death will change that.” Teagan knew he was high on his newly mated hormones
but dam it didn’t want her thinking for even a moment that their mating bond
could be broken.