“I don’t understand. It’s just blood,” she whispered.

He sighed heavily, sending another rush of warm air against her skin. “No, I see you don’t.” He ran his lips over her nape. She smelled so good.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she said firmly.

The scent of female arousal hit him hard. He groaned against her skin. “No, you’re definitely not afraid of me.” He pressed a kiss to her neck. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me.” He pressed another one.

“Because you want my blood,” she gasped.

His kisses made her squirm. He felt so good. She liked everything about him. It was driving her crazy. She didn’t want to feel this way about any man. She didn’t want to be her mother who fell for every guy that looked her way and made her life all about a man. She couldn’t lose herself like that and with Ephraim she was very afraid that she would. “Ephraim if you want some of my blood I could donate it. That should solve your problem.”

He shook his head slightly against the crook of her neck running his lips over her skin in a more delicious manner. “It would never be enough.”

“I could do it once a week,” she added, sounding hopeful.

His hands took hers, entwining their fingers. “It would never be enough for me.” He kissed her neck greedily.

She closed her eyes and her head dropped back of its own accord. “When,” she licked her lips. “When will it be enough?”

“When you’re mine,” he growled against her skin.

She gasped as cool air hit her neck. She looked around in a daze. He was gone.

“As far as exits go that was a good one,” she mumbled.

******

His words rang through her head. What did he mean by when she was his? Did he expect her to become his cow? Available for a feeding whenever he felt so inclined? Maybe he meant to drain her all at once. If all of her blood was in his stomach then that would certainly make her his, she would imagine.

She punched her pillow, trying to make the damn thing behave and tossed again. If he said it to keep her up all night, well then he certainly succeeded. She sat up suddenly, kicking the covers off.

“That’s it!” If she was going to be up all night then he was going to answer her questions. He still owed her two hours. She had those pictures developed and blown up as promised. She even had them framed and hung in his room. He owed her and she meant to collect, now.

He wasn’t getting out of this tonight. She stormed over to the bathroom door and threw it open and gasped.

Ephraim stood in the doorway. Every muscle in his body was clenched tightly. His eyes were a fiery red and he looked so very dangerous. She took a step back.

“I told myself that if you opened that door.” He looked at the door and then back at her, running his eyes down her baby pink top and matching panties. “That I could have what I wanted. I waited three hours….I couldn’t leave, Madison. I had to wait…I had to…” He took a step into the room.

For the first time since the incident in the dining room she feared him. He said her blood was his weakness and she ignored it. She thought that she was safe as long as she kept her doors locked and avoided him, but she was wrong. She was so very wrong.

She stepped back slowly. She had to get out of here. He was too fast, she knew that. The gun. She needed the gun. Slowly, move slowly. She took another step back towards the closet.

“Go away, Ephraim,” she said, hoping to distract him with conversation long enough so she could grab the gun. Also, she said it on the off chance that he would actually listen.

He took another step towards her. “I can’t, Madison, don’t you see that? I need you.”

“No, what you need is a pint of plasma. Go back to your room, Ephraim, and drink it from a bag.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Ephraim, think about what you’re doing. You don’t want to do this.” She took another step and then another. Thank god Jill rummaged through her closet earlier. She left the door wide open.

“I do, can’t you tell, Madison? I want you so badly I can’t breathe. I can’t think. Every thought is about you. Day and night I think of nothing but you. It’s distracting, annoying and hell. Don’t you see? I can’t hold back any longer. I want you so badly, Madison,” he said in a sultry voice.

She moved closer to the closet. She just needed to reach up and grab the gun. Then shoot. He would be knocked out, hurt, but he would live and so would she.

“I want you to leave, Ephraim. Now.” She was in the doorway of the closet now.

“No, I know you want this, too. I can smell it on you every time you’re near. You want me just as much as I want you. I’m done playing this game, Madison. I’ve come to take what’s rightfully mine.”

“I’m not yours, Ephraim!” she shrieked as she reached for the gun. He grabbed her, pushing her back the last few feet until her back was pressed against the wall. She gripped the gun tightly in her hand.

She could make out the outline of his body and his red eyes. “You are mine, Madison. You’ve always been mine. You just didn’t know it and neither did I, but you’re mine, sweetheart, all mine and I’m never going to let you go.” He shook his head slowly as he leaned in. Oh god he was going to bite her!

The sound of the gun cocking was his only warning that she had the gun. He should have known, but he hadn’t been thinking clearly. She pressed the muzzle of the gun into his side.

“Step back from me. The kitchen’s closed so you’ll have to find your meal somewhere else,” she said coldly.

He slowly pulled his head back. “Madison?”

“I said move back, you’re not going to drain me tonight!”

“That’s what you think this is about?” he snapped. He was angry. He wanted her so much and she thought he wanted to feed off her. Didn’t she know that he wanted her? Didn’t she want him as badly as he wanted her?

“Step back.”

“No, I don’t want your blood!”

She scoffed, “Liar.”

He grabbed her free hand and brought it to the front of his drawers and guided it slowly over his erection. He moaned softly. “That’s why I’m here, Madison.” He ran her hand down his long length several times and she let him. She was so shocked by the turn of events. She was also very curious.

She would never admit that she enjoyed the last time they did this. He was so…so big. His erection was straining against the material of his boxers and she wondered if it would burst through. His forehead dropped gently against hers. He was panting and she realized that she was, too. She never wanted anything more than she wanted him at this moment. The pain in her body from denying herself for so long was becoming too much. She needed him. Ephraim would take the pain away.

He dropped his hand away, but she didn’t stop moving her hand.

“That feels so good,” he groaned. He lowered his mouth on hers and kissed her gently, taking his time getting her used to the feel of his lips. He took the gun from her putting the safety on and returned it to the shelf as he kissed her.

His lips felt so good. It was too good to be true. Any second now he would force his tongue inside her mouth and then it wouldn’t be so nice. That’s the way it always happened. She prayed it wouldn’t happen, but she knew it would. It made her feel almost sad.