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  “Two more blocks.”

  His hands were blackened now, the skin charred and exposing the muscle and tendons underneath. Alexander’s face was covered in blisters so large I wondered how he could even see the road anymore.

  And if I’d thought things couldn’t get any worse, I was sorely mistaken.

  We turned onto Alexander’s street and I breathed a sigh of relief that we were close. What I hadn’t realized was this was an East facing street.

  Alexander’s groan was the only warning I got before flames erupted from his body. The truck was instantly engulfed in smoke and fire as he pushed the engine even harder.

  “Alexander!” I screamed.

  I could barely see him underneath the blaze and heavy smoke. I lifted my shirt over my nose and mouth, but it didn’t help. My lungs seized with a coughing fit as my eyes watered and the fire crept closer to me.

  The flames rose toward the roof of the vehicle, and I knew soon the whole truck would be ablaze and we’d be stuck inside.

  With one last roar that filled the SUV and even drowned out the sounds of the raging fire, Alexander raced into the underground parking garage. He brought us to a quick stop that jolted me forward in my seatbelt. I unhooked it and climbed out, resting my hands on my knees as I sucked in the delicious clean air.

  Once I could breathe again, I ran around the truck to find Alexander. He was on the ground, his clothes still smoldering, but thankfully, the flames were out. I was almost afraid to come any closer, but I knew I had to find out how bad the damage was.

  I took cautious steps until I was at Alexander’s side. The moment I caught sight of him, the tears instantly sprung to my eyes.

  “Oh, Alexander,” I whispered.

  His face was completely unrecognizable. It was so burned, you couldn’t even tell he was a man. His hands were burnt down to the bone and I was too scared to look beneath his clothes. I couldn’t handle seeing any more trauma to someone I loved so much.

  “I need blood,” he gasped.

  I crawled forward until he could reach my outstretched wrist. He tried to grasp it, but his hands were too mangled, and he was too weak to get a grip. I inched closer until my arm was against his charred lips.

  The bite wasn’t gentle, but I didn’t care. The second I felt him pull in a mouthful of my blood, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  I could help him.

  I could heal him.

  His sips started out weak, but within seconds, he was gulping down my blood. I watched in fascination as the burnt skin fell off his face like ash, revealing perfectly healthy flesh underneath.

  In a move I didn’t expect, Alexander wrenched his mouth away from my arm and pulled me onto his chest. My knees fell on either side of his hips as he dug his face into my neck and bit down. I gasped in pain and pleasure as his hands wandered down to cup my ass and his mouth sucked on my neck.

  His hardness pressed into me, and I couldn’t help grinding against him. The horror of the last few minutes had completely melted away, leaving behind this bone-deep desire to be with him.

  To feel him against me, hearty and whole.

  To see that he was okay.

  To know that the worst was behind us and he was safe now.

  The frenzy between us slowly dissipated until all that was left was our heavy pants and my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

  “That was close,” he finally said.

  “Too close.”

  He hummed softly and kissed my head. “We should go upstairs. We’re literally lying on the ground.”

  I giggled and sat up. “Better than sitting inside a burning vehicle.”

  He grinned and climbed to his feet before helping me up. “That I can agree with.”

  We left our luggage in the car and headed toward the stairs, Alexander’s arm around my shoulders. I was tucked so tightly into his side it was almost hard to walk straight, but I wasn’t letting him go for any reason.

  Without warning, he scooped me into his arms and started running up the many flights of stairs. His gait was noticeably slower than usual, but he still had us to the top floor in barely any time at all.

  Unsurprisingly, he didn’t let me go once we reached his floor. Alexander carried me through the multiple doorways, juggling me and his keys at the same time. I would have told him to put me down, but by now, I knew it would be a waste of breath.

  He didn’t stop walking until he made it to the bedroom, and we both let out deep breaths of relief. I slipped from his arms to stand in front of him. His eyes were more than half-closed, and I was surprised he was still standing at that point.

  “I need to lie down,” he said, his words slow and slurred.

  I wrapped an arm around his waist and led him to the bed.

  “Ashton will be here any minute. I sent him a text before we left Long Island.”

  “Okay. I’ll wait out there for him,” I said softly as I pulled off Alexander’s boots and placed them beside the bed.

  He sighed and held his arms open wide for me. I wasted no time crawling between them and snuggling into his chest. “I’m sorry about today,” he murmured into my hair. “I never should have cut it that close. I just wanted to get us back here so we could start your change.”

  I nodded. “If you’d have suggested we stop for the night, I probably would have been a giant pain in the ass about it.”

  He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest beneath my cheek. “At least you can admit how difficult you are to deal with.”

  I gasped and picked my head up to glare at him. “Me? I’m the difficult one?”

  He nodded, his face serious. “You are, but I put up with it because I love you.”

  Teasing aside, those three little words just melted me. Even the faux outrage was nowhere to be found in the face of those all-powerful words.

  I leaned down and kissed his lips. “I love you too. But you’re still the most difficult person in this relationship.”

  He laughed again, just as there was a knock on the front door.

  “That must be Ashton,” I said as I crawled off his chest.

  Before I could get far, he yanked me back for another kiss. “Come back and snuggle with me after you let him in,” Alexander said, his eyes already closed.

  “You won’t even know I’m here.”

  He shrugged one shoulder. “I just like you nearby.”

  Warmth flooded my chest, and I leaned down to give him one more kiss. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

  Predictably, he didn’t answer me. The sun had already done its job and put him to sleep for the daylight hours.

  I left his room, careful to lock it behind me as I left. Hurrying through the penthouse apartment, I made it to the door and undid all the locks before yanking it open. My mouth was already open to greet Ashton, but he wasn’t there.

  In fact, no one was.

  I peeked my head around the doorframe, but no one was in the lobby either. I frowned and turned to head back into the apartment when something on the ground caught my eye.

  Right in front of Alexander’s door was a bright bouquet of flowers.

  Something so benign shouldn’t have made my hands shake and my stomach cramp, but I knew these were for me and that this wasn’t the kind of flower you’d pick up at a florist.

  These were dandelions, their roots still caked with dirt from when they’d been plucked from the ground.

  His vile words whipped through my head.

  You’re as worthless as a weed.

  He’d told me that enough times throughout my life that I’d never forgotten them. Only one person would leave a bunch of weeds for me and that was my father.

  Just as the realization sank in, the side of my face erupted in pain and the force of the blow knocked me off my feet. I had just enough time to notice the ratty sneakers on the feet of my attacker before everything went dark.

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  More from Heather MacKinnon
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  About the Author

  Heather MacKinnon is a romance author living in North Carolina with her husband, adorable son, and two trouble making dogs. She grew up on Long Island and spent her young adult years in various states in New England. This led to her subsequent addiction to Dunkin’ Donuts lattes and her gratuitous use of the word “wicked”. After a lifetime of enjoying other people’s words, she decided to write down some of her own. You can get up-to-date information about Heather MacKinnon’s books at www.heathermackinnonauthor.com.

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