Chapter 98 – Yes, Please – Cage's POV

I stared at Raine in confusion.

I wasn't sure I understood her correctly.

It almost sounded as if she wanted me to change her.

I asked carefully, "What exactly is it time for?"

She breathed, "I'm ready to become what I am supposed to be – a vampire."

I might have believed her had it not been for the trembling in her voice. I quickly reassured, "You do not have to do this now. My words were not an attempt to push you into making this decision. You have time."

She replied, "You are not pushing me. I have been thinking about it ever since Felaern left....And I was going to ask you to do it when we returned from our trip...but really, what is one week sooner?"

"Are you really sure this is what you want, Tigru? Once done, there is no going back. I don't want you to have any regrets," I insisted.

She bit her lip, but there was resoluteness in her tone and a firm set in her shoulders that I recognized. She said softly, "How could I ever regret stepping into my destiny? If that is what I was born to be, I don't think regret would be possible."

Well, she did have a point there. Still, I studied her for a long moment, looking for any hint of doubt. She placed her hand on my chest and whispered, "Of course, I'm nervous. But I know this is the right time."

I pulled her to my chest, wrapped my arms around her, and whispered against her hair, "Okay."

When I leaned back, I extracted my phone and murmured, "I need to call Echo. We need a human for the transition."

Raine's voice raised an octave as she gasped, "Wait! Do I have to kill someone?"

Before I had a chance to relieve her fears, Talon interjected determinedly, "Use me."

I looked up at him in surprise. He and Ivy had been packing in the rear of our chalet and in my intense focus on Raine, I hadn't even noticed him walk into the room.

Raine stared at him in horror.

Talon remained calm, which meant he knew the process to change a human, but I had forgotten that Raine did not. "No, you do not have to kill anyone!"

The alarmed expression in her eyes calmed, but her anxiety was still very present, which was understandable. I motioned Talon forward, and he moved to sit in the closet chair. I turned back to Raine and explained as gently as possible, "The first step is for me to bite you. I will need to drain your blood until you are at edge the death."

Raine's eyes widened even further and she bit her lip.

I said softly, "Don't worry. I can do this. I will be listening for when your heartbeat skips and falters. When I hear it, we will switch. At that point, you will drink my blood."

Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought. "You won't mind the taste," I gave her a small smile and then spoke tightly, "However there will be a few moments of pain. Until my blood takes effect in your system...It will burn."

"Burn?" she whispered as she stared at me with wide eyes.

I nodded. "Yes...but it doesn't last long. My blood starts your transition. After that, Talon comes in. You will drink from him, but it won't hurt, you will enjoy it and you won't take enough from him to put him at risk."

"Okay," she breathed.

I changed our positions on the bed, so that my back rested against the headboard and she was settled between my thighs so that I could control her movement with my body. Unfortunately, once the burn began, she would instinctually fight me.

Her pulse raced and her entire body quivered. I didn't prolong the suspense. Instead, I pulled her head to the side and sank my fangs deep into the soft flesh of her neck. Her entire body stiffened and a small cry escaped her throat at the initial sting of my bite.

After a few moments, as I pulled pint after pint out of her system, she quieted in my arms. I knew she felt utterly exhausted, as if she were going to sleep; when in reality, she was quite literally dying as I drained the life out of her. She slipped into unconsciousness, and I listened carefully to her heart, counting the beats so that I would know when it slowed. Eventually, I heard the tell-tale sign that she was ready; her heart faltered and began to skip beats. She was past the point of surviving as a human now. If I did not change her, she would die.

I gently pulled my fangs from her neck and sliced open my wrist. I positioned her mouth against the bleeding cut, forcing her to swallow the liquid. For a moment, she was still as my blood rolled down her throat. But I knew immediately when she came to awareness again, because her eyes shot open and rolled wildly. A low guttural groan of distress released from the back of her throat.

And then she began to fight.

Until my blood took effect, it felt like liquid fire going down her throat. She writhed desperately, trying to break free from my relentless grip. I wrapped a leg around her hips and tightened my hold, not allowing her to pull away from my wrist.

She screamed incoherently, unable to communicate past her torment, as tears streamed down her cheeks. I prayed this part would end quickly. I hated to see her in such pain. After several moments, her body started to gradually relax again. She still was not aware of anything outside of her own mind, but rather than resist my blood flowing down her throat, she gripped my arm with both hands and held it tightly to her mouth, sucking deeply.

I nodded to Talon, and he moved to the bed.

I let her drink for another moment and then attempted to pull my arm away. As expected, she didn't want to let go now. She was thoroughly enjoying the taste of my blood and wrestled to keep her fangs imbedded in my arm. I wasn't particularly fond of this next part, but it always seemed to happen the same way. I gritted my teeth and wrenched my arm free, causing her fangs to slice through my flesh on the way out.

She growled at me angrily and her eyes blazed crimson. Talon extended his arm, and I turned her head in his direction and spoke soothingly, "You may have more."

In less than a blink, she snatched his arm and sank her fangs in deeply. Talon grunted at the pain and then he relaxed. After a moment, I noticed he did more than relax. He groaned.

Shit.

Some vampires had the ability to inflict their prey with pleasure when they ate, and apparently she was one of them. He had to shift the way he was seated, to compensate for his now rock hard erection. I knew she would be completely embarrassed about it when she was done, but there wasn't anything I could do to stop it.

He struggled awkwardly to sit still and his hand kept twitching, fighting against bringing his erection to completion. I disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a small towel. I handed it to him and said sympathetically, "If you need to release, go ahead."

He gritted his teeth, trying to maintain control and looked at me hesitantly. I guessed he was surprised that I was perfectly okay with my mate giving him an orgasm, but I also had the gift, so was well aware of how much effect it had. There was a very high likelihood that he wouldn't be able to stop his climax.

He shook his head to indicate he was okay, and I thought he might make it through. But in the next instant, his eyes rolled back and he swore under his breath, "Son of a bitch."

Apparently, it was going to happen whether he wanted it or not, because he quickly unzipped his pants and freed his cock. Using the towel I provided, his free hand clenched down around his red, swollen member just in time to catch his release.

I didn't bother to look away. It wasn't like I hadn't seen it before, a ridiculous number of times, as a matter of fact. And I needed to keep a close eye on what they were doing, to ensure nothing went wrong.

His climax lasted longer than normal and I suspected she wasn't holding back on her intensity. Poor guy. He would be embarrassed about the situation as well, but Raine reacted simply from instinct. She hadn't consciously tried to turn him on. I murmured, "Sorry..."

He was breathing normally again and his relief was obvious as he replied, "It's okay."

In the next few minutes, it was time for her to stop and I gripped her firmly as I whispered in her ear, "That's enough."

She shook her head and refused to release him.

Must she always be so stubborn?

My tone changed to one of authority and I commanded her, "Tigru, you need to stop, now."

She growled in the back of her throat.

Fuck.

Most new vampires were satiated by this point in the process, and not difficult to contain. Of course, leave it to her to be the exception. I looked at Talon and said, "I am going to have to forcibly remove her fangs. I'll try to do it with the least amount of pain. Once, you are free, move away from us. She should calm down quickly, as soon as she stops feeding."

A muscle clenched in his jaw, and he nodded his understanding. I stood at the side of the bed to give myself leverage, and didn't give her any time to react. Instead, I abruptly pried my fingers into the top of her mouth and clasped her chin with my other hand. She screamed out in pain, as I dislocated her jaw to give him enough room to get out. I cringed; I knew I was hurting her, but she would heal quickly. It was Talon I was most concerned with. As soon as her vise grip was opened, he extracted his arm quickly and bolted across the room.

She snapped to her feet to face me, and glared with crimson eyes. It only took a few seconds for her jaw to heal back in place. I held my hands in the air; the universal sign that I meant her no harm and tried to break her out of her blood haze. "Tigru, listen to me! Just calm down. It's over."

She shook her head angrily and then her glance cut to Talon. I didn't like what I saw. Her expression shifted into the cold hard calculation of a predator.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Interrupting her obvious train of thought, my voice lowered an octave and I gritted out, "I'm not going to let you do that."

She looked back at me and almost unnoticeably sunk lower in her stance. Shit, I knew she was getting ready to strike. Just as she broke from her position, heading in his direction, I released as well and tackled her from the side, before she could reach him. Furious growls ripped from her throat, as she wrestled out from under me, and got back to her feet.

She should have snapped out of it by now, but I could see from her dark burgundy eyes, she was still lost to her blood haze. I growled an order to Talon, "Get Ivy out of here and do not return until I tell you, no matter what you hear!"

He did not need to be told twice. I suspected he intimately understood just how dangerous of a situation both he and Ivy were in. He ran from the room to collect Ivy, and I heard the back door close as they fled the chalet.

Raine narrowed her eyes; she was pissed that her meal just left. Her glance cut to the door nearest us. If she got away from me now, I had no doubt she would hunt. And given her current lack of restraint, there could be any number of casualties.

I growled the same warning again, "I'm not going to let you do that."

She licked the remaining blood from her lips and purred, "It's cute you think you can stop me."

"Oh, I can stop you, sweetheart." I replied tightly.

Rather than go for the door, she decided to take out the obstacle standing in her way – me. With a shocking amount of strength and speed, she shot forward, her fist aiming toward my face. I deflected her strike with one hand and spun her around, holding her tightly against my chest, and said silkily, "I don't think so."

She shocked the fuck out of me when she snapped her head back, landing a strike directly to my face. I heard the bones crunch in my nose as pain shot through my senses. Her unexpected attack caused me to loosen my grip, and she slipped free.

Her entire body quivered with anticipation as she balanced lightly on the balls of her feet. She smirked at her successful volley, and eased to the side, looking for a weakness in me.

I spat the blood from my mouth as the bones in my face healed, and clenched my fists, actively working to control my anger. I ground out, "Listen to me very carefully, Tigru. I do not want to hurt you, but I will if you keep up this shit."

She giggled. And not a nice sort of giggle. This one had a devilish flair to it. Fuck.

I waited to see what she would do next, a large part of me desperately hoping she would snap out of it at any second.

Of course she didn't.

Instead, she blurred forward, baring her teeth, blonde hair flying wildly as she threw punch after punch, alternating fists in rapid succession. I deflected each and every strike, matching her speed.

She grunted in frustration.

I was doing everything I could to avoid hitting her, but worried she wasn't going to give me a choice. And I wasn't completely sure she wouldn't try to inflict a lethal blow, if I gave her the opportunity.

In one of the split seconds during her upper body assault on me, I dropped low, extended my foot, and spun my body 360 degrees, swiping her legs out from under her. She did have incredible strength and speed, but I still had an advantage...I knew how to fight.

She cried out in surprise as she crashed to the ground, landing hard on her back. Her chest heaved as she stared up at me. I cocked my head to the side and taunted, "Are you done now?"

She narrowed her eyes and snarled, "Not even close."

Rocking backward, she pushed off the floor with her hands, and vaulted into the air, arched her back and landed lightly on her toes. When she lunged toward me again, I grabbed her arm and spun, jerking her around, knocking her off balance, and forced her to the floor. I didn't want to hurt her by landing on top of her, so at the last second, I twisted our bodies so that I hit the ground first and she was on my chest.

As we lay there, her eyes fluttered shut, and she stopped fighting for a moment as she panted. Hope soared in me, praying this was over, and then crashed into a hard pit into my stomach; because when she opened them again, they were glowing blue!

Fuck, that wasn't supposed to happen.

Shit, shit, shit! I knew what she was going to try to do. She was going to try to force my absolute submission to her! She kept me captive in her gaze, and her words were hypnotic, almost musical, as she purred, "Your loyalty and obedience will forever be mine."

The pull of her command was fierce.

But ineffective against me!

I flipped our bodies so that I was on top of her, and growled, "It doesn't work that way, sweetheart. Never forget that you belong to me!"

She stared up at me in shock. The intense glow in her irises did not diminish, and I could see the cold calculation return to them. I needed a solution to snap her out of it, and I needed it now. Brute force hadn't been effective. Maybe she needed me to dominate her in another way. It had been what she wanted during our mating ceremony; for me to take her body by force.

Once again, she began to writhe in an attempt to get free.

Fuck she was strong. It wouldn't be easy. To accomplish it, I was going to have to completely succumb to my own predator instincts. And once I let go, there would be no going back. I was a little worried that I might actually hurt her, but we were out of options. I sucked in a breath of air, and let my mind and body shift, giving full control to the predator inside. Immediately, crimson bled into my irises and my vision shaded with red hues.

Her eyes opened wide when she registered the change in my expression. I smiled wickedly and purred, "I think you need to learn a little lesson in submission, my dear. And I am most definitely going to enjoy teaching you."

Fury flooded through her and by some miracle, she was actually able to push me off of her. But she didn't get far. Leaping to my feet, I caught her from behind and trapped her against the side of the bed. I forced her legs apart with my knee, so that I was standing between them, and pushed her upper body flat to the bed, my hand wrapped around her neck in a vise grip, making it impossible for her to use her arms or fists against me.

I used my other hand to quickly shred her clothes right off of her body, leaving her naked and writhing against my choke hold to get free. She screeched, her voice hitting a higher decibel, "Get the fuck off of me!"

She might have been screaming at me, but the scent of her arousal burst out of her. I couldn't help the groan that released from my chest. Shit, it was even more intense than before, apparently heightened by her change to a vampire.

My dick was painfully hard, straining against the confines of my jeans. Power flowed through my body. The predator licked his lips in anticipation. He liked her position. This was the way she was meant to be, submissive, head down, with her legs spread wide open for us.

I couldn't stop now even if I wanted to.

I used my free hand to tear the clothes away from my body as well. And without any word of warning, I took what belonged to me, slamming into her hard, all of the way to the hilt. Her hot tight sheath vibrated around me. A fierce growl released from my chest. I loved her tight little pussy.

She screamed and tried to wrestle away from me.

The predator's lips curled. He liked the challenged, liked to hear her scream, liked her resistance, so he could show her exactly what it meant to submit to him.

My hand tightened around her neck. If she wasn't careful, I would reach my fingers around the soft underside of her throat and cut off her air supply. She could go without breathing, but her body didn't know that yet, and the sensation would be painfully foreign to her.

I dug the fingers of my free hand into her hip, keeping her ass tilted high in the air, and pulled out and thrust back in fast and deep, my balls smacking against her clit. A fierce growl released from my throat. "You can try to tell me no, Tigru, but I know you better than that. You are dripping wet for me. It's running down your leg. Do you feel that?"

She didn't answer and still fought, twisting and turning her body, cursing, "I'm going to kill you, you motherfucker!"

Clearly, I needed to take it up a notch. The predator nearly squealed with delight.

I smacked her on the ass to get her attention, my hand coming down fast and hard, leaving a red hand print behind. Her entire body jolted, her core clamping down hard. I pounded in and out of her relentlessly, forcing her legs even farther apart with the brutal movement . The predator would accept nothing less than her wide open stance, her complete acceptance of everything he had to give her.

She screamed incoherently, and writhed desperately, but now she wasn't fighting. No, now she was eagerly rocking back into me with every stroke. It was a start, but not enough. Not even close. She had gone too far, and was going to learn never to challenge him again.

My thrusts were violent, deep and fast as I rode her hard, her cheek pressed flat to the bed, her body jerking back and forth with each impact. She panted hoarsely, crying out with frantic pleas.

I hissed, "Who's pussy is it, Tigru?"

Her tight sheath clenched around me. "Cage! Please!"

"Not good enough!" the predator spat, dark with fury. She needed to