A Mate for Griffin (17 page)

Sarah lay down and closed her eyes. She was asleep in seconds.

Griffin sucked in a deep breath. He sat upright and his chest pulled tight. He needed to save Sarah. He needed to…

Her small hand closed over his thigh. “It’s okay. They’re dead. Lie back down. You’re hurt.”

He looked down seeing that his chest had been cleaned and bound. The stench of death was everywhere. It clung to him.

His eyes moved to where the last human male lay. “You are some female,” he croaked. His throat dry. “Brave, courageous, strong. Beautiful.” He whispered the last. He was a colossal asshole for allowing his gaze to track her body.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

Sarah had been through so much and yet here he was checking out her breasts. Her skin was milky white against the black lace. Her nipples dark. Her stomach was flat and her hips flared.

Fuck! Stop!

Griffin felt himself frown as he thought about how he had taken blood from her. It was his understanding that human females were always affected by the act. It was only the degree to which they became affected that changed. It was always supposed to be sexual to them. That was why he had hesitated earlier. If he could’ve gotten away with not drinking he would have, but even with the blood, he had almost failed her.

Sarah saw him as no more than a friend. That much was clear. He needed to put his feelings for her aside. He needed to respect her. Lance was his best friend. Griffin averted his gaze.

“I don’t know about brave. You didn’t see me throw up.” Her eyes were wide.

“You are very brave, Sarah. Most humans would have cowered or begged. You fought hard without a second’s hesitation. I am thankful, but I mean it when I say that I don’t want you to do it again.”

She narrowed her eyes and her mouth twitched. “You needed my help.”

Griffin shook his head. “It’s not that I’m ungrateful, but I had it under control.”

“Like hell.” She smiled. “You were getting your ass handed to you.”

He shook his head. “I was preparing to strike. Gathering my strength and allowing my opponent to think that he had the upper hand.” A wave of dizziness washed over him and he put a hand on the floor to steady himself.

“Whatever.” She snorted, a wide grin formed on her beautiful face. Then she turned serious. “I’m just really glad that you are okay. I thought that…” She pursed her lips. “I didn’t think you would survive.”

“Neither did I.” He sucked in a deep breath. “We need to get out of here. There might be more of them.”

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “I was supposed to be dropped off at five today. They talked about splitting the money four ways and checking in again at lunch time.” She relayed what Earl had said, about nobody knowing where they were or coming to her rescue.

“We shouldn’t risk it. I’m glad to hear that we have some time though. I need to get cleaned up and I need more blood.” His mouth watered and his fangs throbbed.

She nodded once. “No problem.”

“We need a way out of here.” He allowed his eyes to scan the room. Griffin rose to his feet and swayed, but managed to stay upright. He had never been this weak in his whole fifty- three years of existence. “We need a phone so that I can call in and arrange for a team to fetch us.”

Sarah nodded. “I’ll help you.”

Together they searched the room. Okay, Sarah searched while he attempted to stay upright. “This phone is also locked.” She dropped the device on the floor next to the body.

The stench was too much to bear. He was covered in grime and in the older male’s excrement. It made his head spin. “We will take their vehicle. I found keys on that male.” He pointed to the one that Sarah had killed. Pride rose up in him. She had struck without hesitation. Griffin had not needed her assistance, but was infinitely grateful that she had given it. His respect for her grew.

“Are you okay?” Concern radiated from her and she stepped towards him, gripping his arm. “Do you need to rest?”

He shook his head. “I need to wash and to…drink, but it can wait until we get back. I’m not sure I can drive though.” He felt so fucking weak. So damned useless. “Maybe...” he added, feeling himself sway.

“Rubbish. You can drink from me. I insist.” She squeezed his arm.

He held her gaze for a few seconds. Tasting her essence had been one of the most tantalizing experiences of his life. He had never experienced anything like it. Even with the enemy at the door and half fucking dead, he had felt his heart soar and his soul open. He was already addicted to her. Drinking from her again would only serve to strengthen the bond. It was a pity it was one sided and even if she felt the same, he could not hurt his best friend. Lance was clearly smitten with Sarah and he could not blame the male. Lance was different as of late. It seemed that he had a new lease on life. A new direction. Griffin was convinced that it was because of Sarah. He viewed her as his mate, but he would need to get the fuck over it.

“I’m going to shower.” He would try his damndest to avoid drinking from her. Another reason he would avoid it was because he couldn’t stand to see how little the act affected her. It was like a slap in the face. A cold awakening. A stark reminder that Sarah was his friend. There could never be more. “Why did you leave last night?” He could guess but he wanted to hear it from her.

Her eyes locked with his. They clouded for a second. “I hated watching the two of you fight.” He could see that she wanted to say more. Probably that she couldn’t stand to watch him hurt Lance. He wasn’t ready to hear the words just yet.

“I understand.” He took a step towards the bathroom and his legs almost buckled. Sarah was at his side in an instant.

“Lean on me. I’ll help you.”

“I’m fine.” he said and then proceeded to stumble, almost falling on his fucking face.

“I’ve got you.” She put an arm around his waist. Although she was small, she did help stabilize him enough to be able to walk into the bathroom.

He was out of breath by the time they got there, shuffling one step at a time, like an old half dead decrepit.

“That’s it,” she coaxed.

Griffin had his arm around her shoulder. He loved the feel of her skin under her fingers. Anger coursed through him as he caught the human male’s scent on her skin. He growled deeply. Sarah had been naked from the waist down. Fuck! He sniffed again. It made his blood boil.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Her brows were raised.

“I should be asking you those questions. I’m sorry, I am not thinking clearly, dying will do that to a male.” He touched her arm.

“I’m fine.” She tried to smile but he could see that it was forced. She refused to meet his gaze.

“Sarah.” There was a hint of a growl in his voice. He couldn’t help it.

She looked at him. “I’m fine,” she said a second time.

“Did he…?”

“No. I think he would have if you…” her voice broke. “You saved me.” It came out in a strangled sob.

Griffin growled as he pulled Sarah into his arms. If he could bring the male back from the dead, he would. Then he would take his time killing the fucker. One knife cut at a time. Males like him did not deserve to breathe. The bastard had no fucking honor. “I’ve got you. They could kill me right fucking now and I would come back for you,” he whispered. “I would always come back for you.”

Her face was buried in his chest. Her breathing choppy. Sarah sniffed and wiped at her face with the heel of her hand. “You came just in time. I really thought you were gone for good this time.” Another tear fell and she wiped it away.

“I have a ton of experience with dying.” Griffin wiped away another tear that had escaped, with the pad of his thumb. He felt himself sway and grabbed the shower door with his other hand. Fucking weakness. It wasn’t a surprise considering the bullets had been silver and that he was starving to begin with. The small amounts of blood he had taken were not nearly enough. They would have to be for now though.

He righted himself and pulled the door open. With his hand on the wall for support, he moved into the stall, leaning his back against the cool tiles so that he could catch his breath. It felt like he had run miles.

“Let me help you. You do realize that you are still wearing your jeans?” She looked pointedly at the disgusting garment. Her cheeks had flushed red. So fucking cute.

“Trying to get me naked?” He couldn’t resist. Her cheeks heated further and she made a gasping noise. Griffin smiled. “I don’t mind stripping for you. All you have to do is ask.”

“No. It’s not that…I…it’s…” Her eyes were wide. Her hands gestured. “I’ll leave you to it.” She turned and took a step.

“Sarah.”

Her back stiffened and she turned.

“We’re friends, right?”

Something flashed across her face for a mere split second.
Pain.
Why would that hurt her? He must have misread the emotion. She nodded and smiled.

“Please, can you help me?” He knew he was being a bastard by even asking it but he needed to get out of these putrid clothes and cleaned up. “My wounds are closing but the injuries have yet to heal fully and they pull tight when I move. Plus, I would probably fall over trying to get my pants over my ankles.” He grinned, trying to make light of it. Trying even harder to keep his eyes off of her body. It would be wrong to look anymore than he already had. So wrong. “Vampires are comfortable naked. I hope you don’t mind. I know that humans do not feel the same.”

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Her brow was furrowed. Her hands shook.

“It’s fine,” he said. “Don’t worry. I will manage. It was wrong of me to even ask.”

“It’s not wrong. It would be one friend helping another.” She shrugged. “We just happen to be different sexes. It wouldn’t be sexual at all.”

Like fuck it wouldn’t. He didn’t respond because he wasn’t about to lie to her. At the same time, he didn’t want to scare her either. She’d been through enough.

Thankfully, he was still half fucking dead. Right now, it would help him. His body still hurt. His wounds burned. His head ached. His mouth felt dry. There was no way his body would react to her. “It’s going to get wet in here. You might not want to…ruin your garments.” he said, trying to sound casual. “I wouldn’t look.” He wouldn’t, even if it fucking killed him. “I swear.” He looked her in the eye, meaning every word.

She shook her head. “I’ll leave them on.” She swallowed hard.

“It’s okay, Sarah. I swear I wouldn’t look. Besides, I can see right through them anyway.” He smiled.

She sucked in a breath and hit him on the arm. “That’s rude.”

He feigned agony.

“Oh my word! I’m sorry, are you okay?” Her eyes were wide.

“I’m fine. Just teasing you. You really shouldn’t hit someone when they are almost dead though. It’s not nice.” He looked at her pointedly. “Leave the underwear. It doesn’t make a difference.” It would be better if she left it on. He wanted her comfortable either way. “I will try and shower myself. I would appreciate it if you could help with the pants though.”

She nodded.

He undid the clasp and pulled down the zipper. Her face was so red that he was sure it would burn his hand if he touched her. He tried not to smile because it would probably anger her. He groaned as he pulled the jeans down over his hips. His wounds hurt like a bitch.

“Are you okay?” She asked, her gaze still on the ground.

“My feet are fine.” he chuckled.

“I can see that.” He could hear that she was smiling. “Friends shouldn’t see each other naked,” she mumbled.

“If you were a vampire female, it wouldn’t be a big deal. We would share blood and even rut to restore my energy levels.” He paused. “I don’t mind if you see me like this. It’s not a big deal. I will try to cover myself if it will make you feel better though.”

He could hear how her heart sped up. She was probably afraid at the mention of sex. He was a dick to have spoken of it. “I don’t expect either, so please do not be concerned.”

“Okay.” She squeaked, her eyes still firmly on his feet. “You need your arms to support yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll deal.”

From this vantage point he could see her ass. The string of her thong was buried between her butt cheeks. Her ass was full. Fucking exquisite. With great effort he pulled his gaze away from her enticing body and tried to focus on the white tiles on the opposite wall. Sarah didn’t move. She continued to stare at his feet.

His pants were gathered at the tops of his thighs. His dick, thank fuck, was only semi erect. Half fucking dead and he still couldn’t help but to react to her. He tried to push them down further but his wounds stung like a fucking bitch. “Sarah.”

She jumped. Physically jumped.

“I’m not going to hurt you or touch you. You do know that you are safe, right?”

She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m fine, I swear.”

Like hell!

“The sooner we get these pants off, the sooner I can get clean and we can get out of here. I’m sorry to make you do this but I can’t stand the…dirt.” He decided not to talk of the excrement and urine that soaked his pants. She would probably smell it but it couldn’t be helped.

“Okay.” Her hands lifted, waving dangerously close to his dick. She still refused to look up. It made him smile.