Blood and Mint Chocolates by Adrianne Brennan (best books to read for young adults .TXT) 📕

KALIA ... YOU'RE NOT.... Merideth only knew of one way to ensure this, and that was a blood exchange. Not a complete one--that involved taking a huge portion of Erin's blood and replacing it with one of theirs--but she would have to drink from Erin, and in return have her ingest a small drop of their blood. Both amounts would have to be small, magick would be used as additional insurance that Erin would not Turn, and it would mean creating a psychic link between them.

It would also force Merideth to lower her shields and thus her control over her Sight. Once that happened, she couldn't control what she saw from Erin--or anything around her, for that matter.

Her stomach got a little queasy. What had they got themselves into?

MERI, I HAVE AN ENTIRE CLAN TO LOOK AFTER, AND SHE LIVES IN YOUR CITY, NOT MINE. THIS IS YOUR CALL TO MAKE. The magistra's neutral tone shocked Merideth, but she knew her words made sense.

Swallowing down her nervousness, Merideth went over to where Erin sat. The young woman wrung her hands in her lap, looking terrified.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispered. "I didn't want anything bad to happen to them, honest. It's why--" she choked and struggled to continue, "it's why I fought with Steve to begin with."

Unable to restrain her impulsiveness, Merideth put her arms around her. "Shh. It's okay. Really. Listen, you um, you spoke of being a donor. How do you do that?"

"They um ... they usually bite inside my wrist. I don't know how they do it, but the wound closes afterwards. No scarring." She exhaled a long, shaky breath. "It's not bad, really. Better a willing victim, right?"

Kalia's sultry voice resounded from across the room. "Of course. Me personally, I like to give whomever I feed from a wonderful night. A night to remember. I figure, hey, I owe them that much, right?"

"Well ... that's good." The color crept back into Erin's face.

"Would you like such a night, Erin?"

Merideth couldn't help herself; she turned around to see Kalia's eyes darkened with lust, that sexy upturn of the corners of her lips begging her to kiss them. Blood, I'd like such a night. Several, in fact.

She glanced at Erin, who blushed. "Who wouldn't? I mean, c'mon. Do you know many people are fascinated by vampires? And fantasize about being bitten by one?"

With a delicate air, Kalia raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Do you?"

"Well, um, yeah, and I mean ... um ... I have and all, and...."

MERI, HELP THE POOR GAL ALONG. I FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO DEFLOWER A SCHOOLGIRL.

Remembering how Kalia seduced her, Merideth decided to take a page from her book. She lifted Erin's hand with care and with excruciating gentleness took her index finger into her mouth. Watching as Erin's breath quickened, she bit the tip of her finger and started to suck on it.

Erin moaned, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Encouraged by her reaction, Merideth put her other hand on Erin's knee and dragged her fingertips along her smooth, silky inner thigh. When Erin parted her legs, she knew her attentions were welcome.

A quick glance out of the corner of her eye revealed Kalia, who appeared engrossed in watching them both. The magistra's lips parted, her eyes glittering with dark passion.

Knowing that Kalia was turned on made Merideth all the more aroused. She moved even closer to Erin. She slipped a finger inside her and sank her fangs into her neck. Erin's moans grew louder, and her hips ground into her hand as Merideth enjoyed tasting her sweet blood.

Bracing herself, Merideth lowered her shields. Bright, colorful images danced in her vision, and among them she saw Erin arguing with Steve, Erin fucking Steve, Erin getting hit by Steve ... at this, she winced. Any regret she had over deceiving Steve and taking his blood in the way she had vanished in a millisecond.

The visions poured into her head without mercy. Erin getting bitten by two other vampires, a man and a woman, and reveling in its ecstasy. She referred to them earlier as her "friends" but without a doubt the three of them were much more than that. Both blood and sex had been involved, and Merideth wondered at her shy reaction earlier. What caused it?

Then she knew--Erin was afraid. The male vampire to whom she gave blood told her many horrible tales about other vampires and how she couldn't trust them, that they might kill her for her blood and take without asking. Merideth's gentle approach reassured her, and the vampire felt Erin's relief underneath the euphoria.

Oh, the ecstasy. The overwhelming rapture pouring forth from Erin threatened to swallow up her visions. Merideth angled her finger in just the right spot to give Erin the exquisite release she yearned for, and in that moment she extracted her fangs with great care from her neck. A quick spell, and the wound on her neck disappeared.

But as delicious as Erin tasted, Merideth was far from sated. She throbbed between her legs, aching for satisfaction.

Sensing Merideth's frustration, Erin grabbed a hold of her and yanked down the rest of her dress, still left partially open by Kalia's earlier embrace. With a sly grin she stated, "My turn."

Merideth blinked as Erin pulled her close, positioning her thigh between her legs. With one hand, she grabbed Merideth's head towards her for an ardent, open-mouthed kiss. Erin's tongue tormented the inside of Merideth's mouth, and her other hand caressed the sensitive, swollen bud between the vampire's legs. Then she placed not one, but two fingers inside Merideth, bracing them with her thigh as she pumped into her. Merideth screamed, the intense sensations overpowering her.

Merideth didn't detect Kalia's presence behind her until the magistra's hand snaked around her and began massaging her left breast, harshly pinching her nipple at odd moments. The unexpected jolts of pain kept delaying her orgasm, causing her to writhe in frustration.

Kalia moved her other hand down Merideth's back, and