The Alpha's Temptation

Eltanin was so greedy for the powers, for the essence of life that flowed from her that he couldn't stop himself. Her life force was enticingly drawing him. He wanted it all like a selfish bastard. His head swam as he fed from her like a vampire, or worse than one because the vampire fed on blood. He was feeding on her life.

"Uhnn…" A soft muffled moan reached his ears. A whimper that was there or not. He couldn't discern because all he focused on was the white light that encased both of them. He couldn't believe that the little girl was a reservoir of such vast power. He ignored the whimper thinking it to be a figment of imagination. However, when he heard it once more, he tried his best to surface from the spell that had trapped him. His breath became ragged as he pulled out of the magic with every bit of his strength. His breaths panted as he tipped his head down and strained his ears.

It was a low, unsteady whimper. A sharp burst of pain in his head made his vision swim. It was hazy and the snap out of the bonding was painful as hell. Eather that was rippling around him, pulsated a little and then blasted off into air, vanishing as if it wasn't ever there. When the haze from his eyes cleared, the scene made his heart stutter. Horror washed over him.

"Tania!" he called her in a hoarse voice. She was slumped in his arms. Her eyes were closed. Blood trickled from her mouth and her nose, flowing down her chin and cheeks. "No. No. No. No." He felt his world drowning. He was horrified. What did he do? Did his mate die? "Tania," he hollered as he shook her in his arms. Her head lolled to the side. "Please come back!" But she didn't open her eyes. "Tania!" He shook her hard without caring for the terrible ache in his head. The lights around her receded and then faded into the air leaving only blood on her face and neck.

Somehow, he managed to grab the glass of water from the table. He threw the cold water on her face and she moaned. Her delicate hand rose to wipe the water from her face. Eltanin realized how many gods and goddesses he had prayed for in that short time.

"I don't know what occurred after—" she said in a hoarse, thin voice.

He immediately lifted her in his arms. "Why didn't you stop, Tania?" he said with anger mixed with desperation. He was rattled by what happened to her. He just couldn't see the blood on her face. And on top of that her current state of semi-consciousness. "How could you let your gift out just like that?" At the back of his mind, he still couldn't believe that his Tania had such special abilities. But how was this possible? Usually, such gifts were only found in the royal bloods. He shoved all the strange thoughts out of his mind and concentrated on the girl who was his mate, whose life was most important to him. He left her room and then despite his pounding headache, he climbed the stairs and reached his room. Afternoon's light filtered through oaks that lined the gardens overlooking his room.

He made her lie on his bed and leaned over her. She opened her eyes. She took a hand to his cheek and cupped it weakly. "I didn't know that I had all those powers in me. I feel as if they are still swirling inside me. Though I feel very weak now."

He took a deep sigh of relief as his lips quivered when she spoke to him. For a long time, he closed his eyes, reveling under her touch. Then he leaned over to the bedside and picked up a tumbler that had orange juice from the morning. "If you won't be feeling weak, I would be very, very concerned," he said and lifted her head to make her drink the juice. "You have a vast reservoir of gift inside you. Don't let anyone know about it, okay?" He could also still feel all the power that he had lapped up from her. It was heady, and just thinking about it made him feel invigorated. He noticed that his fingers had this faint pulse of blue light when he touched things. This meant that his eather was surfacing, rather it wanted to surface now that it found a way. And he was surprised that he could actually sense how she tasted and smelled on him. The thought made him rock hard. His lust grew to a level that he wished to remove her clothes and take her right there and bury himself in all the power she held.

He took the glass from her and placed it back on the table. "Don't get up. Let me get a towel for you." He got up from the bed and was shocked when his body swayed a little.

She tried to get up. "Your Highness."

Seeing that she was getting up, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't. I will be right back." He rushed to the bathroom, hoping that she didn't see his erection. When he came back, she was sleeping. He sat beside her and cleaned away all the blood around her nose and chin. He wanted to change her clothes, but if he did that, he was sure that all the lust and power that flowed through him would make his beast rise to the level of no return.

He got up from the bed and tucked her into the blankets. Then he stoked the fire in the hearth to keep the room warm. Winter had knocked on the kingdom's door. Cool winds from the Jade Sea blew in through the window.

"Will you help me in tapping and controlling more of my powers?" she asked softly.

He wanted to say no because of the way she fell in his arms after bonding with him. "I will," he replied firmly. If the prophecy had to come true in which it was his mate who would strengthen him further, then it was time that she become stronger for his bite and claim.