Thomas snarled, his anger plain.  He wasn’t the only one.  I ignored them all, and motioned Anton forward.  He towered over me.

“Is it possible to bite the other side of my neck?” My hands shook with fear as I gripped the strap of my pack.  I hadn’t forgotten the pain of the last bite.  And, the stitches still had a few more days before they could be removed.

“It is,” he said.  He tilted his head and studied me.  “We could wait, like Mary and Gregory.”

His compassion helped ease a little of my fear.

“No.  The others beat you once, already.  I don’t trust what they will do if we don’t follow through with this now.”

He nodded slowly and stepped closer.  He wrapped his arms around me, supporting me as he leaned in.  I let go of the straps, curled my hands into fists, and pressed them against his bare sides.

His breath tickled my neck, and I scrunched my eyes closed.  For a moment, there was just his breath.  Then, his sharp teeth broke the skin.  A small noise escaped me, more shock than pain.  As Anton had promised, he was gentle.  His teeth had barely broken the skin.  Before he pulled away, he placed a soft kiss on the spot.  I let my hands drop.

We looked at each other for a moment.

“Well?” I said nervously.

His face fell slightly, and he shook his head.

“He barely bit you,” someone said.

I rolled my eyes.  “And the one who gave me stitches didn’t bite deep enough?”

“You weren’t willing,” Thomas said again.

“Make up your minds,” I said, venting my frustration in a half-scream, half-yell.  “Is it the depth of the bite or the willingness?”

No one answered.  Neither did they move out of my way to let me leave.  My head thumped with the beginning of a headache.  I didn’t know if it was due to using my ability, the stress of the situation, or the fact that I was still recovering.  But I did know I wasn’t ready to fight them all today.

“Fine.  I’ll give you two hours to figure out what went wrong.  Then I’ll pick someone else.  I think I still have an unmarked spot on my neck somewhere.  That will be the last chance any of you will have.  After that, I’m done; not because I’m not willing but because it won’t work.  Ever.”  I started walking to the door but stopped on the threshold.

“Don’t waste time fighting.  Work together.  I won’t accept the excuse that something wasn’t done correctly, again.”  I turned and closed the door.

Mary stood in the common room with shocked, wide eyes.  Gregory stood beside her, appearing equally surprised.

“What part of all of that upset you?” I asked as I let the bag fall from my shoulders.

Mary glanced at Gregory and then stepped away from him to move closer to me.

“Winifred wants to know how you knocked them down.”

“Ah.”  I went to the table and sat down.  “Does Winifred want me to stay?”

Mary came to sit with me and nodded.

“If this next bite fails, and they agree to leave me alone, it’s better if I keep my secrets.”

“And if it doesn’t fail?” Gregory asked.

I twisted in my chair to look at him.  “It will.  No one understands why this ritual of yours isn’t working because no one is acknowledging the obvious.  I’m different.  Winifred said it.  They know it.  Yet, everyone keeps trying to treat me like I’m one of you.”  I shook my head.  “If I’m not one of you, why would you think the same ritual would work?”

Gregory studied me in silence.  Then he dropped his gaze to the floor.  He stood still, and I wondered if he was talking to Winifred.  Finally, he met my gaze.

“I’d like to join the others outside,” he said.  “I have no desire to try to Claim you, but I’d like to help them come up with better ideas than what’s been tried already.”

“I promise I won’t choose you.  Or anyone else that doesn’t want to be chosen.”

He nodded and left.  I turned to Mary.

“Do you think any of them have a chance?” she asked.

I shrugged.  “I have no idea.  All I know is that I’ve been bitten four times and one way or another, the fifth will be the last.”

“Want me to help clean that?” she asked, pointedly looking at my new bite.

“Sure.”  She stood and fetched the supplies I’d brought back.  When she started dabbing at my neck, I caught her worried frown.

“He really was gentle,” I said.  “I’m sure Gregory will be gentle, too.”

“I’m not worried about that.  I’m not as breakable as you are.  I’m worried what will happen next time.”

I nodded.

“Me, too.  Has Winifred said anything else?”

Mary gave me a slight smile.  “Yes.  She’s upset with Thomas for pushing you like he did.  She’s worried you really do mean to leave.  Not that she wants to keep you here against your will, but she knows she won’t be able to protect you as well out there.”

I knew Mary didn’t mean outside these walls but out in the real world.  I appreciated Winifred’s concern and that she hadn’t push for more of an answer about what I’d done out there.

Mary and I ate jam sandwiches as the sun climbed in the sky then sat in silence for the remainder of the time.  When Mary let me know two hours had passed, I moved across the room and opened the door.

The majority of the men stood in an arc facing the door; yet many, including Gregory and Anton, waited back by the trees.  The definite separation of groups made it clear that I should select from those closest to me.

I studied the faces before me.  “Was two hours enough time?”

They all nodded confidently.  I glanced back at Gregory.  He nodded once as well, and I sighed.  Such confidence begged to be shaken.  The universe was fickle like that.

“Okay.  One chance,” I said again, to make sure they all understood.  Then I met Thomas’ gaze.  “Prove your theory.”

He didn’t walk toward me but moved to the back of the crowd.  He bent and picked something up.  The men parted to make room for him as he walked toward me.  In his hand, he held a small bouquet of wild flowers.  My heart skipped a beat at the gesture, and I quickly looked up.  He uncomfortably met my gaze.  His grip on the flowers tightened as if he was ready to throw them or shred them, and I realized the flowers weren’t his idea.

At least someone in the group had some sense of what human women liked.

I stayed by the door, trying to quell my nervousness as he stepped from the men and stood before me.  He held out the flowers.  I took them and managed a whispered word of thanks.  The discomfort left his gaze and something else crept in.  Tenderness.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said softly.  He reached up and gently brushed a thumb along my cheek.  My heart skipped a beat—the traitorous thing—and his look of longing stole my breath.  He didn’t move toward my neck, just continued to touch me.

“I will work every day of my life to deserve the gift you’ve given me.”

My heart beat faster, and my stomach twisted happily.

He leaned forward, not toward my neck, but toward my mouth.  His lips brushed mine, surprising me.  His touch was light and soft.  A whisper of his skin, and a promise of more to come.  My lids fluttered shut as I lost myself in the sensation.  He kissed the corner of my mouth, my cheek, my jaw, then my neck.  The light scrape of his teeth pulled me from my trance.

I stiffened, and his hands curled around my upper arms.  Whether in comfort or to keep me still, I couldn’t be sure.

“Everything will be fine,” he whispered against my skin.

He kissed me several more times.  I would be a liar if I said it didn’t affect me.  It did.  But, my fear of what he meant to do next kept me from drifting into blissful ignorance like he probably wanted.

His tongue stroked my skin, startling me from my thoughts.  Tingles spread over my arms as embarrassment crashed over me.  We were standing in front of a crowd of people.  A light kiss, I could take, but not that.

Before I could protest, his mouth opened.  I inhaled through my nose as his teeth pierced me.  He went deeper than Anton but not by much.  I grunted and pushed against his chest when he lingered there.  He didn’t budge.  He slowly withdrew his teeth and kissed the skin.  As if that would make it better.  He’d just bitten me slowly.  At least the others had the decency to get it over with.  Angry, I shoved at him again.