Bound by Blood (Bound #1)(18)

Two of the wolves held the now conscious demon. The guy’s face was broken and bloody, so it looked like the wolves had been enjoying some play time. Louis raised a brow. “All better now?”

Jace growled at him.

But, actually, yes, she was better. One hundred percent better. Power seemed to pulse in her veins. If this rush would come to her each time that she and Jace exchanged blood, then she’d make sure they exchanged every day for the rest of her life. Since she planned to spend all of her days and nights with him, an exchange wouldn’t be a hardship at all.

Her blood would enable him to live longer. Human mates who sipped from their vampire lovers could stay young and strong as long as they had that blood supply. She’d make sure Jace fed well and often.

“You’re feeding a dog?” The demon spat blood on the ground at Jace’s feet. “Vampire, don’t you know better than to—”

Jace lunged and grabbed the demon around his throat. “I’m going to slice you open.”

The demon just laughed. “I’ve been in hell, *. You can’t do anything to me that hasn’t already been done.”

And Morgan hesitated. The demon had a point.

“We’ll see.” Jace didn’t seem worried. “Once I slice off your hands and crack open your rib cage, we’ll find out if you feel like talking then.”

But the demon shook his head. “Been there, done that. Why do you think we’re all coming out? This world…” His red eyes flew around the room. “It’s life. We’re coming, and we’re taking it over, and you can’t stop us.”

“We’ll shut your damn door,” Jace promised, “and you’ll stay in your cage.”

More laughter. “Not if you can’t find it.”

“You’ll talk,” Jace promised. Then he glanced back at Morgan. “You don’t…want to see this.” But she read his eyes and understood. Don’t watch me do this. He would torture. He would push and push and push…because he wanted to save her. Save his people.

But sometimes, there was just too much darkness, too much of a price, to be paid for some actions.

“There’s another way.” A better way because her gut told her that the demon wasn’t bullshitting. He wouldn’t break. What can we do that hell hasn’t done?

Jace stilled.

Morgan spared a swift glance for the vampires. Men. Women. Their gazes were determined, their bodies tense. They understood what she meant. They were ready. She licked her lips and offered, “We can drink from him.”

The demon’s bellow shook the mansion, and she knew that they had the bastard. You won’t talk. Fine. “We don’t need you to talk,” she said as she crept closer to him.

“We just need you to bleed.”

Time to sample the demon’s memories.

Jace blocked her path. “This is a shitty plan.”

She smiled at him. “It’s a plan that will work. You know we pull memories with the bite.”

“Yeah, but just what else will happen when you bite him? You ever had demon blood?”

No. “Never had the pleasure,” she said and saw the demon tense.

“It could be poison. It could fry you from the inside out. It could—”

“I’d never had werewolf blood until I tasted you.”

That stopped him. Only for a moment. “Yeah, princess, but we all know that once you go wolf, you don’t go back.”

And there, when she shouldn’t have, when it was the wrong time and the wrong place, she laughed.

Jace froze. Then he squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” What was her wolf talking about now?

His eyes opened and a muscle flexed along his jaw. “You aren’t tasting him.” He pointed to the vamps behind them. “One of those *s can do it. They can all do it. But not you.”

He pulled her close. “I don’t want you having memories of hell.”

He still didn’t get it. “I don’t need you to protect me.” She motioned to the vampires. They lined up. All of them ready.

“Because they’ve got your back?” Anger roughed his voice.

“No, because I’m a f*cking vampire princess.” She bared her fangs. “And I’m riding high on my wolf’s blood.” Time for ass kicking. She pushed past Jace and grabbed the demon, wrenching him away from the wolves. “Remember me? I’m the vamp bitch who broke your neck.”

His red eyes bulged as she promised, “I’m also the one who’s going to drain you dry.”

Louis snapped his fingers together. “Now I know who she reminds me of…” His gaze flew to Jace. “You.”

Jace snarled.

“Come ahead, bitch,” the demon dared. “You think you’re strong? My blood will burn you from the inside out.”

“Promises, promises,” she whispered and moved as fast as Jace had, a blur. She grabbed the demon’s head and yanked it back. “Bleed for me.”

She sank her teeth into him.

His blood filled her mouth. Warm. Not burning. But bitter. So bitter. She drank and took the memories. Fire. Hell. Screams that never ended.

“Morgan.” Jace’s hands settled on her back.