Keystone (Crossbreed #1)(19)

Christian gave me a roguish grin. “Lass, I can personally promise you ten.”

Okay. I asked for that one.

“Give me my weapons and I’ll show you.”

“Afraid I can’t do that. Not until Viktor gives the word. We need to make sure we can trust you before we wake up with a knife at our throats.”

I pressed my body close to his, and he sucked in a sharp breath. “Does Viktor make all the rules around here?” I asked in a husky voice, stroking my finger along the artery of his neck.

He stiffened, and I felt his pulse race at a wicked beat. Christian relaxed just like a baby kitten being licked by its mama. If I latched my mouth around that artery and began sucking, using my tongue to stroke his flesh, it would send him over the edge as it did all the others.

Instead of pulling out a real piece of wood, I mimicked the movement, which I would have never done so soon, and swung my arm at his chest.

He seized my wrist and spun me around, locking my arms in front. “And what happens if they catch on to your little scheme?” he asked between clenched teeth.

“No one has yet. I wouldn’t have struck so soon. I make sure their defenses are down before making a move.”

“Then why did you act so soon with me?”

I reclined my head, feeling his bristly whiskers against my temple. “Unless I can stake you for real, I’m not making out with you.”

His breath heated my jaw. “Aye, and now you’re trapped. Show me how you’re going to escape.”

“Let go of me.”

“This is the real world, precious. How would you fight against a Vampire who’s caught you—one who could crush every bone in your body? Are you scared? You should be. I’ve killed more men than I can count, and until you can say the same, there’s nothing about you that intimidates me. You’re just a wee child in my world, bragging about kills you can only count on your fingers and toes. You can’t even escape from my hold. Do you really think you belong here?”

I bent my knees and dropped to the ground, sliding out of his grasp. As I crawled around him, he fell over my back, and I whimpered in pain.

Christian pushed off me and hovered. “What’s wrong? I didn’t land on you that hard.”

Before I could answer, he held me down and lifted the back of my shirt.

“Get off me!”

“How did you get that bruise?” When he released his hold, I crawled free. “If that’s from one of your jobs, you’re not as smooth as you think you are.”

I rolled over and sat facing him.

He did the same, one knee bent and his arm draped over it. “You don’t heal?”

“I don’t heal as quickly as a Vampire, and drinking blood doesn’t seem to help. Niko’s going to find out if I can heal like a Mage. If not, then I guess you’ve found my biggest weakness of all.”

“How did you get the bruise?”

“Don’t pretend like you care. Let’s just finish the test and get this over with.”

When I started to get up, he caught my wrist.

“Neither of us is leaving this room until I know the truth. Now you can rabbit on and pretend to be a fairy princess with the woe is me routine, or you can answer my question.”

“Three nights ago—”

“The night we met?”

“Yes. Can I finish? Three nights ago, I went to a human club to clean up in the bathroom. It’s a new place, and business was slow. I’m sure I don’t have to explain why I get more privacy there than in a Breed club. Anyhow, after I washed up and soaked my dress, I was sitting in a stall trying to figure out where I wanted to go. Two men came in, and I overheard a conversation I wasn’t supposed to.”

“They weren’t human, were they?” he asked rhetorically. “Did they gang up on you?”

“No, just one of them. I would have finished him off, but someone walked in, so I had to cover my tracks and bail.”

“And now you have someone who knows who you are.”

I stood up and raked my fingers through my hair. “Yes, and I’m sure he’s dreaming of all the different ways he wants to kill me if we ever run into each other again.”

Christian surged to his feet. “Weren’t you armed?”

“Lesson learned on letting my guard down. Thanks for the reminder.”

He advanced, forcing me to step back. “How far did he go?”

I kept walking backward until my shoulder blades touched the wall.

When he zeroed in on my eyes, I looked down to avoid him charming me.

His voice became low and dangerous. “How far did he go?”

“It was a hell of a fight, but I can take care of myself. I knocked him out and lived to see another day. What more do you want? Life on the streets isn’t easy, so I don’t need your sympathy or chivalry.”

“Darlin’, you don’t get my sympathy until you’ve spent a decade buried in a pine box.”

I blinked in surprise. “That seriously happened to you?” I struggled to kill the laughter rising in my throat. “Sorry, I just thought that Vampire burials were an urban legend.”

He flashed me a look of irritation and branched away. I’d heard stories that in the old days, Vampires were buried as a form of punishment.