The Way You Bite(36)

“Prove it, bitch.” Eric swung the crossbow away from Lexan to find her. “Where are you?”

Lexan used telepathy to speak to her. “Calm down.”

Her soft whisper echoed in his head. “I’m so sorry. This has been a series of bad decisions. I hope I didn’t hurt you. The mark on you isn’t completely gone.”

“Don’t run. Not after that. I want you here.”

“That was a big mistake. That look on your face afterward said it all.”

“What look? You misread if you think that was anything short of mind-blowing.”

“Don’t follow me.”

“We are far from done here.”

With a crash, the desk chair launched through the paned window on the far side of the room. Vee jumped from behind his desk out the window. Then she was gone.

He turned on Eric. “What the hell was that? I told you, all of you, to stay out.” Where would she go?

“I just saved your ass is what I did.”

“No one was in any danger.”

Eric sniffed and glowered. “You didn’t. Deny you and her…in here?”

Lexan walked to where she’d exited, gazing through the gaping hole in the window into the dark of night.

“Send TC and one of the others to track her. Surveillance and protection only. Not acquisition. Have them report when they’ve got her position. No approaching her until I give the word unless a vampire tries to take her. I’m going to have to be the one to go to her after you tried to decapitate her. Damn it.”

Eric pointed to Lexan’s neck. “You let her drink from you?” Disgust laced the question. “And you and her…a demisang, part leech? You’re the liege lord, and she’s going to marry a DiFalco.”

“That’s right. I am the fucking liege lord here. That means I can do whatever the hell I want.” He smashed his fist into the wall, leaving a dent. He opened and shut his palm a few times, knuckles now oozing blood. The pain helped clear his mind.

“Of course, sir.” There wasn’t an ounce of contrition to corroborate the statement.

“TC. Surveillance and protection,” Lexan snapped. “Go. Now.”

Eric nodded and disappeared into the hallway. Seconds later, he reappeared. “They’re on it. She drank from you, and she didn’t have any bad effects?”

“Her father made me promise that I’d force her to drink from me when she was close to the change. Wolf blood will complete her transformation. With the full moon rising within the next two days, it should be a spectacular event to see her change.”

“Your blood must’ve done something to her. How’d she disappear?” Eric walked to the broken window and stared into the darkness.

“She didn’t. She moved too fast to see.” He wondered how long until Eric asked about her parentage.

“Guess she’s not as boring as we thought. Who exactly asked you to rescue her?”

“Blay.”

Eric took a step back and muttered, “Holy Mary, mother of God.” He put down his crossbow. “How’s he related to her?”

“Vee is his daughter.”

“Blay is dead.”

“Then the old bastard must’ve made a trip back from hell to donate sperm.”

“Blay’s not dead?” He raked a hand through his spiked hair. “Bloody hell, Blay’s not dead.”

“I met him at the bar the other day.”

“Dominic and the DiFalcos would shit if they knew. Blay is older than dirt. Well, not as old as you…didn’t mean to imply you’re old as dirt. You know what I meant. Blay was jaded and hated vamps almost as much as you used to. He could lay down some vampire hurt like no other. What possessed him to screw one?”

Two days ago Lexan would’ve agreed at the absurdity of it. Now, he concluded chemistry was a bitch you can’t deny, especially being half animal.

Eric said, “It’s not like you can’t lend insight after you… At least Vee is only half vamp and a hot little thing. Still, she’s not exactly single. This’ll be a nuclear bomb in the vamp world. Is she worth war?”

Jesus, everyone would have the same reaction as Eric. He wasn’t ready to acknowledge the political catastrophe of Vee as his mate.

“Fine, don’t answer me. Wasn’t her mother a direct descendant of an original?”

“Yes.” Now Eric would realize how truly unique Vee was.

“Then Velvet Scarpa is a pureblood demisang?”

“Unlike most vamps, she’s got little to no human dilution. She’s the only pureblood demisang ever known to have survived birth. A direct descendant of the originals for both species.”





Chapter Thirteen


Don’t think. Run.

The mantra fast looped in her brain for miles. The initial adrenaline rush had worn off long ago. Her legs screamed to the point she slowed to a walk. Minutes later she rested against a speed limit sign. Her head throbbed. She rubbed her eye sockets, massaging an acupressure point. It worked. The headache dulled.

Aside from being tired, she was okay. Maybe better than okay. Her world didn’t go into a vertigo shudder every time she moved. For the first time in ages she wasn’t consumed by a relentless, stomach-eroding blood hunger.