Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Did he let it slip on purpose?”
She was sharp, his woman. “I don’t know. It’s possible. I’ll find out for sure once I talk to him. Right now, I’m only interested in you.”
“I’m fine. Really. I mean, it was obviously a shock. But I can deal. I’m not going anywhere. It’s not like you drink blood for shits and giggles. That would be weird.”
“Just weird?” he asked, feeling his lips twitch.
“Okay, weird and gross and the ultimate bad habit. Many other adjectives would also apply. But the truth is you have no choice.” She stared at him for long moments, a series of emotions flickering fast behind her eyes. “Do you have to feed tonight?”
He stilled. “I’ll have to do it tomorrow at the latest.”
She scratched the back of her head, pulling a face.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Her arm flopped to her side. “I don’t like the thought of you feeding from other people.”
“I told you, I don’t fuck them, Ella. I make it quick and clinical.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“I get it. In your shoes, I wouldn’t like it either. But it’s that or bloodlust.”
“Or … ” She trailed off and rolled her shoulders. “Or you could feed from me.”
He stiffened in surprise, his throat burning with thirst at the suggestion alone. His entity smirked once more. “Be careful what offers you throw around, Ella. You need to be damn sure of what you’re saying. You offer your blood to me, I’ll take it. And if you regret it afterwards, it’ll be a punch to the gut for me.”
Her tongue slipped out to nervously touch her bottom lip. “You bit me once. Well, it wasn’t so much a bite, but you cut my lip when we kissed.”
“Not on purpose.”
“You scrape your teeth on my neck a lot.”
“Teasing myself with what I can’t have, hoping that might one day change.” He slid his palm from the side of her neck to her nape. “But we’re not gonna discuss it any more tonight. You’re going to take time to think about it. Really, really think about it. I want you to be sure all the fucking way.”
“All right.”
“Good.” Tugging her closer with the hand gripping her nape, he looped his free arm around her.
“This club … you opened it to reel in possible prey.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Clever girl. It’s better this way. We confine our feeding to the one place. Innocents don’t come here. Only those who are drawn to darkness and sin.”
“I’m not.”
“Sure you are. You’re drawn to me, aren’t you?”
She inclined her head, her lips curving. “Point well made.”
“It is. Now kiss me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Slumping into a chair in the clubhouse’s meeting room the following day, Prophet glanced from Viper to Dice. There was no nervousness there. No sheepishness. No remorse.
Viper’s entity narrowed its eyes. Either the angel didn’t grasp the gravity of his behavior last night—which seemed highly unlikely—or he felt he’d done nothing wrong.
At the head of the table, Viper swiveled his chair slightly toward him. “I’m sure you can guess what this is about.”
Prophet gave a nod. “I messed up, I know. But I apologized.”
“Yeah, you did,” said Dice from the chair opposite Prophet, his expression hard. “Our problem is that we’re not sure you meant it.”
Prophet frowned. “What?”
“Nor are we sure it was an accident on your part,” Dice added.
“What?”
“Our club’s ability to live in peace with demons in this realm depends on our secrecy,” Viper pointed out. “We’re all careful of what we say at all times. We don’t accidentally say too much in a public place. You don’t accidentally do that. You’ve always been vigilant. Last night, you weren’t.”
Prophet’s mouth thinned. “I didn’t know the sisters were there.”
Viper shot him an incredulous look. “They were close enough that they overheard you. I find it hard to believe you hadn’t sensed their presence on your way to the office.”
Prophet’s nostrils flared. “This is bull.”
His oh-so-innocent routine was bull. “You didn’t needed to come to my office. The conversation you wanted to have with us wasn’t long-winded or of a serious nature, was it? All you wanted was to ask if we’d seen Merchant and—though we hadn’t ever asked to be informed of such a thing—tell us that our regulars were at the bar. You could have done that telepathically. It would have saved you a walk and been less risky.”
“I wasn’t taking risks, I—”
“No? You didn’t enter my office and close the door behind you. You popped your head inside, keeping the door open while you talked. That isn’t careless?”
“I didn’t know they were there.”
Viper leaned forward. “I think you did,” he said, his pitch dropping, his voice oozing danger.
“Why would I have wanted them to overhear me?”
“Not them. Ella. Maybe you wanted to know once and for all if she would be able to handle our reality. You knew we could edit both her memories and that of Mia afterward. But you had to also know how much I would have hated doing that to my woman. You didn’t care.”