I drifted toward him, a rattling sound coming from his chest each time he drew in a deep breath.
One swallow of blood; it seemed like such a little thing. Still standing, I straddled his legs and cupped his face in my hands. Christian’s eyes rose to meet mine. His shoulders were hard beneath my fingertips, and before one of us said something that would change my mind, I bent over and turned my head away, feeling the brush of his short beard against my neck.
His breath heated my skin in the place his lips touched.
“I can’t do this,” he whispered unconvincingly.
“Take what you need.”
His fangs grazed along my neck, inviting and deadly. My heart slowed down, beating strong, and something flickered between us—a sharp desire that made me lean into him. His hand briefly slid between my legs before he pushed me back.
Christian’s dark gaze fixed on my bleeding arm, and he lifted it, placing his mouth on the wound and gulping down the blood. This felt way less erotic, and all that sexual tension that had sparked up between us melted away as I watched him licking my arm.
“I’m not an ice cream cone,” I said. “Hurry up.”
“It’s not as pleasant this way,” he snapped.
“I offered you my neck. Doesn’t it all taste the same?”
He licked the corner of his mouth. “Maybe I prefer to draw the blood out and not have it gush into the back of my throat like from a stuck pig.”
“I could always pour it into a glass. Or would you prefer a baby bottle so you can suck on the nipple and draw it out?”
He lapped at another stream, his voice a murmur. “This is a truly scintillating conversation. If you don’t mind, a little peace and quiet would be appreciated.”
Watching him drink my blood should have repulsed me, and in some ways it did, but it also made me think of moments ago when his lips were pressed to my jugular and a spike of need went through me. Was the Vampire in me really a separate entity, waving her arms and begging for someone to take her vein?
It made me want to smack her.
His eyes darted up, and I had the strangest feeling come over me—as if he’d seen me naked.
He let go and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You really don’t like Vampires, do you? I can taste it in your blood. Is it because you’re afraid of what I can do that you can’t?”
“No, it’s because Vampires think everyone is inferior to them.”
“You’re marvelous at hiding pain,” he said, nodding at my arm. “The bullet struck a nerve.”
“What else can you tell?” I asked, my voice unsteady. I hadn’t given much thought to what he might learn from me by drinking my blood.
He stood up and arched his back. “I think we better tidy up.”
A pinging noise sounded when one of the bullets popped out of his chest and onto the floor.
“That’s disgusting.”
He stepped closer and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “You can’t fool me, precious. You’re curious enough about blood sharing that you would have preferred me to drink from your neck.” He leaned forward, his lips against my ear, his words a soft whisper. “Deny it.”
I shoved him back when another bullet clinked against the floor. “Not everyone thinks you’re the Adonis of the modern era. Are you done playing with your food, or can I finish off that Mage?”
All emotion erased from his expression, and he inclined his head. “You need to make yourself absent now. What I’m about to do to that man will give you waking nightmares for the rest of your life.”
I shuddered at the black look he gave me and hurried away. Before entering the stairwell, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Christian turning to face the fire, watching the Mage place an iron poker into the flames.
When I reached the third level, a blanket of darkness surrounded me, forcing me to sharpen my Vampire eyes. I slowed my pace, opening each door I passed and searching the dark corners. Most of the rooms were empty, but some had sitting chairs and other casual furniture. Two were garishly decorated—stuffed full of abstract paintings, silver candleholders, and zebra-print sofas. If that was where he seduced his women, no wonder he was single.
I stopped in my tracks when I noticed a faint light seeping through the edge of a bookcase. Not bright enough for the human eye to detect, but enough that it made me go in and check it out. There were hinges on the left side, so I thought about it like a door, assuming something functioned as a lever. In the place a doorknob might be, I noticed a dragon-shaped bookend. I pulled the head and heard a click.
The heavy case quietly pushed open, and I entered a small room. Pale light skimmed across the floor from another bookshelf to my right, and that was when I realized that someone had done a masterful job at constructing a secret room within a secret room. I drew in a deep breath of stale air, looking around at the two sitting chairs, thin carpet, and wood paneling.
