I lick my lips clean, wiping blood off my chin. I expected demon blood to taste like shit, but it's actually not bad. A bit on the tangy side. Maybe it's just tolerable because he's only half-demon, though.
I'm expecting there to be a weird tension between this stranger and me, since I was just guzzling his blood, but he slaps my shoulder like we're best buds now.
"Ever been to Chicago, vamp?"
"My name is Ian," I decide to share.
"Didn't fucking ask, did I? Anyway, I'm looking for a shifter. Soft and sexy with a cunt that tastes like candy. Matter of fact, she's all over the humans' news right now for getting hit by a fucking bus. Any ideas where she might be?"
I freeze, staring at him as his words sink in.
Then complete, unhinged fury has me more than ready to have my soul sprinkled around in hell, if it means avenging Heidi for what I'm suddenly terrified this fucker might've done to her.
I go toe-to-toe with the half-demon, letting him see the deranged, blood-soaked thrall side of me as I keep my voice calm.
"If you know what she tastes like for any reason other than herenthusiasticallyasking you for it while in her right mind, I'm taking you to hell in pieces with me. Talk."
His brows go up, excitement on his face. "Are you shitting me? You actually know her?"
My thrall emotions get the better of me, anger and impatience making me lean forward to trap his charcoal gaze. Once again, hypnosis makes my temples and neck tingle. He inhales sharply, and maybe he has some extra mental fortification since he's a half-demon, because I sense him struggling against my control that's stealing through his brain—but then his pupils dilate.
"If you hurt Heidi or touched her without her consent, rip your heart out."
His gloveless right hand twitches, going to hover over his chest. He's breaking out in a sweat, still resisting me, so his voice is strained.
"I didn't hurt her. She…” He grimaces as his fingertips settle over his heart, pressing into his shirt. "She fucking begged me for it, but she was in pain. In heat. They would've sent a far worse prick in after me if I didn't help her through it."
"Who would've?"
"The—" He swears in some other language, probably the Nether tongue, as he tries again to shake off my control of him.
"Hit yourself," I order to prove a point.
The half-demon's other hand cracks sharply against his own jaw. He swears before a surprised laugh peals out of him.
"Khaos, you're strong. Not really a vamp, are you? Vampyr, maybe?"
"Thrall."
"Hells."
"Yep. Now, tell me exactly how and when you met my girl," I demand.
"In the Nether, over eight months ago. The liches kept her as a prisoner under Amadeus's citadel—wanted to see how much they could fuck around with such potent empath abilities. I didn't know anything about her 'til they promised me a reward for another arena win. I was one of Amadeus's favored arena fighters," he shrugs.
"When I won again, they left her in my chambers, chained up, blindfolded, and in heat. I helped her through it as best as I could without giving in and fucking her, 'cause she clearly wasn't in her right mind when she did all that begging. Then I tried to keep those fuckers from starving her whenever I could after they dragged her back to the lich labs. Was hoping to khaos she survived so I could get back to her, so it's almost lucky that she wound up on the news," he adds before his face darkens. "Course, I'm still gonna kill the fuckers who hurt her."
I can't even count the number of "oh gods, oh fuck, please no"sthat just went through my head.
Heidi was in the Nether? Getting experimented on? Chained up, in heat? Starved?
I brace red-stained hands on my knees, sure I'm about to puke again as I fight for air, my head reeling.
Since I've lost focus, the hypnotism I have over the half-demon fades. He shakes himself before tipping his head to watch my struggle.
"So you're in love with her, too, huh? How do you know my girl?"
"I grew up with her," I manage, still nauseous. “Her brother is my friend.”
