Sterling’s jaw clenched, his expression going taut. “While I don’t think it’s a wise move to present a dangerous hybrid known for his violent history with his late father’s blood, it will be good for his health. If he drinks it.”
My heart pummeled painfully against my ribcage as Vincent’s frame began to shift with life. “He won’t.”
I slowed the heave of my lungs and held my breath as my brutal mate’s eyelids tore open.
Everything stood still.
Vincent’s nose twitched as he drew in the scent of the bottle’s contents. His face had healed over nicely, and the burns from the sun were almost completely gone. But he still looked tired. Tired and angry.
All traces of red had drained from his eyes, leaving them their usual color. They moved from the bottle to settle on Eros, gleaming like hard green jewels. “What in Master’s name isthis?”
A chill spread over my flesh at the curse.
Eros remained cool and collected as always, giving a little wave of the bottle. “You know what it is, Feral. You’re a vampire.”
Vincent snatched the monster hunter’s wrist, his grip mean and his demeanor savagely violent. A hot rock dropped to the pit of my gut. Maybe I’d read them all wrong. Maybe they really just hated each other, and that tension between them was the pleasure they got from their constant volley of insults and mean tricks.
“Don’t get cute with me, Deathwish. Not unless you’re looking for a fucking broken neck.”
“Save the dirty talk for when you’re healed, shithead.”
A primal growl wrenched from the fae’s chest, and Eros held up a hand. “Okay, okay. Calm the fuck down. I’m not trying to spar with you. I really want you to get better.”
“You’re full of shit.”
Even beneath the beard, I made out the muscle twitching in Eros’ jaw. His cocky grin dropped, and the space around him turned lethal. “Do you really not know what this is?”
“I’m pretending I don’t because otherwise, I might literally gut you, and for whatever reason, my mate and bride-to-be likes you. She’s been through too much to watch me kill you now.”
Sterling shifted beside me. “Bride-to-be? You mean, you didn’t go through with the ceremony?”
I worried my lip. “Things didn’t really go as planned. I think the wedding has been postponed. And we might have to do it straight up human style.”
“Then consider this an early wedding present.” Eros pushed the cork back into the bottle and placed it on Vincent’s nightstand. “Drink it, or don’t. I don’t care. Whatever you do with it, it’s yours now.”
With his fingers still encircling Eros’ wrist, Vin tugged him closer. “Why?”
“Because fae blood is a valuable resource. I would have been stupid to let it go to waste.”
Vincent ground his teeth. “No. Why did you keep this from me? Why are you only giving it to me now?”
“Because I was angry with you.”
“Angry? What the fuck did I do?Youkilledmyfather, not the other way around.”
A stony mask dropped over Eros’ face, but there was no hiding the pain etched there. Not from me. I had a feeling Vincent saw it too. “What did you do?You’ve pushed me away for an entire decade! And you know as well as I do, and have since that first year, it had nothing to do with your father’s death.”
Eros moved to stand, but Vincent jerked on his arm and slammed him back down into his seat, making the mattress bounce. “Wait. Prove it.”
“Provewhat, Feral?”
“Prove that you’re giving me this blood because you actually care about my recovery and not because you get hard from watching me suffer.”
My pulse accelerated at the dizzying electricity flitting between them. And this time, I wasn’t the only one to notice.
“What in theTwilight-fucked-Zoneis happening right now?” Corry hissed to Sterling and me.
“Fences are mending. And perhaps, something else,” Sterling mused on a thin smile, his blank stare boring past the two men in bed. “And if we should live through tomorrow evening, we might just see it out.”
