“Monique,” the male vampire said with a faint accented tone. “Do remember the time.”
I thought it a strange thing to say, but whatever abstract meaning it held, it worked. The black in her eyes reverted inwards. Claws became fingernails, she released my wrist, and in a silent breeze of movement she was back beside Karson.
“Karson.” She fluttered a hand casually. “She’s nothing spectacular, you know a fragile cannot keep up with us, she has no hope of ever satisfying you.”
Karson ignored her comment and turned to the male vampire.
“We hunt them tonight,” he said.
Hunt.A cold chill licked up my spine.
The male vampire nodded, like the hunt was agreeable to him. He held out his hand for me to shake. He wore a silver ring with a large black stone on his middle finger and another on his thumb. I took it, his shake was firm, but gentle.
“My name is Michael, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He was all charm and extraordinarily handsome, with thick brown hair, warm brown eyes, long eyelashes, and milky tea-colored skin. He spoke like a gentleman, his voice silky smooth, with anaccented tone I might expect from someone born into a higher class.
He let go of my hand and held his hand out to Dahlia.
“Fuck off, fang,” she snapped.
Michael dropped his hand down, but rather than be annoyed, he seemed entertained by her response.
I turned my attention back to Karson, apprehension churning the depths of my stomach. “What exactly are you hunting?”
“The vampire Karson killed last night to save you, fragile,” Monique sniped. “He has friends who are a little upset and want to get revenge by killing you."
I gaped at her. My stomach turned to slush. The blood drained from my face.
“Can't you just talk to them, tell them what happened and apologise?"
Monique rolled her eyes and looked bored.
Karson’s facial expression matched the brutality of his words. “No one threatens me, Amelia, and lives to tell about it."
He was going to kill people, or lots of people—vampires—because of a vague threat that might’ve just been his friends blowing off steam. Maybe they didn’t even really mean it?
“They didn’t threaten you. They’re threatening me.”
“You are my girlfriend and, as such, any threat against you is a threat against me.”
I ignored the fake girlfriend nonsense. I threw my hands in the air, taking a step toward him, and snapped, “No, absolutely not, no one will die because of me.”
“People have already died because of you,” he said, raising his tone. “Because of your stupidity in entering into a world you do not belong in.”
His words hit like a stake driven into my heart and I visibly quivered. “You think I don’t know that?”
If Karson noticed my discomfort, he held no sympathy. When he spoke, his voice was ruthless. “You will stay here until I remove the threat, once it's done you are free to go back home.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “I don’t want to stay here, and I certainly don’t want anyone else dying.”
“What you want, and what must happen are two very different things.”
I snorted. Weighing up everything in my head. He’d already killed one man to save me. He was going to kill more because of a threat that was probably said in anger, and they may not even follow through on. Not if the fear on the vampires’ faces was any indication. They were scared of him. His reputation obviously preceded him.
“Do I make myself clear?” he demanded, when I didn’t respond.
“Crystal,” I snapped. Beaten, for now. I stormed toward the door.
“Do not try and leave, or I will be forced to stop you.”
