Perhaps I was too delicate. “Is there...anything else you feed on?”
He looks at me through slitted lids, the corners of his lips revealing his amusement. “I take it you’re hinting at something. Perhaps you should ask me directly.”
Heat flushes my cheeks. “Do you drink...blood?”
He smirks. “Depends whose blood and how tempting it is to taste it.”
Great. This is just great. It’s a struggle not to bring my hands up to cover my neck.
Franco lets out an amused chuckle. “No, I don’t drink blood. I’m a psy vampire, not a sanguine.”
I can’t tell whether I’m more relieved at the truth or annoyed at his teasing. My eyes flash to his teeth again. “Then why do you have elongated canines?”
“Can you think of no other reason to have such a feature aside from drinking blood? What do other creatures use them for?”
I refuse to answer.
“To spear their prey, of course. I may not drink blood, but I’m not above a good hunt.”
This time, I can’t help but cover my neck, resting my hand over my collarbone. “And what exactly do you hunt, Prince Franco?”
He leans closer and winks. “Beautiful human-fae hybrids like you, of course. But only if I want them badly enough.” He straightens and offers me his arm. “Now that that’s settled between us, will you allow me to show you the beauty of the palace at night?”
I take a step away from his leering stare, arms crossing tighter over my chest. “You just named me your prey. Whether it was in jest or truth, I have no desire to be alone with you.”
“I only named you my prey if I were to want you badly enough.”
I burn him with a scowl. “And just how badly do you want to eat me, Your Highness?”
His lids grow heavy, eyes falling to my lips. “How badly do I want to eat you? Now that is a loaded question.”
My heart hammers in my chest. I whirl toward my door. “I’m going back to sleep. I prefer my nightmares to this.”
He intercepts me before I can reach my door, expression jovial. “I’m joking, Miss Fairfield. I’m not going to eat you. Unless you ask me nicely and we aren’t talking about dinner at all. In that case...”
“Can you be serious for once?”
He gives me a mock bow. “My apologies. I admit, I enjoy getting a rise out of you, testing your response to fear and flirtation. I like the taste of the energy you emit. Most of it tastes like fire.”
“What is it with aggressive males testing my resolve?” I mutter.
“It’s the Old Ways in us. Our instincts make us want to determine who’s alpha, who’s omega. It’s in our nature.”
“Well, it’s getting old.”
“Spoken like a woman who has clearly had much experience with the follies of aggressive males seeking her attention.”
My mind goes to Aspen, to the nightmare. To the kiss we shared. To Maddie Coleman taking my place. My heart clenches.
He offers me his arm again. “Let me give you an intermission from your worries. I promise I’ll be less of an ass. I’ll even show you Selene Palace’s finest feature.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t you dare say it’s your ass.”
His eyes widen as he gives me an approving grin. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that myself. We’re going to get along just fine.”
I let out a grumble before placing a hand at his elbow. My other hand seeks to pat my thigh until I remind myself my dagger is long gone. If only I’d been of sound-enough mind to steal one of the knives from Mr. Meeks’ laboratory.
As we move through the halls, we encounter more and more fae. Many are like the ones I first saw, sprites, wraiths, and specters in various shades and forms. Others appear more like Franco or Nyxia, and there are several nocturnal animals that scurry about the halls. Each fae bows to the prince as we pass.
