I can see the similarities now. The slope of her nose, the shape of her mouth…
I had met her decades older.
“Holy shit,” I whisper to myself. “This… This is Nell.”
Chapter
Six
Lucian
“Tell me again, Vittoria, why I shouldn’t skin you alive.”
“I’m prettier with my skin on and you know it.” Her smile doesn’t fade as it flirts with the air, and her aura of smugness doesn’t dim in the slightest. “You also need me, Lucian.”
“I don’t need you stepping out of line.”
She saunters up to me, leaving her current human pet in place on the bed, eyes glazed. The wounds on the other woman’s throat aren’t healed, nor are the ones on the thighs or breasts. Tits facing skyward, nipples hard, she breathes in shallow breaths, her skin way too pale.
I’m not surprised Vittoria wrung every last bit from her. She’s never understood limits.
I turn and walk out, forcing her to follow me, and shut the door. I punch in a code, my code that overrides even hers. “She must have food soon. You need to leave her be.”
Vittoria shrugs. “Can I keephimat least?”
She opens the next door to reveal a man, supine and in the same state, covered with bites. His cock is half hard as he strokes it, tiny grazes from Vittoria’s vampire teeth all along it, and as he touches himself he shivers.
“Take more,” he slurs pitifully. “Give me more of you…Please…”
“Fuck.” I slam that door shut too and growl at her. “Vittoria!”
“What?” She bats her eyelashes in feigned innocence. “He enjoyed himself.”
I punch in my code for a second time.
“I’m getting creative with the limits you give me,” she says.
“And Elliot’s little friend? Do you know anything of her?”
She looks away. “I told you, I don’t know. But accidents happen. She’s probably dead.”
Fuck. This isn’t good.
If that’s true, Elliot’s going to be devastated.
“Elliot’s going to keep asking.” I take out my phone and start texting. “She won’t give up on this.”
“So tell her the fucking truth. Or wipe the thought from her mind. Which you should have done already.”
I stop what I’m doing and take in that air of defiance. The coldness beyond, and something else, something new, something I can’t put my finger on.
“What are you up to?” I ask, voice low.
She flips her red hair and checks her phone, ignoring me.
I wasn’t lying to Monty about needing to go. We have meetings. I have things to do. I always do. But it can wait. I want to know what the fuck’s up with Vittoria; two personal humans to feed on isn’t her style. Or rather it wasn’t, but people change, even vampires like Vittoria.
Is this boredom? Her simply trying something new, or is she covering something up?
