Which is why I grab his wrist now—the one connected to the hand holding my jaw—and very clearly say, “No.”
I won’ttell him I understand.
I won’tobey.
And I will notservehim.
“You might be a Strigoi King, but I haven’t agreed to be your anything,” I go on. “So if you expect me tobehave, then I need to have a say in the rules. Otherwise, I’ll simply refuse to cooperate. And then you’ll have to compel me, which would be so incredibly depressing.”
His brow furrowed while I spoke, his eyes seeming to search mine.
So I decide to add one more statement before he delivers whatever verdict is brewing inside that ancient head of his.
“Please don’t disappoint me by taking the easy route, King Negru. It’ll degrade everything I’ve learned about you over the years, and I really don’t want that vision destroyed by something as boring ascompulsion.”
CHAPTER SIX
CIPRIAN
This female has renderedme speechless.
I expected acquiescence.
Fear.
A need to please.
Yet she’s defying me from her knees, telling me not to compel her… because it willdisappointher.
Not because she’s terrified. Not because she realizes I can merely take what I want. But because she doesn’t want me choosing the path of least resistance.
Or, as she put it,taking the easy route.
I’m torn between ripping her pretty head off… and kissing the fuck out of her.
Confusionis not an emotion I’m well accustomed to experiencing. Witnessing, yes. Often, in fact. Especially when a human sees my wings. But feeling it myself? No.
However, this woman has me utterly flummoxed as to how to proceed.
Where most mortals bore me in a matter of seconds, this one has managed to ensnare my attention for several very long minutes. Years, honestly, if I include the time I’ve spent studying her research patterns.
My heart actually beats in my chest, my insides warm with the realization that this female has more than lived up to my expectations and desires. And I’ve barely even touched her.
Using my grip in her hair and on her chin, I pull her upward, my tail wrapping around her lower back to provide support as she stands. “I shall feed you now,” I tell her, pleased with our progress.
Pleased… and frustrated.
But not dissatisfied. If anything, I’m quite the opposite. She’s intriguing. I’m not sure that’s an adjective I’ve ever associated with a human.
I’ve always compelled my meals to merely accept their fates, as it allowed for a faster embrace whereby I fed until full, wiped their memories, and then released them back into the wild.
Simple.
Easy, I realize, my gaze narrowing a bit.Fucking easy.
How have I never considered that before?
Why did it take meeting this little researcher to make me see that?
