Because there is no way I am leaving this castle without having a stern word with him.
He can’t just bite me and discard me. Not after… I don’t…
Okay. He’s a monster. A Strigoi King. I guess he can technically do whatever he wants. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to merely accept this.
“Just to make sure we’re clear—you’re refusing to leave, right?” Marius asks, causing my gaze to narrow even more.
“I’m not going anywhere until I talk to Ciprian.” It’s probably not the wisest decision to demand an audience with the male who all but killed me last night.
But I’m not feeling all that intelligent this morning.
I’m feeling… elated. Furious.Invincible.
That final sensation isn’t something I can describe. I simply feel alive in a way I never have before. And leaving is the absolute last thing I want to do.
“Excellent.” Marius hops up to his feet, chip bag in hand. “I’ll be sure to let His Majesty know.” He starts toward the door, then pauses to say, “Thanks for making this easy, Ms. Dalca.”
“Making what easy?” I ask as he heads through the threshold.
“Oh, and be ready in thirty minutes,” he calls back to me. “Ciprian intends to have you for lunch.”
The door slams before I can ask what he means by that.
Of course, after last night, I’m pretty surehave you for lunchis a direct description of future events.
Which leaves me frowning at the door.
He just told me Ciprian wants me to leave. And now he’s saying the Strigoi King wants to eat me?
I shake my head, confused.
Then growl when I hear the snick of a lock, telling me I’m once again a prisoner in this room.
“That’s not confusing at all,” I say to no one in particular. “You tell me to leave, then lock me inside. So which is it,Strigoi King? Do you want me gone? Or am I your captive?”
Okay, I guess I’m talking toCiprian. But I doubt he can hear me.
Or maybe he’s listening.
On the chance he is, I keep talking. “How about I tell you what I’m not going to be?” I pull the blankets off myself,determined to find something to wear. But I pause when I see the dried blood between my legs.
Memories of last night flash through my mind, how he held me down on the table and devoured my intimate flesh.
A wave of arousal warms my blood, the reaction one at odds with the skip in my pulse.
I thought I was dying.
Yet there’s no evidence of my weakened state.
I simply feel rejuvenated, like I just experienced the best night of rest in my life.
That sensation of invincibility comes over me again as I move, my legs stronger than normal. Even my movements seem to be faster.
What did he do to me?I wonder, standing and spinning around in a quick circle.Why do I feel like I could fly right now?
It’s strange. It’s enlightening. It’s otherworldly.
Despite the growing sense of insanity, I smile. “Not sure what’s happening to me, but I like it.”
