“Get out!”She picked up the bright red vase from the endtable and hurled it at him, just like something out of a movie.He ducked as itwhooshed past his ear and shattered against the wall.“Get out of my house!”
Clearlyshe needed some time toabsorb all of this.Unfortunately, she also needed to be safe.“I’m not goinganywhere until you put up the protection spell again.”
He’d be sure to cast a protective ward on the house as well,but he wouldn’t leave her for long.Wards weren’t his specialty and they tendedto wear off quickly.
Jaw still clenched with anger, she averted her gaze, takingsudden interest in the coffee table.“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because my power is drained,” she ground out.“I don’t haveenough to light a candle, let alone weave a complex protection spell.”
“How do you recharge?”At her hesitation, he leaned back inthe chair, hoping to appear less threatening, the way kind people had done tohim during his childhood.He’d never forget how small gestures—a smile, a crumbof food, or merely a little patience had helped him survive.To be powerlesswas bad enough, but having to explain your vulnerability only made it worse.“It’s okay.Igetit.Ihave torecharge too.”
She glanced over at him, the wariness in her gaze dimmingslightly.“You do?”
He nodded.“It’s another one of those inherited things frommy father.Some of us, like my sister Suzanne, don’t usually experience acomplete drain on their powers.But most of us do.”
This time when she looked over at him, she didn’t look away.“And how doyourestore your energy?”
“Sleep or time.Or...”He opened his mouth to reveal hisfangs.“We feed.”
“Oh.”Her eyes flared insurprise, butdarkened as she looked at him.“Oh.”
He already knew she was special somehow, given that shecould feel his shadow wings, but now her sultry voice flowed through him likehot honey, slow and sweet, and his body responded, awakening from acenturies-long coma.The thaw had started when he’d sensed her fleeting touchon his wings, but this was even more intense.He felt a little logy but at thesame time euphoric, as if he’d shotgunned a barrel of Champagne.
This was bad.He’d spent dozens of years teaching himself tosuppress his carnaldesires—at least, the ones thatinvolved him and a partner.Memitim were supposed to avoid self-gratificationas well, but masturbation had fallen into a “don’t ask, don’t tell” thing overthe last few decades, and he’d never really obeyed anyway.
Now he was getting all kinds of feedback from the body he’dalways considered perfectly trained and conditioned, mentally, emotionally, andphysically.
This was exactly why Memitim weren’t supposed to interactmuch outside of the Memitim community.This was exactly what he lecturedSuzanne about.
And this was exactly what could get him eliminated fromconsideration to be appointed to the Memitim Council.
“Who...who do you feed from?”Aurora asked, her curiosityoverriding her residual anger.
“Whoever we want, really.”His mouth started to water justthinking about it.“My brother Maddox can only restore his power by drinkingfrom demons.Some of my siblings prefer feeding from their Primori, but I’vealways preferred to feed from people who prey on others.”
She shuddered, but when she spoke, her voice was steady.“Istheir blood stronger?Better fuel or something?”
Her theory made sense, given that Primori were all specialin some way, and human predators were a special kind of scumbag, but no, thatwasn’t why he did it.
“I feed from people who hurt others because it forces themto feel the pain and helplessness they inflict on their victims.”When Memitimfed, they were supposed to do it while their donors were sleeping, but that wasone of the other guidelines he chose to ignore.“We can feed without causingpain...We can even make it pleasurable.But some people don’t deserve that.”
“A friend of mine claimed she was bitten by a vampire once.”Aurora’s slim fingers stroked her throat absently, as if imagining a set ofshiny fangs buried deep.“She said it was amazing.”
He’d never understood the fascination with vampires, nor theerotic nature of feeding, but the idea of latching onto Aurora’s vein andtaking her inside him for nourishment was suddenly his number one fantasy.
Shut it down, man.She just went through a traumaticexperience.
“I’ll take her word for it,” he said, but damn, now hecouldn’t get the idea out of his head.“Now, what about you?How do yourecharge?”
For a long, drawn-out moment, she eyed him, probably tryingto decide if she should tell him.And then, just as she opened her mouth,Drayger’sheraldisparked to life, vibrating with a proximity alert.
“Shit.”He shoved to his feet and raced over to the window.There was no one in sight, not even a passerby with a dog.But he could feel adark presence.And it was close.Drayger had brought his evil side out to play.
“What is it?”
“Not what.Who.”
