“No.”
She eyed him. “Sounds sad.” Was there a chance he just wanted freedom rather than revenge? “I, um, I’m sorry about Yvonne. You must’ve known her for years.”
He waved a gargantuan hand. “She’s irrelevant. Just another female. You’re special. I know who you are.”
“You know? About what the Kurjans did to me with your blood?”
His smile was hard. “Yes. My blood was put into the heads of many enhanced females, and every one of them will kill for me. But I knew. When Yvonne told me about you, about your marking, I knew you’d be the one to find the Kayrs prince.”
“Yvonne knew about me?” Something growled from the oozing water, and she jumped.
His gaze swept her form. “Yes. I told her I didn’t want anybody but her, and that I just wanted you to be trained to kill. Stupid female believed me. You all hear what you want to hear. But your place will be on the throne as my queen. That I promise.”
“About that.” She barely kept from stepping away. “I don’t want to be your Intended. No offense meant.”
His razor-sharp fangs dropped past those canines. “You will be a queen.”
“No thanks.” She couldn’t read his mood. “To be honest, I’m in love with somebody else. It’s complicated.” That sounded weak. “Did you really kill one hundred females to become invincible?”
He cocked his head, so much taller than her that she felt trapped, even though a wide expanse of sand was behind her. “They were just females. Inconsequential. I had left orders for my brethren to follow my lead, but apparently they haven’t done so yet. They’ll pay for their disobedience.”
She stepped back. “You want to kill more females?”
He lifted his hand to run his fingers through her hair. “Just to create an impenetrable army.” He cocked his head. “I do have plans for those who live, however.”
There was her answer. He couldn’t be redeemed. She slapped his hand. “Don’t touch me.”
The fangs elongated again, and she sucked in air. This was it. Finally. He grabbed her and yanked her toward him.
His image flickered in and out as if part of an old film. A portal opened up. “No!” she yelled, struggling to stay on the beach just until he bit her. Then she flew out of the prison world and sat up in the bed, sucking in air.
The lights were on, and Garrett was shaking her.
“I’m here.” She pushed her hair out of her face.
He looked at her and at the vial on the floor. “What the fuck did you just do?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Fury rode the entire room, beating away oxygen. She couldn’t breathe. Garrett’s eyes had morphed to a heated copper surrounded by sizzling greenish-blue. Yet another eye color for him, and this one seemed heated with temper. The hands on her arms weren’t gentle.
“Destiny?” He barely shook her, but she was conscious of his strength. “Speak. Now.”
She’d gone from the proverbial frying pan to the fire. “Um.”
He released one of her arms and reached for the empty vial, which still had remnants of blood in the bottom. His fangs dropped fast and sharp. “Tell me you did not drink blood and dream your ass into Ulric’s prison world in an effort to make him bite you.”
She couldn’t tell him that. “Garrett—”
He stared at the vial as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. With a flick of his wrist, he threw it across the room with such force that it shattered against the far wall, dripping blood down the smooth surface. When he turned to face her, a hard determination stamped his face with a fine edge of fury. “Apparently I haven’t been clear.”
She quivered. “I—”
“Oh no, Destiny. You’re done talking.” His voice was calm and so gravelly it almost sounded distorted. Like he’d been chewing on nails all night.
She’d done the right thing. “I had a chance to kill Ulric, and I took it.”
Then she was out of the bed. With no warning, she found herself planted against the wall with a furious vampire holding her aloft, one hand gripping her hair and the other wrapped around her hip, holding her in place. Her heart thundered, and her lungs just gave up. Then his mouth was on hers.
