He had stilled beneath her palm, a warm statue that was strung so taut. Eva couldn’t help herself as she traced the intricate designs down his left arm, tugging at his wrist to reveal the wounds that sliced across his chest. “You need stitches,” she said quietly, as if she had any medical experience. “It could get infected or…”
“They will heal on their own,” he said, his deep, rich voice a low grumble that was pure temptation. “I’ve survived worse.”
Eva looked up, and beneath those forest green eyes she glimpsed something else, something filled with such predatory force it pinned her to the spot. And then he blinked, and the green swirled into a liquid silver that only heightened the tension between them.
It wasn’t Kace who looked back at her, not completely.
She swallowed, and his eyes dipped to follow the movement of her throat.
“Eva…” It was a final warning, her name an echo of dark threats, and even darker promises.
It was less than a heartbeat before he decided for her, his lips crashing down to shape them perfectly to hers, his tongue sweeping in with force as his hands wrapped painfully in her hair. He was ruthless, taking from her with a intensified violence that she welcomed like a woman starved. It was a clashing of teeth, of tongue and souls as her fang accidently nipped his lip. His moan vibrated into her mouth as he angled her specifically so she would cut him again, his blood ambrosia compared to everything else.
Steel. Rain. Ember.
That’s what she tasted with Kace.
He was pure, unapologetic power that washed away her sins, and gave her the strength that was stolen. Kace kissed as if he could consume her, as if nothing mattered but his lips on hers and she wanted to drown in him until she forgot everything else. But she couldn’t forget, not when a child’s life was at risk. Not when Kace’s life was at risk.
Eva slowed the kiss, savouring the connection until she stopped entirely. Kace pulled back, only to rest his forehead against hers. It was too much, too intimate for two people who were thrown together by some fucked up fate.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” she said, her voice humiliatingly hoarse as she squeezed her eyes shut. “I’ve got to get back.”
Kace wasn’t listening, his little impatient growl causing her to melt when he kissed her again, his fingers tightening in her hair as if he was scared she would run.
Eva enjoyed it for the barest of seconds before cupping his jaw, knowing her next sentence would ruin everything. “I have to get back to Augustine’s bed.”
He tensed beneath her touch, his hands releasing the strands of her hair until she missed the slight pain. She opened her eyes just as he drew up to his full height, his face carved from stone. His irises were the same startling shade of silver they were before, only there was no heat left in his gaze, only anger.
Of course he’s angry,she thought.I’m in the bed of his enemy.
“Hunter is being kept two floors below this one.” The words came out in a rush, panic tightening her chest as she nervously stroked down the vipers on her arms. “There’s stairs leading down in the southern tunnel, but the cells are reinforced, and I haven’t found the key.”
Kace remained silent, and before she humiliated herself further by crying, she turned towards the door, needing to get away before the panic and disappointment consumed her entirely.
* * *
Eva had managed to compose herself by the time she made it back to the bedroom, Augustine nowhere in sight as she rushed to the en-suite. She had never suffered a panic attack before, and wasn’t even sure if it were possible as a vampire. But she had felt panicked, her breathing coming in such spasmodic exhales that as a human she would have surely passed out.
Get it together, woman!
She had been through too much shit to allow anyone the satisfaction of seeing her so distressed. She glared at herself in the bathroom mirror, frowning at the loose strands of hair around her face. Her skin was unblemished, a pale colour that was only emphasised by the natural pink of her lips. There was no swelling, no evidence of Kace’s kiss.
The door to the bedroom opened with a click, and Eva swallowed the sudden dread. Reaching over she turned on the shower, stepping in fully dressed. The water was freezing, cold enough it bit at her skin in sharp little nips. She waited for the shivers that never came, her new body dealing with the cold easily, as she waited for the water to wash away any evidence left on her clothes.
A few seconds passed, her eyes holding the open space between the bathroom and bedroom until a dark figure appeared, followed by another. Eva flicked her attention between The two Vipers, continuing to stand beneath the heavy spray.
Dutch grinned, while Augustine’s eyes turned dark with impatience.
“Why is Dutch here?” she asked, remaining in the shower as if the water was a protective barrier. “I thought you didn’t share.”
Shut up, Eva!she scolded herself, immediately regretting the words. She knew she was about to be forced into something that could destroy her completely, and it looked like her natural reaction was defiance. There were worse ways to respond to the fight or flight response, she supposed. At least when he took her she would be as cold as the dead. Which was exactly what she felt inside.
I hope you get frostbite on your dick!The image softened her panic, her breathing back under control.
Augustine blurred as he pulled her from the shower, ripping her dress down the middle with one tug. Eva held back her flinch as the sodden fabric fell to her feet, leaving her in matching black lace underwear with gold snake detailing. His hand cupped around her throat, his thumb pressing the centre until it crushed her vocal cord.
“You should respect the clothes I provide you,” Augustine said, his voice edged with irritation. “The water has ruined it.”
