She leaned in to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, and it took all my willpower not to grab her arm and break her wrist.
“Intimacy can enhance the effects of the venom,” she purred, and I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn’t have to look at her. “Kaden seemed to enjoy it.”
Jealous rage, hot and acidic, spilled into my gut. Judging by the slight lilt to her voice when she’d said his name, Mirabella knew exactly what she was doing.
She chuckled. “Don’t be bitter. It’s an unattractive quality. There are plenty of males who enjoy being at the mercy of a powerful female. Though I expect he wouldn’t admit it toyou. . .”
My chest heated with rage at the insinuation that I was weak, and my eyes flew open.
Mirabella was sprawled beside me on the settee, a coy smile curving her lips. She’d loosened the ribbon that cinched her neckline, and when she shifted, her nightdress parted to reveal her peaked breasts.
I shuddered as she leaned in, those full lips ghosting across my temple. I clenched my jaw, hand moving toward the stake at my thigh as she planted a featherlight kiss on my lips.
A curtain of auburn hair fell forward, the silken strands brushing my shoulder.
“Close your eyes, Lyra. Try to relax. We could have so much fun together.”
Her voice was soft, her touch gentle as she dropped a trail of kisses along my jaw and down the column of my throat. I sucked in a breath, my body going stiff, and I felt the telltale pinch of fangs sinking into my flesh.
My limbs jerked from the pain as I cried out, arching off the settee. The wooden back dug into my shoulders as I fumbled for the stake, but then an inexplicable heat began to spread beneath my skin.
Comfort. Pleasure. All my rage and panic ebbed away, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. Forgot the purpose of the hard piece of wood strapped to my thigh and why I might need to use it.
I was floating in a sea of warmth. Mirabella’s mouth was as soft as a butterfly’s wings, and I couldn’t find it in me to protest as she cupped my face and traced my lips with her thumb.
My eyes fluttered shut, and a soft sigh escaped me as her hand drifted lower to squeeze my breast through my gown.
Waves of pleasure coursed through my body, her touchcompounded by the tingling sensation spreading through my veins. My muscles relaxed, my body growing heavy. And as I surrendered to that warm, drifting feeling, I forgot why I’d fought so hard to resist.
The pressure of Mirabella’s lips against my neck intensified, and a desperate sucking sound sharpened my addled mind.
With great effort, I opened my eyes to find Mirabella straddling my hips. Her nightdress had ridden up, revealing her pale, naked thighs, and she held a fistful of my hair.
Icy fingers dug into my scalp, her grip tightening as she fed. My head spun as my gaze drifted around the room, snagging on details I hadn’t noticed before.
The iron manacles bolted to the bed frame.
The hooks mounted to a discreet nook on the other side of the fireplace, from which hung all manner of ropes and chains.
A chill kissed down my spine, even as my veins warmed from the venom.
Mirabella’s pets might have enjoyed their high, but once they submitted to her, they were not free to leave.
Panic clawed its way up my throat, dousing the pleasurable tingling in my chest. Bracing my hands on Mirabella’s shoulders, I gave a hard push. But beneath the soft lips and sensuous curves, her body was as solid as stone.
A jolt of terror hit me as I remembered why it was crucial never to allow oneself to be pinned by a vampire.
I shoved again, harder this time, but Mirabella’s grip slid to my neck, her hand pressing into my windpipe and making it impossible to breathe.
I thrashed against her hold, bucking my hips, but Icould feel my strength failing me. A vampire’s venom wasn’t just a sedative; it also weakened its victims.
Desperate, I reached under my skirts, groping for the stake sheathed at my thigh.
In one fluid motion, Mirabella captured both my wrists, pinning them to the hard wooden frame of the settee.
A moan of pain lodged in my chest. With one hand still holding me down, her other found my windpipe again.
I couldn’t breathe, let alone make a sound.
