“Fuck.” I slam that door shut too and growl at her. “Vittoria!”
“What?” She bats her eyelashes in feigned innocence. “He enjoyed himself.”
I punch in my code for a second time.
“I’m getting creative with the limits you give me,” she says.
“And Elliot’s little friend? Do you know anything of her?”
She looks away. “I told you, I don’t know. But accidents happen. She’s probably dead.”
Fuck. This isn’t good.
If that’s true, Elliot’s going to be devastated.
“Elliot’s going to keep asking.” I take out my phone and start texting. “She won’t give up on this.”
“So tell her the fucking truth. Or wipe the thought from her mind. Which you should have done already.”
I stop what I’m doing and take in that air of defiance. The coldness beyond, and something else, something new, something I can’t put my finger on.
“What are you up to?” I ask, voice low.
She flips her red hair and checks her phone, ignoring me.
I wasn’t lying to Monty about needing to go. We have meetings. I have things to do. I always do. But it can wait. I want to know what the fuck’s up with Vittoria; two personal humans to feed on isn’t her style. Or rather it wasn’t, but people change, even vampires like Vittoria.
Is this boredom? Her simply trying something new, or is she covering something up?
I sigh. I don’t have time for this.
“Vittoria?”
She continues to scroll on her phone, uncaring. “I’m not up to a thing. No feeding sprees. Tenebris is pristine.”
“You’re to keep it that way. No more eating interns or people within these walls on purpose or by mistake. If you must, there are those who need to be disposed of?—”
Vittoria shudders. “I’d rather stake myself, Lucian.”
Maybe.
“And you?” she asks.
“What about me?”
“When are you making a decision about your princess?”
“She’s one of us now,” I say, growling. “No decision to make.”
“Elliot’s a wildcard. And you’ve got her in a collar to control her. Not very PC. Not very smart. Lie to her about her friend, and then set up all the rules you need. Control her to within an inch of her unlife.” She sniffs. “That’s what I’d do.”
“I didn’t do such things to you.”
Vittoria hesitates. “I didn’t need that. I understood straight away. The problem with her is that she doesn’t want the gift. You made the choice for her, so there’s resentment. She’s always been strong-willed, and that’ll make her defiant. Reckless. That type is beyond dangerous as vampires. They’re hard to control.”
She’s right.
Elliot’s been able to resist me from the beginning, the glamour, the mesmerizing, the orders. Sex is easy with her. An addiction. But control?
