Page 137 of Collared by the Vampire Prince

My pulse beats hard beneath his gaze as I move to the side table and pour. The splash of liquid sounds unnaturally loud in the quiet room, the rum catching the firelight like blood.

I offer him the glass with a dip of my head, though I do not lower my eyes.

He takes a slow sip, studying me over the rim.

Finally, he says, “You owe me a kiss.”

I blink. “A kiss?”

“You told my fiancée that we kissed.”

Technically, I told Victoria that he had kissed me. But I am hardly going to correct him now.

I move deeper into the room, my skin prickling as he tracks me. “You didn’t deny it.”

“No. She would not have believed me if I had. Far easier to let her twist it into an indiscretion than deny it outright.” He swirls the rum. “Ergo. You owe me a kiss.”

My heart pounds as I step into the circle of firelight. The plan tightens around my ribs, every bit as constricting as the collar at my throat.

I swallow hard. “What kind of kiss?”

“Any kind you are brave enough to give me.” His gaze drops to my painted mouth. A slow, dangerous smile touches one corner of his. “A lover’s kiss, perhaps.”

It is precisely the opening I wanted. His guard is not down, but he is intrigued. Tempted. Tempted by me. This is how I get close enough to kill him. The thought of what must come first sends nausea surging through me, hot and violent.

“Well,” I murmur, keeping my voice steady despite the blood roaring in my ears, “with your permission…”

The corner of his mouth twitches. Then he leans back with an air of smugness. “Please. Surprise me.”

I step closer.

He remains loose in the armchair, his long legs set comfortably before him, his glass balanced between his fingers. He expects me to bend over him. To press my mouth to his.

The fire crackles.

His stare holds me captive, and for one heart-wrenching second, I actually consider it—leaning over him and giving him the kiss on the lips he expects. Instead, I place a hand on each knee, ease his legs a little further apart, and lower myself slowly between them onto the petal-strewn rug.

Shock flashes across his face, his pupils blown wide as my hands settle on his thighs. For one fleeting moment, the Vampire Prince looks genuinely stunned. Then his expression darkens into something far more dangerous.

It is strange to see my hands resting there. The expensive wool is smooth and dark beneath my fingers, stretched over the strong lines of his thighs. I glance at his lap, but I cannot tell whether he is hard or if the creased fabric merely makes his trousers look tented. Only the tension in his muscles shows he is not unaffected.

I am painfully aware of how far out of my depth I am, alone with the prince in his private quarters. It feels too real. My inexperience is obvious. But while I’ve never done this before, I have seen enough in Zott’s classes to try.

My shame will be short-lived. This may begin with my submission, but it will end with my blade in his chest. The thought steadies me, my nausea receding as I reach for his belt.

His hand shoots out and catches my wrist, his grip like iron. “What are you doing?”

I force my lips to curve, pouring my contempt into something that might pass for coy mischief. “Why,” I say softly, “I’m giving you a kiss, of course.”

I try to reach for the buckle again.

He tightens his hold. “Stop.” His gaze travels over my loosened hair, my painted mouth, my hand trapped in his, fingers inches from his belt. “Do you think I am so easily deceived? We both know you despise me. Do you honestly expect me to believe you came to me willingly?”

My pulse stutters beneath his scrutiny, but I offer him a scrap of truth. “Not willingly, exactly. But this place doesn’t give a wolf like me much choice.”

“A wolf like you?” He draws out each word, dripping with disdain. “I’m not convinced there is another quite like you.”

For a moment, I think he means my shifted form, with its strange black fur and scales. Then he adds, “I have never met such a stubborn creature. Either the Academy has broken you with remarkable speed, or this is another performance.”