Page 17 of French Quarter Heiress

She hisses in surprise and pain as my fangs graze her marble-hard skin, drawing a thin line of crimson that glistens like rubies in the moonlight. "You're mine, princess," I growl, my voice rough with a hunger that goes beyond mere bloodlust. "Body and soul, you belong to me."

She laughs then, a sound of dark amusement edged with a razor-sharp hint of genuine desire. "In your dreams, dog," she purrs, her claws raking down my back in a gesture that's half-caress, half-threat. "I'll never be yours. But maybe, just maybe, you might be worthy of being mine."

My eyes widen slightly. Does that mean she has thought the same things that I have? Has she wondered if she and I are equals, but we’re both too stubborn to give in to the temptations that bring us together?

Her words ignite a fire in my veins, a burning need that threatens to consume me from the inside out. I want her, need her, with a desperation that borders on madness. And from the look in her eyes, the unholy mix of hatred and hunger that dances behind those icy blue orbs, I know she feels the same.

We are lost in the throes of our dark passion, our deadly dance, the rest of the world fading away until there is nothing but the two of us, locked in an embrace that is equal parts violence and desire. I know that I will never be free of her, never be able to escape the twisted web of fate that binds us together.

For we are the king and queen of the damned, the dark rulers of a city steeped in sin and shadow.

And our reign of terror and desire has only just begun.

In a moment of insanity, I lean in close, my lips brushing against her ear as we grapple and strain against each other's strength. "What do you say we take a break from all this foreplay and grab some dinner?" I purr, my voice dripping with mocking seduction. "I know a place with a great steak tartare."

She scoffs, her eyes narrowing. "Is this another one of your games, wolf? Another ploy to get under my skin?"

I shake my head, my gaze never leaving hers. "No games, Elise. Just the truth. You're a worthy adversary, I want to enjoy this before I destroy you."

She stares at me, her expression unreadable. "And what does that mean, exactly? That you'll spare my life, out of some misguided sense of chivalry?"

I chuckle, the sound low and dark. "Oh, I could kill you right now, Elise. Make no mistake about that. But the thing is... I don't want to. I find myself drawn to you, to the fire that burns within you. You're like no one I've ever met before, and I want to know more."

She's silent for a long moment, her eyes searching mine for any hint of deception. And then, slowly, she lowers her guard, her voice a whisper of silk and steel.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Beau. One that could get us both killed."

I grin, the thrill of the moment singing in my veins. "But what's life without a little danger, princess?"

She shakes her head, but I can see the uncertainty in her eyes, the flicker of something that might just be desire. "You're mad, wolf. Mad and reckless and foolish."

I lean in closer, my lips a hairsbreadth from her ear. "And you love it, don't you? The thrill of the forbidden, the rush of the unknown. Admit it, Elise. You feel it too."

She pulls back, her eyes blazing with a fierce, wild light. "I feel nothing for you, Beau. Nothing but contempt and disgust."

But even as she says the words, I can hear the lie in her voice, the tremor of uncertainty that belies her bravado. And I know, with a bone-deep certainty, that I'm getting to her, that I'm chipping away at the icy façade she wears like a shield. “Then prove it. Tomorrow night at 9 pm, the table in back.”

“You’re crazy.”

She shoves at my chest, driving me away, and it takes everything within me to restrain myself. I want to lunge forward and claim her lips as mine. No matter how she tries to deny it, I know she would give in easily.

I can smell the yearning on her.

The sound of sirens in the distance breaks the spell, the wail of approaching police cars a harsh reminder of the reality we've both been trying to forget.

With a final, searing look, we both turn and flee, melting into the shadows of the French Quarter like the creatures of the night we are.

But as I make my way back to The Lunar, my mind is racing with possibilities, with the tantalizing promise of what might be. Elise Delacroix, the vampire princess, the woman who sets my blood on fire and my heart pounding with a fierce, wild rhythm.

I know I'm playing with fire, that I'm dancing on the edge of a knife that could cut me to the bone. But I can't help myself, can't resist the siren song of her presence, the magnetic pull of her essence.

She's a challenge, a puzzle, a mystery I'm determined to unravel. And I won't rest until I've claimed her, body and soul. Until I've made her mine in every way that matters.

The game has changed, the stakes raised to dizzying new heights. As I step through the doors of my club, the pulsing beat of the music washing over me like a tidal wave, I feel a grin spreading across my face.

Let the games begin, Elise Delacroix.

Let the games begin.

---