Page 55 of The Veil of Blood and Magic

A pulsing need vibrates through me, flashes of last night bursting in my mind.

Her fangs. Her bite. Her kiss. Herbody.

The way she bolted, triggering my instinct to chase her, to hunt her down like the monster she is.

The way I caught her and showed her the monster I was.

The way she slickened and purred at my touch.

Fuck, I want more.

Need more.

I rake my hands through my hair, shaking my head as I suck in a lungful of thick, crisp air.

“So,” Jagger says, dragging out the word. “How was your night?”

I shoot him a warning glare, moving past him as I stomp back toward the camp.

“Oh, come on,” he says, keeping pace with me. “It had to have been good,” he continues. “More than good.”

“What makes you say that?” I ask, despite myself.

“You just let her walk away,” he says matter-of-factly. “And you didn’t tell her that if she ran off, you’d have her heart on a platter.”

I part my lips.

Shut them.

Grunt.

And keep walking.

“Damn,” he says, almost giddy. “I only got a brief glimpse of what it would be like, but I knew she’d be incredible.”

I couldn’t argue with him even if I wanted to.

No, I didn’t want to, I knew Ishould.

I should deny it. Say it was a mistake. We’ve captured our fair share of beautiful monsters, but I’ve never crossed lines with a bounty before. This was different.Shewas different.

And I hated her for it.

Hated that I felt…

Complete.

I haven’t felt like this in a long time. A sated sort of calm I knew made me stronger than anything else in the world.

Fuck.

“Zev,” Jagger says as we clear through a thick cropping of trees and find camp. Rain nickers at me and tosses his head, and I give him an apologetic look for being away so long as I approach him. He’s a good horse, but he worries too much.

“Are you okay?” Jagger asks, studying my face a little harder than usual.

“Fine.” I pat Rain’s neck as he leans his head against me.

“You’re lying.”

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