Page 49 of Blood Bonds

“He is not to go near her. I will not have her frightened by him again,” Victor stated and, once more, for bloodthirsty kidnapping Vampires, they seemed awfully concerned with my state of mind. Shouldn’t they be relishing in my fear? Laughing like malevolent villains and rubbing their hands together in evil glee? When was the torture to begin?

Talon didn’t say anything to this but instead simply looked down at me and tipped my chin up.

“You want to finish your ice cream sitting in my lap?”

My eyes grew wide and I shook my head, telling him no. He smirked, then patted my ass, shocking me at his familiar touch.

“Then back to your seat, little one.”

I did as I was told, just in case he changed his mind and made me sit on him. Because there was no way I would survive that without responding to him the way I wished I could do freely. He was the most dangerous temptation, and I was Eve being offered a bite of the apple.

“What is your friend’s name?” Victor asked me, walking toward me with my phone in hand.

I began to panic, knowing that I couldn’t give him Stacey’s name because I needed to keep her out of this. I needed to keep her protected in case they thought to use her against me in some way. Despite the fact that they hadn’t hurt me yet, I couldn’t say the same for anyone else, because hadn’t Victor been the one to easily threaten witnesses or had he just said that to get me to comply?

I didn’t know for sure, so I wouldn’t chance it. Which is why I told him the name of a girl that hadn’t worked at the store since last summer.

“Beth, her name is Beth.” Then I held out my hand, ready to take my phone from him, but he simply held it up to my face. I didn’t have to question why for long as my cracked phone screen illuminated to life as my face unlocked it.

“Hey, that’s private,” I complained, making Talon laugh.

My look must have said it all because he told me,

“Your private life is now a thing of the past, babe, so if I were you, I would get used to it and just give us what we want.” Then he went back to his ice cream and ignored my outraged astonishment.

“Beth, you said?” This came from Victor who had come to stand in front of me with his hip cocked side-on to the island.

“Yep,” I said, trying not to let my voice sound as strained as it felt.

“You mean the same Beth you last messaged over a year ago to cover one of your shifts, that’s the friend who is going to be worried not to hear from you?” I swallowed hard but didn’t answer.

No, in the end the only sound I made was a squeak of panic when I felt his hand fisted in my hair as he pulled my head back. It didn’t hurt, but it shocked me enough to be frightened of him as Victor’s face now loomed over my own.

“Never lie to me again, understand, pretty girl?” I swallowed a hard lump named fear down and nodded my head with the little movement his hold on me would allow.

“Name?”

“Do you promise not to ever hurt her?” I asked, needing to know or I would never give up her name. And for some reason, I trusted that Victor was a man of his word once he gave it.

“She means something to you?” he asked in return, making me nod, tears forming in my eyes telling him just how much.

“Then she will find no harm come to her at our hands,” he told me and once again, I didn’t know if it was foolish to do so or not but I trusted him in this. Enough to tell him,

“Stacey… Her name is Stacey.”

“She the one you live with?” he asked, making me close my eyes and nod yes, hating that I could be putting her in danger by doing so.

“Good girl, Firefly,” he said again, kissing my forehead once more after stroking back my hair that he had knotted in his hold. Then he walked away from me, going back to my phone and typing out whatever message he thought fit. I couldn’t help but wonder what excuse he had given her. And if it had been the one I suggested, would she buy it or not? Damn, I should have told her everything. We should have come up with a code if this everhappened again. At least I would have had an address to give her. One that she could have given to the police.

Christ, I was an idiot.

“Why you not eating?” Talon asked, making me look down at my bowl and back to him.

“Erm…” I had no answer, but Victor did as he walked up behind me once he was finished with my phone. And I noticed his tie was missing and his black shirt was now rolled up at the sleeves, showing off his strong corded forearms.

A fact I could study in detail considering he put his arms around me. Then he gripped my wrist, dug my spoon in and guided my hand up to his mouth as he crowded in around me.

His head came over my shoulder and I watched in shock as he put his lips around the spoon, purposely taking away only half of the ice cream. Then he hummed in my ear before bringing the same mouthful to my lips, expecting me to finish what was left after it being in his mouth. Christ, I never thought sharing ice cream could be so damn erotic, especially when his deep voice was issuing yet another order.

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