Page 32 of Blood Bonds

“Yes, Nessa,I will,”I said, trying out her nickname and finding it as sweet sounding as her scent was. Besides, it was worth using it just to see the warm look in her eyes, as she clearly preferred I use it. It was like it meant something to her, and I found myself marveling in how that made me feel inside.

By nature, I was a ruthlessly selfish being. A king that ran my city with an iron fist and a razor-sharp blade. My brother and I had worked hard for all we had achieved, for I had not lied when I told her of our family’s poverty and hardship. I just hadn’t divulged in the details of the circumstances surrounding it.

That particular tale of woe was for another time, one when she was used to the existence of our kind and could understand the true depths of how we came to be. Of what was taken from us and therefore to understand the true meaning of what I had told her. That the source of all evil is through the greed that feeds us and what another is willing to do to take from another.

Although I had not exactly worded it like that, and for good reason.

The way of my world was a brutal one and as such, gave me good sense enough to want to shield her against it for as long as possible. A small hint of it was one she had experienced last night. My only hope in all this was that she appeared to have come out of it relatively unscathed, and, well… she hadn’t exactlyhad herself committed. Nor had she packed her bags and run for the hills.

Oh yes, I had high hopes indeed.

“Do you have a nickname?” she asked, her question amusing me like so many others.

I adored how she seemed to speak whatever was on her mind, despite looking to silently berate herself for it afterward. The wince after these times was always a dead giveaway, and one I enjoyed witnessing.

“My brother often calls me Vic,” I told her, unable to hold back my grin, once more astounded at how easily they appeared around her. No doubt something my brother would quickly pick up on and find no end of amusement by it. Not that I gave a shit. The girl made me smile and that was that.

“Would you… erm… prefer I call you Vic?” she asked apprehensively, and once more there was that once rare grin forming.

“You may call me whatever you wish,” I told her, lifting her hand to my lips and kissing her wrist again, the blood pulsing there had my mouth watering. Fuck, but how badly did my fangs wish to extend and pierce her tender flesh. I just knew she would taste so fucking good.

“What about snookums?” she said, making me burst out laughing, doing so over her skin. “Or snuggle butt… maybe muffin bear?” she continued, and this time I playfully bit her fingers, making her gasp after I warned in a teasing tone,

“Behave, Firefly.”Then I sucked the slightest sting caused, as I made sure not to hurt her, only giving her the hint of things to come.

“Firefly?” she questioned, and I let go of her hand so as I could reach out and touch her hair like I had wanted to do since the park. It was as soft as I knew it would be.

“The hints of warm red in the light.”

She blushed, and I was unsure whether it was down to my tender touch or my gentle words. Not that it mattered, for the outcome was all I cared about. Seeing her easy blush was yet another thing about her I adored. It was a list growing by the minute.

“My ex always wanted me to dye it,” she said, but quickly after she looked like this was a mistake and she regrated it. Of course, I felt my jaw harden because of it, my reply coming quick and harsh.

“Then he was a fucking idiot.”

She startled at my venomous outburst.

Just the thought of any other man having touched her had me wishing to commit mass murder so as none existed. Until my brother and I were the only ones left in this entire world to hold the claim. It was a brutish wish, and one I didn’t give a fuck about. If I wanted to, I would kill every last man and have no trouble finding my daylight sleep after the act.

“No, I was the idiot for staying as long as I did.” Her small voice managed to bring me back from my homicidal thoughts in an instant.

“You are no idiot, Vanessa, for giving someone the chance to change is not a failing for the hopeful, it is only foolish to those who chose not to take it. Especially given the incentive,fucking foolish indeed,”I said, practically growling this last part, but when her gorgeous eyes widened again, she had the ability to disperse my temper by gifting me with another look and, this time, it was one that I hadn’t yet seen on her.

It was pure warmth.

A kindness and open heartedness that had my shadowed soul attracted to the new source of light. A light that seemed to tame my darkness and calm the monster inside of me.

A pure soul I wanted to own.

And soon would.

“You know, I think that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she told me, rewarding me with her sweet thoughts. But not only that, she shocked me further by being brave enough to touch me. This time covering my hand with her much smaller one. Then she squeezed the top as if this was her way of letting me know how much my words had meant to her. Such a small gesture that, in this moment, felt monumental. But as soon as it was there, it was gone again.

No matter, for I knew her touch would come freely in time. A thought that had my lips twitching in anticipation for the night that it did.

“Oh, this is me,” she said as my driver pulled over at the address she had given me.

“A Chinese restaurant?” I questioned with my far more usual frown.

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