Page 45 of Depths of Hunger

I nod, understanding the weight of her words. “It upsets you.”

She snorts; a harsh sound that breaks the quiet. “Upsets me?Renzo, I’m so overwhelmed I don’t thinkupset even covers it. Vampires, witches… What’s next? Werewolves? Gremlins?”

I smile faintly, though there’s no humor in it. “No gremlins that I know of, but the magickal realm is vast. I haven’t spent much time there in the last few centuries, so anything’s possible.”

Mia lets out a bitter laugh, her fingers tightening around the stem of her glass. “This is all so absurd. I can’t believe we’re even talking about this.”

I watch her closely, the setting sun casting shadows across her face, highlighting the fear she’s trying to hide.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, gattina, but you will adjust. We have time.”

She takes another sip, but her hand is trembling more now. “You think I’ll adjust? Someone has tried to kill me twice now. I know you all believe you’re the targets, but I’ve been shot and gassed. I’m starting to think my odds of surviving a third attempt aren’t great.”

Fierce protectiveness surges through me, mingled with rage. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Mia. I’ll protect you. I promised you that I would keep you safe.”

Mia laughs again, a harsh, broken sound. “That’s a hollow promise and you know it. You’re dead, and your brothers were right there today. They were affected by the gas as much as I was, if not more. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Her words cut deep, and anger roars through me, hot and blinding. “You think I can’t keep you safe?” I ask in a low and dangerous tone.

Mia meets my gaze, defiance burning in her eyes. “I think you want to believe you can, but whatever is happening is beyond your control.”

I stare at her, the thought of her feeling vulnerable twisting my insides. The idea that she doesn’t feel safe with me is unbearable. I want to hunt down whoever’s behind this and rip them apart, piece by agonizing piece. “You believe you’re just collateral damage?”

Mia shrugs, a resigned look crossing her face. “You can’t controleverything, Renzo. And the way things are going, I’m not sure I’m going to survive this.”

I clench my jaw, torn between fury and the desperate need to protect her. “What if I could offer you a way to protect yourself? Something that would make it harder for anyone to hurt you?”

Mia looks at me, confused. “What could you possibly offer me that would change any of this?”

I take a breath, feeling the weight of my next words. I’ve never offered this to anyone before, not even the women I’ve loved in the past. “Immortality. You could become a vampire. You would live forever, like me. Or at least, you’d be very hard to kill.” I never envisioned myself ever offering the gift of becoming a vampire. Turned vampires are thought of as the lowest of the low but if it means that Mia feels safe, that Miaissafe, I am willing to do it, no matter what my family thinks, and I am already certain they will be dead set against my solution.

Mia’s eyes widen, her mouth opening in a silent gasp as horror washes over her face. “Oh God, no. I don’t want that!” she cries, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to be a monster. I’d rather die than become…” She darts a look at my face and trails off.

The sting of her words cuts me deeper than I ever expected, a wound I didn’t see coming. For the first time in centuries, I feel truly insulted, and it burns. She spurns the gift I have only ever offered her. “A monster like me?” I suggest, my voice cold.

“Renzo…I?—"

“You said what you feel. Understood. But understand this, Mia, you aren’t going anywhere. You are my wife. You will stay by my side. I will keep you safe and you will do as you’re told.”

She stares up at me. I can see my words have little effect. Maybe it’s the shock of the entire situation. Or maybe my wife is truly horrified by me. Either way, she will bend her will to mine. And I know just how to make her do it.

“Take off your blouse,” I demand.

She blinks. “What? Here? Renzo people will see us.”

“No, they won’t. The cameras are off and Albert knows not to disturb me. Now take it off,” I growl.

Mia grinds her teeth. I see the hesitation in her eyes.

“Now, wife. You will do as I say.”

“Renzo, I’m not up?—"

I grab her arm and pull her to her feet. I rip off her blouse and let it drop to the ground leaving her standing there in her black lace bra. “When I instruct you to do something, you will do it. No hesitation.” I lean down and move to kiss her neck. She veers away from me, but I grab her by the neck and hold her in place. “Are you telling me you don’t want me anymore? That you aren’t turned on by me anymore?” I ask as I rub my knuckle down her jawline. I can smell her fear, but I can also smell her arousal and see her nipples poke against the lace covering them.

“I don’t want to do this,” she says very clearly.

“Really?” I ask as I run my hand down over her bra. Her nipple is like a pebble as I finger it through the fabric. “That’s not what your body is saying to me,la mia tigre,” I whisper against her ear.

---