Page 124 of Fated In Blood

I swiped the tears away, but they wouldn’t stop, as if the floodgates had been opened.

Nobody had ever spent a moment of their time trying to make my life better. Trying to make me happy. Showing they cared.

And maybe that was what this was all about.

I didn’t knowhowto be happy, because I was too busy being ruined. And ruined things were sharp and jagged and ugly, and that was exactly how I saw myself.

But maybe…maybe Blake and Riordan saw me differently.

By the time I wiped my tears away and put myself back together, the bedroom was empty, and the only thing left of Blake Marten were the two deep footprints he’d left in the brand-new rug, right in front of the bathroom door.

Silver.

I was so nice and warm. So comfortable.

Evangeline.

Go away,I thought grumpily, winding the blankets tighter around me. I refused to be disturbed from the first good sleep I’d had in forever and in an actual bed, no less. Besides, I’djustfallen asleep.Come back tomorrow.

Trust me, I don’t want to wake you, but you must feed. You’ve gone too long without blood, and if you wait much longer, you’ll fall back into bloodlust.

My heart galloped. That was Riordan’s voice and, even in my dreams, his scent affected me like a drug, quickening my blood, my fangs punching out until they touched the tip of my tongue.He was right, I thought grumpily as a fresh wave of demanding hunger rolled through me. Iamstarving. My empty stomach growled, fine tremors skating down my legs and up my spine.

And as hungry as I was, disappointment shivered through me. Part of me had hoped Blake would return, so I could thank him properly for the bed and the candles and for making me feel special.

Come, Silver. I know you can hear me. Wake up.

“Fine, I’m awake, Your Majesty. Hold your fucking horses.” I might be starving, but I wasn’t making this easy for him. He’d woken me out of the best sleep I’d ever had, and he deserved to be punished.

“This could have waited until morning.”

“Maybe, but I didn’t want you getting close to that edge again, Silver. Better you feed before you reach desperation. This is the way you learn self-control.”

“Really? You’re here to lecture me about self-control?” I opened one eye and glared up at him, all gussied up in his fancy clothes, not a single hair out of place. I had the wild impulse to drag my hands through those perfectly brushed locks, to turn him into an undone, rumpled mess. To make him pant for me like I was always panting for him.

His grin turned crooked andlook at that fucking dimple in the middle of his chin.Kill me now.

“Oh, but I do pant for you, Silver.”

“Stop reading my mind,” I snapped, sitting up and wrapping the fluffy duvet around me so I didn’t punch his perfect nose.

“How can I when you’re practically shouting your thoughts at me?” His smile deepened while he pushed my tangled hair out of my face. “We need to work on that, too. You’re as transparent as a sheet of glass.”

“I’ll have you know, not one of my cousins could read a single facial expression during training. So stop with the creepy vampire voodoo mind tricks. It’s not fair.”

“What if I taught you the creepy vampire voodoo mind tricks and evened out the playing field, would that be acceptable?”

I mulled that over. “Yes, that would be acceptable.”

He loosened his tie, tossed it on the end of the bed, and nudged me with his hip. “Scoot over. Unless you really want to leave your nice warm bed and take this over to one of the chairs?”

No, I took one look at that cold floor and shivered, but having Riordan in bed with me…I eyed him. Fully dressed, right down to the custom-made shoes. He seemed safe enough, as long as that powerful body remained covered from head to toe. “Stay on top of the covers. No funny business.”

“No funny business. Got it.”

“I’m still pissed at you,” I added for good measure.

“I’m well aware,” he said wryly, puffing up the pillows and moving to take my nice, warm spot while I was regulated to a cold, very unwarm spot. “I’ll remind you we struck an alliance to pause our hostilities until Tyrell is dead. Until then, we work together while I guide you through your transition.”

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