Page 54 of Fated In Blood

But after I poked and prodded the bed and searched through every drawer, besides a moth-eaten shirt to sleep in, I found something else I desperately needed.

Uninterrupted silence.

And when that silence became too loud, when I’d worked through my many deep-seated issues about being turned intoa bloodsucking monster and having to drink blood to survive, exhaustion finally claimed me. I tumbled head over heels into a darkness that had no end.

My dreams were filled with violence and rivers of blood, images of my sister staring up at a monster with adoring eyes, of fire cutting through the darkness like a scythe.

I woke up a starving mess, drooling over my fangs onto the moldy pillow, my stomach so hollow I curled in on myself. This fucking sucked. How did vampires survive like this? Being hungry all the time was damned inconvenient. I mean, feeding was all I thought about, and after I fed, I was so high from the power buzz I could barely even function.

As if I’d summoned him, Riordan appeared out of nowhere at the foot of my bed. I jerked the blanket up to my chest like a fucking Puritan and screamed.

Just a squeak, but it wasn’t a good look.

He smirked, one corner of his mouth twitching. God, he was a sight in the morning, or maybe hunger was making me hallucinate. Sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tattoos peeking out from beneath the white fabric of his tailored shirt, dark pressed pants accentuating thick, powerful thighs.

“You need to feed.”

“You need to fuck off, Your Highness.” In truth, his heady scent sent my heart hitching in my chest, my toes curling from the sheer force of my need. Every part of me wanted to leap from this bed and take him down like an animal.

That corner of Riordan’s mouth moved up, just a little. “Fine, then. Enjoy hunger tearing you apart from the inside out. Come find me when you’re a babbling, senseless wreck. I’ll be in my office doing paperwork. Tedious stuff, really, but it comes with the job.”

“Did you go to asshole school, or does being a douchebag come naturally?”

Again, with that little smirk. “I went to Cal Tech, actually. Bio physics. I only minored in asshole, if you must know.”

“Wow, double minor in shitty humor, I see.”

“I think we’re going to have a good working relationship, Silver, once we get past your stubbornness and bad jokes.” He tipped his head back, then slowly ran his finger down his corded neck. “See anything you like?”

My fucking mouth watered like he was made of goddamn chocolate cake.

With dark chocolate icing and ganache filling.

“Come on, just a sip. You remember how good I tasted, don’t you? Or would you rather I come to you?” He tipped his head to the side, considering me curiously, the light picking up glints of gold in his eyes. “Yes, I think that would be better.”

“Stay right there. Don’t come any closer.” Oh my fucking God, my entire body was on fire. He was too beautiful, onyx hair curling just below his wide shoulders, those full, parted lips showing the sharp points of white fangs. I wanted to push him down onto this bed and drink him dry, to feel him shove up inside of…Fuck no.

The bastard’s nostrils flared, that half-smirk turning into a full-fledged grin of anticipation. “I’ll give you everything that you need, Silver, and you will give me back my kingdom. Together, we’ll destroy Tyrell.”

He prowled toward me, popping the top button on his shirt, then the next. Every flick of his fingers showed off those powerful, corded forearms, and just like that, the protests died on my lips.

Even Riordan’s promise floated away like gossamer silk, inconsequential as a spider’s web. Only the vein pulsing in the king’s neck mattered, only his blood pumping wildly registered right now. My hunger came alive, demanding I take what I needed, to slake this thirst that had no beginning and no end.

The covers trapped my legs when I lunged from the bed, wound my hands into that perfectly pressed white shirt, and threw His Majesty down on the mattress. I finally managed to disengage myself from those fucking sheets and straddled him, trapping him between my thighs. My chest heaved; I couldn’t hear over the pounding in my ears as he held my stare and bumped his erection up into my core, sending heat radiating through me.

I dragged my nose up his throat, inhaling gulps of his rich scent. He smelled so good, I replaced my nose with my tongue, lapping at his neck, at that pulse pounding beneath my lips.

“We’re awfully damn close, Silver. Are you sure this is what you want?”

His hands took their time sliding up over my ass, finally resting on the small of my back, the other wrapping around the nape of my neck. Not pulling me closer, though. Giving me time to decide.

What a fucking gentleman. Like I really had a choice.

My lips pulled up over my fangs, and just the sharp sensation of the cool air hitting them made me groan. Everything about my new body was too sensitive, and right now, this was as intense as things got.

Riordan didn’t break eye contact as he turned his head slowly, baring his throat to me. “I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, Silver. Don’t fuck around. Strike fast and bite deep. You know you want to. Don’t be shy, just?—”

I moved so fast the room blurred, my fangs punching through skin with frightening ease. I moaned when his blood filled my mouth, gulping him down faster than was healthy, but I couldn’t stop myself, swallowing as fast as I could, his delicious taste coating my mouth.

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