Page 16 of Reign

"Velvet." She might not be a full shifter, but she was still part shifter, and I was her Prime, whether she wanted to acknowledge that part of herself or not. "Stop struggling. Now." I sent a wave of command to the wolf buried in her soul.

Her gaze slid sideways, and she scowled through her red and swollen face. But she stilled.

I glanced at B'nar. There was no way I'd give the Count any power over me. "Prince, what can he do with my blood? Is it the same as me taking my brothers'? Does it connect me to him in any way?"

B'nar didn't take his eyes off the Count. "No. He is not a shifter. He can only compel his own kind or those who have weak minds, like humans. It will, however, give him a taste of your power. He will know your strength."

"Hm." I cocked my head and pretended to consider it. Really I was compelling my fae side to pull from our connection. It did, disengaging from Prime and his Hell-beast. Prime hated that part of us was forced to let go, even for a short time. I sent some comfort to him, prepared to let the Count have a little of my blood if that was the price of getting to Ember, but he wasn't learning all of my secrets.

"Fine." My pack all snarled. "Quiet, brothers." I directed a little reassurance their way. "Let Velvet go. You'll have your money tonight, and you may take one draw of my blood. That is all." I scented his excitement before I'd finished speaking, as did my brothers. They growled, Owen and Stone snapping their teeth.

Balthazar licked his lips. I smirked. The Count was known to play with males and females, but this wasn't about sex; this was about power. He wanted to know the extent of mine, and he knew I would never tell him. I wasn't about to show him, either, but he didn't know that.

He released Velvet's neck, and she dropped to the ground. Before she could bolt, B'nar encased her in a wall of ice. I nodded my thanks. He blinked once.

I held out my wrist. Balthazar raised a brow, and I huffed a chuckle. "No, Count, the only one who gets to sink their fangs into my neck is my mate."

He actually smiled and let his gaze travel the length of my body. "Shame, but I understand. I feel the same. Wrist, then?"

I nodded and turned my wrist with the soft, pulsatile side up. In a blur, Balthazar was on me, his fangs embedded in my wrist. After one long draw, he pulled away. His eyes flared that disturbing ruby red as he straightened, standing almost nose to nose with me, not touching, but very nearly. He held my gaze, and with a deliberate, sensual movement, he licked drops of my blood from his lips. "Mm, a shame indeed that only your mate gets to taste more of you. You taste...of power and sin."

I grinned. “I am both. But I thank you for respecting my wishes. You could have taken more, but you didn’t.” He nodded, it was true, and we both knew it. “Now we are even as far as Velvet is concerned. Our other deal still stands. When I have my mate, I will return and tell you where those demons are coming from. But if I am too late, be prepared to fight because Hellwillcome, and I doubt Lucifer will be forgiving towards those who have given his demons sanctuary rather than sending them back to their master.”

“Then I wish you luck, Shifter King.” Balthazar glanced at the cage of ice that Velvet tried to kick her way out of. “Take her with you. I trust you to drop the rest of her payment off before dawn.” And with that, the Count walked back into his club.

Chapter 6

Ember

My stomach clenched,and saliva rushed my mouth.

“Oh shit.”

I stumbled out of bed and just managed to make it to the bathroom before I promptly fell to my knees in front of the toilet and retched up my insides. I spent the next ten minutes with my head stuck down the bowl and my guts trying to find their way out of my mouth.

Once my stomach had settled, I gingerly got to my feet and stuck my mouth under the running tap. It was heaven to rinse the bile away and brush my teeth. Straightening up, I tilted my head. The two red marks that had always been there on my neck seemed more pronounced than ever today. I ran my fingers over them, hating the hollowness in my chest every time I looked at them. Perhaps I could see them more today because my skin was paler than usual. I'd not spent time in the sun with Jed the past few days. Instead, I'd preferred to sit quietly in the shade, reading, or just resting. I'd been utterly exhausted. And even though I wasn't eating, I was putting on weight—it was so irritating. Maybe I should force myself to do some exercise? Ugh! That thought just made me even more exhausted.

Jed had been nothing but attentive, making sure I was eating and resting. I'd thrown up every morning for the last few days, and though there were no questions, his concern was obvious. I didn't understand the soft, worried look in his eyes. He'd even taken to staying in my room, never touching me, other than to hold me when I had a nightmare. It was a relief even though I hadn't felt any desire for him, not since my head had nearly exploded six days ago.

The dark circles under my eyes were a testament to my lack of sleep. I leaned towards the bathroom mirror, my breath leaving puffs of steam on it. Blinking did nothing to alleviate the scratchiness in my eyes, either. I sighed, leaning against the cool marble of the sink. Perhaps, I should see a doctor about some sleeping tablets… My dreams were more vivid than ever. Wolves. Always wolves—and fire, and a huge werewolf-like creature with eyes of the brightest blue I'd ever seen. I'd awoken screaming last night as fire consumed me, the monstrous creature howling plaintively in the distance. I could feel him searching for me, always searching…

I swallowed and tried to shake away the trembling in my hands. I didn’t feel scared by that creature, so much as unsettled, as if he was important to me in some way.

My head throbbed. I reached for my painkillers only to knock them on the floor. “Dammit!”

I felt Jed’s attention boring into my back before I straightened and met his gaze in the mirror. He frowned, his jaw muscles tense as he looked at the brown pill bottle on the floor.

“I’m fine. Just a stomach bug.”

“Is it?” He almost growled.

I huffed a laugh. “Well, I’m not pregnant, am I? I have no idea when we last had sex, but it sure hasn’t been recently, and you told me you were away when I had my accident. So, unless I was having an affair…” I gave him a weak smile and raised my brows, but he didn’t laugh. I’d never seen him more serious, and that was saying something. It was unnerving, and his dark look sent a shiver through me.

He scowled and leaned down, picking the bottle off the floor and pocketing them. "Sarah, this is important. No more painkillers. And, please, don't have dinner with your father tonight."

“What? Why not? To both of those statements. I need something for my head. And dad’s coming home from Paris tonight and wants us both to eat with him.” My stomach tensed at the scent of...something...I wasn’t sure what, in the air. Whatever it was, it made my palms sweat and made me want to run from Jed. Something was very wrong; he was tense. I inhaled and almost gagged again at the vivid scents around me. Anger and worry. It should be impossible to tell his mood from the smell in the air...but I could.

“I know. I’ll tell him you're not feeling well. You can’t see him tonight.”

---