Page 19 of Blood Moon Heat

A moment later, the sound of the lock being turned, echoed through the silent room.

Seven

Nero

I will give you anything you want, but in return I want my freedom.

Mina’s husky voice filled my head, her words from two nights ago, and it wasn’t the first time.

She’d demanded her freedom, but I couldn’t give her that. She was asking too much.

If she refused me entry to her room, if being confined angered her enough to reject my touch, tonight I’d have to try something different.

Her refusal to let me close, to even speak to me, wasn’t something I could tolerate. Truthfully, the more she denied me, the longer it went on, the closer I felt myself slipping to the edge of my sanity. Her pussy got wet when I was near, yet she would rather suffer than let me ease her need just to punish me. Her behavior was illogical. My bride confounded me, and infuriated me.

If I wanted to bend her to my will, I needed to be more strategic in my approach. I needed to throw Mina off-balance and regain control in a way that made her believe she still had some.

I never used the dining room in my apartment. I could eat human food; I just didn’t need to. It had lost all appeal a long time ago, like all pleasures had. Maybe with Mina that might have changed as well? Tonight, I’d had Pretender go out and acquire a meal for Mina and me to share. Apparently, that’s what females liked—to dine with their mates—and afterward, my hope was that her guard would lower enough that she would let me touch her.

I heard footsteps along the hall, and I turned to the door. From the article I’d read, surprises were enjoyed and welcomed as well.

The door opened and Pretender led Mina inside. She stopped sharply when she saw the table of food, then her gaze sliced to me.

“What is this?”

I gripped the back of the chair I stood behind. “I realized you’d not seen the rest of the apartment. I thought we could dine together, then I could give you a tour.”

“Well, no, I haven’t seen the apartment because I’ve been locked up like a prisoner since I got here,” she said, but her voice was shaky.

I slid out the chair, choosing to ignore what she said. My newly awakening emotions were volatile, and anger that she wouldn’t give me what I wanted was already rising inside me, and that wouldn’t help at all. I was at least capable of seeing that. “I thought we could dine here this evening.”

“No, thank you,” she said. “I’d rather eat in my room alone.”

A snarl tried to crawl up my throat, and I choked it down. I didn’t like this feeling, not at all. How did she do this to me so easily? “Tonight you will eat in here, with me.” I glanced at Pretender. “You can leave.”

He gave me a nod and walked out, closing the door behind him.

“Come here, Mina.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Now,” I said, locking eyes with her.

Hers widened slightly, then she lifted her chin, showing me she wasn’t happy, but finally made her way over to the seat I held for her. She sat and I took the chair closest at the head of the table.

“These dishes, they’re your favorites, yes?”

She looked at the food laid out before her, and shrugged a delicate shoulder, making no move to reach for any of it.

“Pretender spoke to your mother’s cook. She confirmed these were your favorite dishes.”

“Well, she was wrong.”

My lips peeled back and I sucked in a breath. “You won’t eat it?”

She did the shoulder shrug again. “Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose,” she said.

“No one has made you beg for food.” I was barely resisting picking her up, setting her on the table in front of me, shoving up her dress, and feasting on her for my dinner instead.

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