Page 40 of Infernal

“Your trying to make me jealous,” I seethed.

“Is that right?” His eyes moved down the length of my body before fliting away with a chuckle.

Was he laughing at me?

I clenched my fists harder, my nails digging into the palm of my hands and drawing blood.

“And why would I do a thing like that?” he asked, walking towards me as though he were coming to talk to me, though he never bothered stopping. “You made your feelings, or lack thereof, perfectly clear to me,” he said, turning his head slightly in my direction. “The only thing I’m trying to do is enjoy my friend’s company.”

“Bullshit.”

He tsk’ed me as he sauntered to the bar and poured himself a drink. “A man has needs, angel. You may be in the business of repressing yours, but I am not.”

“Oh really? And is Sandy here aware of your needs?” I asked, giving her a once-over. She still looked confused and kind of irritated, but other than that, nothing was out of sorts. “Does she know what you are?”

He turned to me with his glass in hand and leaned back against the bar. “Why don’t you ask her for yourself?”

I wasn’t even sure how to word that question.

Instead, I turned to the girl and decided I needed to talk some sense into her. You know, save her life and all that other birthright crap I was supposed to do.

“Listen, Sandy, you really shouldn’t be here. I know you came here for a good time, and hey, good on you—who am I to judge, you know? But he isn’t who you think he is,” I started, but her laughter quickly halted my pep talk.

“So, then heisn’ta vampire?” she asked, quirking her perfectly shaped brow at Dominic. “Say it isn’t so.”

The fact that she was in the know, and completely relaxed about the whole thing, told me all I needed to know. At least I thought it did. “You’re compelling her, aren’t you?!” I charged.

He clicked his tongue at me. “That hurts, angel.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I’m more than capable of finding myself a willing participant.” His eyes ran down my body like an accusation, and my face immediately flushed with heat. “But you already know that, don’t you, angel?”

“Screw you, Dominic.” Frankly, the fact that I was even standing here having this conversation with him was a testament to how off the rails my life had gone.

Regardless, I wasn’t about to sit here and let him feed off some innocent girl right in front of me. “You need to leave,” I said as I stalked over to her, ready to physically remove her from the premises if need be.

You know, for her own safety.

“I’m not going anywhere. Dominic invited me here, and I’m not leaving until I get what I came for.”

That stopped me in my holier-than-thou tracks. “And what exactly did you come here for?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but let’s just say this isn’t my first time.” Sandy pulled her legs beside her on the couch and needled me with a glare.

“You’re a blood-whore,” I realized, not bothering to hide the repulsion from my tone.

She grimaced. “I prefer to call myself a happy donor.”

Dominic raised his glass to her and winked.

My stomach twisted with unpleasant feelings. She could call herself a damn happy meal for all I cared. It didn’t change the fact that she was indeed a blood-whore—a woman or man who sought out the company of vampires to willingly offer themselves up to them. Though, up until this very moment, I’d never actually had the displeasure of meeting one in person.

I wasn’t sure what disturbed me more, the fact that she was here to give herself up to him, or the fact that I was jealous about it. The latter only confirmed that there was something severely wrong with me, though I wholly blamed the bloodbond for it.

“See, love?” said Dominic as he came to stand behind me, his fingers grazing a trail along the top of my shoulder. “All is well here.”

Only, it wasn’t.

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