Page 3 of Make Me Bleed

Our eyes meet.

Peter lifts his glass, toasting me from his side of the restaurant before taking a sip of the amber-colored liquor. He nods when he’s done, gesturing at my goblet.

I’d rather be thirsty than take anything that Peter offers me.

The waiter is hovering near the table. Whether or not he can tell that the goblet just put a damper on my mood, he hasn’t left yet and I’m glad.

I point at my plate. “If you could wrap that up for me, I’d really appreciate it.” For a moment, I think about ordering Dorian’s tiramisu, but I don’t. Instead, I grab my purse, slip one of my cards out of my wallet, and hand it to him. “That’s for the check. I think we’re done now.”

“Of course, miss.”

He hustles away, and I purposely shove the goblet of blood away from me with a shaky hand.

Peter is still watching me. I can sense the heat of his gaze on my skin, hating that he can continue to get to me after all these months. No matter how many times I warn him away, or how often Bridget gets between the two of us, my feisty human friend trying to protect her vampire roommate, Peter won’t get the hint—and I’m getting this close to going to Thorn.

Thorn Wilkins is the leader of the Cadre. He rules Clarity, and if I tell him that I have a human who won’t leave me alone, the best case scenario would be Peter being banished from theFang City. But since Thorn isn’t known for his merciful nature, odds are better that Jasper will end the problem of my stalker.

Permanently.

I’m a vampire. I feed, but I don’t kill. I drink blood, but I don’t want to see it on my hands. I just… I need Peter to leave me alone.

And if he won’t?

Then I’ll have to be the one to leave.

Dorian still hasn’t returned from the bathroom. Part of me realizes that my assumption that he had to urinate might’ve been a little hasty. The other part is grateful that he’s taking longer because it gives me the chance to dothis.

Once the waiter comes back with my leftovers and a copy of the credit slip for me to sign, I tip him handsomely, then grab my container, my purse, and the goblet. Swirling it absently as I maneuver my way over to the bar, I ignore all of the eyes on me as I stop right in front of Peter.

At first, he begged. He pleaded. He swore he’d do anything for a second chance, but after the first time Bridget threatened to involve the cops—and I had to tell him she meant the Cadre—Peter changed. He’s still desperate and determined, but there’s a darker edge to his possessiveness that even I can’t pretend not to notice.

Though I give it a pretty good effort as I set the goblet down on the bar.

He glances at it. “You didn’t touch it, Elise. Huh. I thought you might be thirsty.”

Prick. I wouldn’t be here with Dorian if I wasn’t. But since I’m also a vampire and, like the fae, I can’t lie, I don’t deny how much I’d sip that if it was from anyone other than Peter.

Instead, I tell him softly, “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this from you. You know that, Peter.”

“You won’t let me feed you from the vein. Let me feed my mate another way.”

And there it is. This human male still believes that he can convince me to initiate the blood exchanges, mate him, claim him, and make him my beloved before changing him into an immortal.

Sorry, but no.

I purse my lips. “I’ll only ask you one more time. Please… leave me alone.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t do that. We both know that I can’t.”

He’ll have to.

I back away from the bar and turn just in time to see Dorian heading toward me. He must’ve returned from the bathroom, seen that our table was in the middle of being cleaned up, then noticed I’d moved to the bar.

“Elise?” He frowns. “Everything okay?”

No.

“Dorian.” I force a grin to my lips. “Change of plans. Take me home?”

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