Page 36 of Blood Secret

I could smell the fear coming out of his pores.

“I—I can’t tell you,” he whimpered. “He’ll kill me.”

“I’ll kill you if you don’t,” I promised. “And I’ll take my time.”

“I’m not allowed!” His voice turned into a whine.

Killing him would be worth it if only to get him to stop whining.

“I only need a name. You don’t even have to tell me where to find him—I’ll find him on my own. Just one little name is all.” I looked deep into his eyes, pushing his thoughts aside, demanding answers.

Nothing he felt or thought mattered, anyway.

Only what I needed.

He was going to give me what I needed.

“Bradley,” he whispered before squeezing his eyes shut. Tears squirted out from under his lids and his pale eyelashes. “Please. Let me go now.”

“Where is he?”

“You promised!”

“I promised nothing.” My mouth lingered near his throat, and my tongue darted out to slide along his skin.

His pulse raced.

It would be so easy to drink my fill. His heart would pump the blood straight into my mouth, down my throat. I wouldn’t even have to try to drink.

“You’ll tell me where he is, and you’ll tell me now.”

“He… he lives beneath the club…” he managed to whimper.

“And why does he want her?” It was worth asking, even if I was fairly sure I knew the answer.

“Desiree. Desiree is dead. He loved her.”

“And she wanted the girl. Is that it? He thinks the girl had something to do with Desiree dying. That’s why he wants her now, because she was going after the girl and ended up dead.”

“Not just that. She’s special. Not pure human. He wants to know what she is before he…”

I snapped his neck before he could go on.

I knew what Bradley wanted to do.

A half-human, half-witch would be a wonderful new consort since he’d lost his mate. Either that, or he’d kill her just to set an example. My job was the same regardless: keeping him away from her.

What to do with the body hanging limply over my arm?

I looked around and decided on a dumpster.

He folded up easily and nestled in among overflowing bags of garbage.

She was waiting for me inside the store. Her face lit up when she saw me through the window, and I had to admit surprise that she had followed my instructions.

She hurried out of the store with her bag of groceries in one arm. “What happened?”

“Hurry. Once we’re upstairs, I’ll tell you about it.” My eyes swept the street as we rushed to her building with me nearly carrying her just to get there faster.

He could be anywhere.

If he knew where to send his minion, he could easily send another. Or come on his own.

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