Page 63 of The Serpent's Bride
He snorted. “Fair point. I’m sure you can argue that you’re notthatkind of whore.”
“Ah, yes. The classy, one-at-a-time kind of whore.”
“Precisely.” He was clearly extremely amused by the conversation.
She paused. “What happened back there? In the bedroom? Why did you?—”
His expression fell as he cut her off. “Don’t.”
She sighed. “I know I’m going to die soon, but?—”
When he cut her off, his fangs were extended. “I have been trying to keep myself fromripping you to shreds.”
She stopped, stunned.
“The scent of your blood is driving meinsane.”His words were tinged with a deep growl like a second voice. His hands tightened on the wheel so hard the metal creaked. He had to take a deep breath and focus on relaxing his grip.
After he paused, he continued. “I tasted you after you were shot. I have had every drug on this planet, and it’s nothing like what your blood has done to me. I do not know what is—why you—but when I’m near you—the urge to—it’s overpowering.”
“Oh…” was all she could manage. A shiver like ice water ran down her spine.
Is it because I’m fae…?
“I’m supposed to kill you in a ritual, but I don’t know if I can honestly wait that long. There is…a good chance you do not survive tonight, regardless of whether or not we’re successful.” He grimaced. “And whether or not that is my intent.”
Shit.
He brought her here tonight because after Luciento Iltani and all his goons were dead, there was a real good chance she’dbe another corpse right there alongside them. He was going to feed from her and likely kill her in the process.
Killing her by drinking her dry would shame his family…unless he could blame her death on someone else. What was one more corpse in a fight with the fae gang? Easier to cover up than in his bedroom.
Unless she managed to kill him first. Or they managed to kill each other. She tried not to laugh at the mental image of it. Whoever found their pile of corpses was going to be terribly confused. The corpse of a fish-tailed fae on land, dead beneath the body of the Serpent himself, and a sea of dead Iltani humans. What a headline that’d make for the newspapers.
Taking a deep breath, she held it, and let it out in a rush. “Well. Let’s hope I don’t break as easily as all your other toys.”
Raziel’s laugh was quiet. “You may very well come to think death is the better option. So many others have.”
Her jaw twitched.
One way or another, she was about to find out. No matter what—between her uncle and her new “husband”?
Tonight was going to be amess.
EIGHTEEN
Nadi did her best to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest. Vampires could hear heartbeats—and while she could excuse her fear as nerves from sneaking into enemy territory to commit murder, she didn’t want to raise Raziel’s suspicions any more than she probably already had.
She was deep enough in over her head without him starting to think something was up.
Doesn’t matter. He just told you he’s probably going to kill you tonight, anyway.
“Two things you should be aware of before this begins.” Raziel broke into her thoughts, his voice barely audible over the rumble of the old, poorly maintained engine of the truck. “One leads directly into the other. Out of fairness to what you have already suffered, I want you to be as prepared as you can.”
“All right?” She eyed him curiously. He’d already told her he planned to rip her to pieces out of some…blood-addiction-fueled starvation. How much worse could he think it was going to get for her?
“First. You have yet to truly experience the full power of my…gift.” The edge of his lips twisted up in a thin smile. “The one that makes me particularly useful in this kind of a scenario.”
“Hypnotism. You can control people around you.”
