Page 128 of The Vampire's Thirst
“Oh?”
“I walked into the den to latch onto the first O blud whore I spotted. She was a blonde with a firm ass who was strung out just how I like. After I took her hand, I led her upstairs to my favorite room. She removed her robe. I bent her over a bar…”
Chiara clapped her hands over her ears.
Dax shot out of his chair to lean over her and snag her wrists. “You’ll listen to what I have to say. Understand what I want in a partner.”
Chiara struggled, but Dax wouldn’t let her block his message.
“I dropped my pants and fucked her. Before I came, I bit into her neck, swallowing the sweet O blud. Then I zipped up, relaxing in a chair to ride the high.”
“Why?”
“Why do I crave O blud?”
“No. Why are you telling me?”
“So you see who I am rather than who you want me to be. I don’t need some female clinging to me, changing me.”
A steady stream of tears rolled down Chiara’s cheeks.To hell with it.She’d cry if she wanted. Besides, she had neither the strength nor desire to wipe them away. “You want a woman who shoots up with opium?”
“That’s it.”
After Dax released Chiara’s wrists, he strode to the liquor cabinet. “I need another drink.”
She stared at his back, his broad, uncaring back. “You’ve been harsh. You’ve been aggressive. You’ve been cold and cruel, but you’ve never destroyed me. Until now.”
Still turned away from her, he poured a whiskey.Glug. Glug. Glug.“Yes, I have. You’ve just refused to see me. You’re still a ten-year-old girl who thinks a hero saved her. Wake up, Chiara. A monster dragged you from that burning car. So, unless you plan on shooting up to become my O blud bitch, I suggest you get out of my life. Agreed?”
After one thundering beat, her heart felt as if it ripped from her chest, leaving a black hole filled with rage. She fought against calling him all the bitter names which popped into her head. Instead, Chiara drew up her shoulders and, on trembling legs, rose from the chair. She strode from the library with all the dignity she could muster.
“Bastard.”
Dax mumbled at her disappearing figure, “I’ll take that as a yes.”
****
“Thisis Colonel Mateo Garcia, Sergeant. Put General Lipton on the line.”
Matty glanced around a conference room, his ear to the phone. A more morose than usual Dax, who was a full-blooded vampire and,hell yes, a friend, perched on the edge of a table. Rein, a vamp mix and huge sonofabitch, sprawled in a chair, boots propped on the same table. Ram, a satyr who had been the Englishman Dante’s torture-target, leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, a scowl on his otherwise pretty face. Commander Kole, a rugged demon, stared out of fire-gold eyes. And an imposing ylve dude they said was the Scion Firebrand high commander sat stiffly, his fingers laced together.
Never had Matty imagined this scene.
Never had he pictured phoning his general to urge peace talks the morning after he had met a gorgeous, fanged woman at a wolf shifter’s mating ceremony. Magnificent figure. Big boobs. Long blonde hair, the sweetest smile, a passionate nature, with the added benefit of brains. Wrong time to think about her. He shook his head.
Back in the game, Matty reminded himself he was a duty-first kind of guy. If his people said the talks were a no-go, a day might come when he would face these warriors while holding the trigger end of his gun. Not happily, but he would.
“General. I’m with representatives of a group on Scath which calls itself the Scion Firebrands. Think of them as special forces big-ass mutherfuckers. I’m putting us on speaker. Then I’ll explain the rest.”
Kole tapped a button on the conference phone.
“Matty, what the fuck are you talking about?” asked Lipton. “Where the hell are you?”
“During the Battle for Bozeman, I was captured by what I now know is a rebel unit called Arisen Dawn. In a nutshell, they’re the bad guys. They put meinto a cell with one of these Firebrands. A vampire. We were both tortured by these subversive assholes, but we escaped. You’ll never guess how. A dragon. That’s another story. Dax got us to a safe location where he contacted his people. I’m with them now.”
“I’m listening.”
Muffled sounds in the background caught his attention. Matty asked, “Are others there?”
