Page 145 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

“Is that what he told Feral?” Eros let out an empty laugh. “His dad was a hunter. Their kind preys on human pain and uses it for fuel. They take that energy to turn bigger, stronger. They can even take on whole new forms, which allows them to reap more fear and grow even more powerful. Their kind has no business being in the human realm. Hell, even having a dead one here makes me nervous. And Feral lost a ton of his powers when he was turned. But that’s how dangerous they are, Ruby.”

He let go of one of my wrists to cup my cheek. With the other, he raised my hand to his lips to kiss my knuckle. “That’s why I can’t drop the bet. He shouldn’t be king, let alone your mate. If I win this fight, he’ll have to give up his pursuit of the throne and leave you alone.”

All this new information settled at the bottom of my gut like sediment.

This was a lot to unpack.

It surprised me that the first discernible emotion I felt was pity. I felt bad for Vincent. I believed Eros when he said Vincent’s father had been a monster that needed to be put down. But I also believed Feral was one hundred percent sure his dad had been a good man. He had loved his parent, and losing him couldn’t have been easy. It made sense that Vincent needed to hold on to something that brought him close to his dad, and his hatred for the man who killed him was probably the easiest for Vincent to cling to.

I wondered if there was a future where Eros and Vincent could ever be friends. Well, maybe “friends” was pushing it. I’d settle for a world where they weren’t trying to beat each other to death on the regular.

Maybe if I could manage what Sterling had asked me to do, to break through to Vincent, I could be the bridge between them.

Then there was all that other stuff about Feral’s race. I could press Eros into telling me more, but like Corry had said earlier, it would mean more if the truth came from the lips of The Feral King himself. Or maybe I would just figure it out myself. The pieces were coming together. In the throne room, he’d said that he had a secondary form. Maybe before he became a vampire, he could shift into other things. But perhaps that was one of the powers he’d lost when he’d died. He had a high metabolism and needed to feed more than other vampires. And whatever he was, he used human pain as an additional fuel source.

Vincent fed on pain.

It was a hard and scary fact to unload, but it explained his demeanor toward me. It wasn’t that he was cruel for shits and giggles.

It was in his nature.

I hadn’t realized that my fingers had trailed down to Eros’ beard and were mindlessly winding the wiry blond hairs until he let out a low purr. “Do you understand now why I’m trying to keep you away from him? He’s dangerous.”

“He says the same thing about you.”

The purr turned to a hell-deep growl, and he shoved me back against the locker, his eyes scorching with fire. “All this talk about Feral. Remember, doll, it’s my mark burned into your flesh for all eternity.”

I gasped, biting my lip to strangle the noise as his hands gripped my hips, possessive and firm. “It’s my scent that warns all other males you belong to me.”

His fingers wedged between my thighs, curling up to stroke that place he already had mapped and claimed. “It’s my seed that has found a home between your thighs.”

He applied pressure through my jeans, right over the place that had me moaning. He brought his lips down over mine in a bruising kiss that sent a rush of heat sinking through my body to meet the place where his hand still gripped the juncture of my thighs.

He broke the kiss, smirking at me. “That’s right. He can’t make your pussy purr like I can. Now take off your jeans. I’m gonna bury my dick so deep in you, you’ll feel me for a week. Do you like the thought of that, baby doll? Sitting in my cum while you watch me beat the shit out of Vincent Feral? Every vamp and shifter in the audience will scent what I’ve done to you. They’ll know where I’ve been and what I’ve left behind.”

An involuntary whimper slipped past my lips, making his smirk curve into a manic grin. “I think my fuck doll loves it when she drips with my spunk. It sends a message that this pussy is mine.” He squeezed me again, applying just enough pressure that hit just the right spot, even through the thick material of my jeans.

I swear to Satan and all that’s unholy that this guy could find my clitoris even if he was stranded in the Siberian wilderness with only a compass made out of animal bones.

I couldn’t get out of my clothes fast enough. Kicking off my boots, I stripped out of my jeans, opting to leave the Deathwish hoodie on. Pointing to his towel, I licked my lips provocatively. “Drop it.”

The grin that stretched his pierced lips was all sex. He hooked a thumb beneath the towel but made no move to unravel it. “If you want this, baby, turn around.”

Heat spread through me like wildfire, and I slowly pivoted so that I was facing the lockers with my bare ass at Eros’ mercy.

“Now bend over and spread those cheeks, doll. Show me what’s mine.”

Chapter sixty-eight

Confrontation

Glancingovermyshoulder,my heart rate skyrocketed when I caught Eros pull his towel off and discard it on the tiled floor. He was all sinewy muscle, smooth skin, and that cock. It was thick and obscene with how a bead of pre-cum pebbled at the top. He fisted his girth, and this time, when his hand moved, I caught the silvery scar of my mating mark on his palm.

My throat squeezed as I watched him give one pump to his dick, then he paused with an arched brow. “What did I just say? Spread that cunt for me, like the good little fuck doll you are.”

I reached around to grab my ass cheeks, parting them. With my spine arched and my face resting against the cool steel of the locker, my center was on complete display.

“Look at you.” He stepped forward, his husky purr wrapping around me like a touch, a primer for what was to come. Still gripping his cock, his free hand cupped the swell of my ass cheek. “So submissive for me when I know just how wild the fire inside you burns. You know how hard that gets me?”

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