Page 153 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

I shivered with dark delight at his devilish threat. His claws snatched for me, and I danced out of his reach. He was bigger than me, but in this form, he was far slower.

He snarled his frustration, whirling to grab me again. “I will have you so full of my cum, so satisfied you will never stray to one of my brothers again. Mark me, woman. You will submit to the superior male.”

Rolling my eyes, a brittle laugh slipped from me. “Submit? I don’t fucking think so. Maybe to Eros, but you don’t deserve my submission.”

The monster reached to snatch me yet again, and I timed my jump perfectly. Dodging Vincent’s outstretched claws, I leaped onto his arm and scrambled up onto his back.

He released a primal roar as he swung his massive arms, trying to pluck me off his back, but I was too quick for him.

“Stupid male. It’s you who will submit to me.” I slammed my fangs into his shoulder, his heady blood gushing into my mouth. At first, he fought my bite. But no matter how much he tried to shake me off, I clung fast to him.

Unlatching my jaw from him for just a second, I slammed my fangs down on his throat. He swayed dangerously, and I bit him again and again.

He finally collapsed to his knees. The whole ring quaked dangerously beneath the weight. The moment he hit the ground, I pulled my fangs from him and brought my mouth to his ear.

“Yield to me,” I whispered in a voice so soft I took even myself by surprise, “and I will make you my claimed mate. You will not be my king. You will be my mate. And while you will never have the honor of wearing my father’s crown, I will give you a child, Vincent Feral. A blood heir.”

My words hit their mark. Vincent convulsed violently as if he was having a seizure. He was fighting his monster for control. To help him regain himself, I stroked his hair and purred into his ear. “Yield for me, baby.”

A low whine of a purr reverberated from his throat, followed by fateful words that I couldn’t believe were coming from his lips. “I yield to you, my queen. My mate. My monster.”

“That’s right, I am yours.” I held onto him tight even as his body shrunk back to its normal size.

Vincent had regained his vampire self. We both lay there on the mat, in Eros’ blood, breathing heavily.

After several tense moments, he turned to look at me, his eyes green once again. “Did you mean what you said?”

“Every word.”

His brows pulled together, his gaze filling with shadows. “Even after you saw what I am? You’d still have me?”

“Monster and all.”

When he spoke next, his voice had returned to its old, baritone cadence, but it was laced with a new emotion. “Why?”

“Because monsters aren’t afraid of other monsters.”

The vampire stared at me with a thunderstruck expression. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, wobbling slightly as if he was waking up from a dream.

He put distance between us when his attention swung back to Eros. “Little monster, do you see what I am capable of now? Do you see how dangerous I am?”

“I see. But do you? Don’t you get it now? This is why Eros killed your father, Vincent. The father you knew and loved wasn’t the same thing as the monster inside him. Just like the part of you I have come to…” My voice shook. “Love.” I gulped, waiting with bated breath to see how he would react to my confession.

He turned his face away from me, so I couldn’t see his reaction. When he spoke, his voice came out in a tentative whisper. “I understand now. There was a side of him he couldn’t control. I never saw it. I haven’t seen this side of myself in a long time. Not since becoming a vampire. I thought it had died with the rest of my abilities. But it was triggered tonight. I see what I am truly capable of now, and it horrifies me. Now that I’ve come to care about you so much, I have no business being with you.”

My chest filled with ice. “What are you talking about? Didn’t I just prove that I can handle you?”

Vincent shook his head as he got to his feet. I grabbed his arm, but he shook me off. “Maybe this time. But I’ve never lost it like that before. I was triggered because I saw him with you and… Next time I just might kill him. It’s not that I don’t want to share you, Ruby. I’m fine with it. It’s the fact that my monster isn’t. He’s territorial, and I know now I can’t be around you anymore. Not if it means keeping you safe.”

“What? No!” He started to leave the ring, but I beat him to the cage door, spreading my arms wide. “You can’t leave me! As your princess, I forbid it.”

The look on Feral’s face broke my heart into a million pieces.

“Goodbye, Princess.” He pushed me out of his way like I weighed little more than a feather.

“What do you mean, goodbye? You’re not leaving the coven, are you? Vincent! Vincent! Don’t leave me, please!”

My pathetic pleas were wasted.

---