Page 21 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

The youngblood snapped his attention on his brother, his eyes—back to blue—widened, and his brow contorted into a furious scowl. “What? "

“Because you were about to bite her.”

The anger on Corry’s face almost looked out of place, but damn, I have to admit it was pretty freaking hot seeing him so furious with the older vampire. His vein throbbing with rage had a way of making a fucked-up girl like me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Not because I wanted to see two hot vampire guys with their hands wrapped around the other’s throat—but because Corry was getting so upset over the notion of staying away from me.

Vincent’s glare turned lethal, its bloody burn so intense I caught a little of its heat despite the fact that it was, for the first time tonight, not directed toward me.

“You were about to bite her,” Vincent repeated. “After all the work we’ve done in getting you out of this damn bloodthirst phase. You want to repeat that little incident of yours from last month?”

I perked up a little in the backseat. What incident?

Corry’s cheeks flushed red. Damn, I didn’t even know a vampire could blush. His gaze flicked quickly to me, then back to his brother. Whatever Vincent was talking about, Corry did not want me to know.

“Bro, this isn’t the same thing.”

“No, you’re right. It won’t be the same because this bitch isn’t some random, cracked-out street whore that no one will care enough about to come looking for. She’s the biological daughter of the vampire king, and the Elders will notice if you kill her, Corry, all because you can’t keep your blood boner in your goddamn gums. Sterling and I can’t keep cleaning up your damn messes.”

“Oh, fuck off. Sterling’s an Elder.”

“You think you’re safe because he’s an Elder? You’re acting like a six-month-old vampire who doesn’t know shit.”

“I am a six-month vampire, asshole. I never asked for this. I never asked for you to babysit me like you’re my daddy.”

“I babysit you because Daddy is dead, and Sterling is too busy kissing up to those geriatric fucks to keep tabs on you.”

“I don’t need you to watch my every damn move.”

“Yeah? I probably still have bloodstains in the trunk’s upholstery that says otherwise. I’m watching you to keep your body count to a minimum. Otherwise, the Elders won’t make any of Master’s progeny his heir.”

“So that brutal fuck who blinded Sterling was their perfect leader, but I kill a couple of worthless humans, and suddenly I’m the monster?”

“That’s the thing about the vampire king’s brutality, Little Brother. Thomas Knight tortured his own. He kept his demons within his own halls where there was no chance for the human world to catch onto his nature. He was evil, but he was tidy about it. Nothing evil about you, Cor. You’re just a dipshit, and you’re going to expose the coven if you aren’t careful.”

For a second, a tense silence so thick I thought I might choke settled over the car’s interior. Vincent’s red-hot glower shifted to me and back to Corry as if to say,“look what you made me say.”

I got the impression they both had let out a lot they hadn’t meant to. This little spat between brothers was of epic proportions. They were putting on a show so insane I almost wished I had popcorn, if it wasn’t over the fact that Vincent was basically letting on that Corry had murdered at least one innocent person. Probably more.

I wasn’t so naive to think these vampires didn’t hurt people, but…Corry? He seemed so sweet, so innocent. I would have put bets down on Vincent being the dangerous wild card, not Corry.

And for some reason, Vincent had let the youngblood follow me into the pharmacy. Then again, he probably hadn’t guessed we’d barricade ourselves in the women’s restroom with boxed dye and cheap vodka. It sounded innocent enough, but throw in Corry’s bloodlust and some late-blooming hormones on my end, and yeah, it could have been an epic disaster.

And what was that shit about my father blinding Sterling? Sterling was the oldest of the four, the one who’d come over on the Mayflower with Thomas Knight.

It was the first time I’d heard my dad’s full name, and despite how basic of a name it was for an ancient vampire king, it still sent an icy shiver scraping down my spine. He was dead. Gone. But even the mention of him charged the air with intense, ominous energy.

My guts twisted, thinking about Sterling.

Even though he was only mentioned a couple of times, it didn’t take a detective to figure out that Sterling was respected by his younger brood mates.

I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person he was to earn their respect and tolerate Thomas Knight for almost an entire millennia.

My stomach clenched, thinking on what kind of man my father had to have been to blind his own progeny.

I don’t know what made me feel sicker, the fact that I was descended from that monster or that Corry maybe hadn’t fallen so far from the tree if he was going around killing innocent women and brushing them off like they were nothing.

“I wasn’t going to expose the coven by giving the princess what she asked for,” Corry spit out a moment later.

“You have no right to mark her. She’s not yours.”

---