Page 63 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

Kenzie shifted closer to me on the bed, the paper bags crunching under her knees as she studied me. “You’re definitely not like the other female vampires here. All the women here go crazy for him. Heck, even some of the blood donors have tried to sleep with him during his feeding sessions.”

“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes. “Of course he’d sleep with his food.”

“No, he always turns them down as far as I know. I think he only likes vampires.”

Well, that’s great, just another reason for him to hate me.

“How many other donors are there?”

“Three others.”

“And you guys are here because…?”

Kenzie laughed. “We’re not slaves if that’s what you’re asking. Some vampire dens have thralls but all covens under the Elders are required to have their humans on salary. Don’t get me wrong, there is a crap ton of contracts we have to sign and the job can be pretty gritty, but we get compensated for it.”

“And you’re okay with them biting you?”

“Actually, most of them don’t feed directly from the source. The coven paid for me to get my Phlebotomy license and I draw from the other donors and we put it in bags for them. Only a few of them feed on us directly.”

My gaze dropped to the healing puncture wound where Vincent had bitten her earlier and her cheeks flushed when she noticed me staring.

“Did he hurt you?” I asked in a hoarse whisper.

She shook her head but I knew by the way she started to shake that she was lying. “I shouldn’t be telling you this…” She rubbed the back of her skull with her hand, her eyes glued to the space of the bed between us. “But I heard about the Elders allowing you to pick the next king among the princes.”

I sat up, suddenly intrigued by where this conversation was going. “Word gets around fast.”

“Secrets are hard to keep here, so be careful who you trust.”

I frowned at her. “What you’re saying is, don’t trust Prince Feral.”

“I’m saying don’t trust any of them.” Her fingertips gently brushed over the place he bit her and her cheeks flamed. “Especially him.”

“I’m figuring out pretty quickly all he cares about is the throne.” Vincent had made it pretty clear from the beginning that all he cared about was becoming king. But there were little glimpses through the cracks of his douchebag act that suggested that maybe he did care about me. Maybe that was just another layer to the act he was trying to sell me.

“One thing I can’t work out is that Lexi chick.”

Kenzie’s expression hardened as she rolled her eyes. “Oh, God. Her. She’s a snake. Just because she’s screwing one of the princes she walks around here like she’s the freaking queen of the place.”

“Which doesn’t make any sense why she was pissed about me hanging out with Corry. She started talking up Vincent and how he’d make a good king. Like she wants me to take him as a mate.”

“Well, once the king died everyone thought Vincent was going to get the throne. So Lexi was under the impression she was going to be queen. Now that you’re in the way, she wants you to pick Vincent. Once he’s crowned, who’s to say he isn’t going to toss you aside and take her as his queen?”

“Would the Elders allow him to do that?”

She shrugged. “He’d be king. The last one was capable of all sorts of evil shit. You think he’d be any different?”

Kenzie’s words settled in my stomach like sediment at the bottom of a lake. I didn’t want to believe that Vincent would so easily toss me aside for his vampire girlfriend, but why wouldn’t he?

He never wanted me to begin with.

My fists clenched at my sides and I stood up and began to rifle through the clothes for an outfit. “That bastard. He thinks I’m a helpless idiot who can be easily manipulated. Two can play his fucking game.”

“Wait, you’re heading out again? The sun will be up in less than two hours.”

“There is a meeting between the brothers downstairs. I’m going.”

Something wicked flashed in her eyes and her lips quirked into a mischievous smile. “I have an idea. If you really want to get under Prince Feral’s skin.”

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