Page 5 of B Negative

It was almost good enough. “Your word, Titus.”

The king's jaw strained once again, but this time, one corner of his mouth lifted.

He found me amusing.

Good.

Hopefully that would be enough to keep him from beheading me when he discovered I wasn’t a born vampire.

“You have my word, Eden. If I have yours that you won’t try to steal my things. Any of them.”

“Agreed.” I stuck out my hand and Titus grasped it in his.

I let myself relax the smallest amount. I had his word. But I didn’t know if that actually meant anything to this vampire. He very well might still stake me if he found out.

I’d still have to keep my distance.

He had a whole tower and a territory to run for Christ’s sake. Maybe I could make this work. As much as Titus’s gaze stayed tethered to Sunny, a king had too many responsibilities to stitch himself to his new mate’s side. Even if he wanted to.

Titus rapped on the glass divider, signaling to the driver, and we continued toward his tower of terror.

But the moment we passed the neutral area of the river and breeched Titus’s, my arms erupted into gooseflesh, my fangs dropped unbidden, and I let out a feral hiss directed at Titus.

I hadn’t meant to do any of that.

Titus was unfazed, eyes locked on Sunny’s face. “It’s only the witch’s wards. It will pass soon.”

I smoothed my hands down my arms, trying to soothe the zinging nerves and raised hackles. As my body settled, Cypress City came into view.

A far cry from Laurel Cove, the city’s tall jagged buildings lent an ominous air to the skyline, doubly so when painted in twilight. The limo weaved in and out of traffic, obeying only some traffic laws as it homed in on Titus’s tower.

Part of me expected an urban hellscape with bloodlusty vampires running free, snatching any human who dared to be on the street. But Cypress City, despite its aggressive architecture, looked like any other modern city.

People gathered at outdoor bars, drinking and laughing, walking to their cars unaccompanied.

“Vampires, right?” I asked, gesturing to the crowded patios.

Titus smirked. “My vampires stick to their clubs on the other side of the city.”

I sharpened my sights on him, looking for signs of deceit. “They’re all humans?”

Titus nodded.

Either the stories of this king’s reign of terror were greatly exaggerated or something bigger was going on that even Julian didn’t know about.

That, or the king kept all those nefarious activities he was so well-known for restricted to within the walls of his tower.

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