Page 85 of Heathens

“Youwill. You don’t really have a choice.”

When his other hand passes close to my mouth, I try to bite him, but he’s too fast. He snatches a dark bottle off of the nightstand and holds it up in front of me as I continue to thrash and struggle beneath him.

“This is chloroform. You scream again, and you’re taking another fucking nap.”

This time, the warm look in his eyes has been replaced with pure malice. His anger is infectious, wafting off of him like heat from a forest fire.

“Suck my dick,” I spit.

The vein in his forehead looks like it’s about to pop.

“You want Rene’s men to hear you from the street? Keep screaming. They’re all over the place. They broke in here once, and they’ll do it again. And theyknow you.”

More lies. All of that shit he told me at dinner about working with humans and the delicate balance that we have… it’s all bullshit.

“Fuck you.”

“I could just kill you, you know.”

“And then who would make your stupid little formula?” I snap. “Unless you want to break into the bank and take someone from there, but that place would turn you into a rotisserie chicken and you know it.”

The second I told him what I used to do before I owned the bar I saw something in his eyes that made me feel a pang of unease, one which stayed with me the whole night. I should have listened to that instinct. What the fuck was I thinking agreeing to have dinner with him? Ruby’s got to be freaking out by now. The entirebarhas got to be wondering where I am.

He leans in close.

“Make my formula.”

“Walk into the fucking sun.”

Dominic’s lip curls and a growl rumbles in his chest.

“I save your life, and this is how you repay me?”

All of that charm he showed me at dinner has burned away. Now, he’s panicked, desperate, and full of rage. I can’t believe a single word that comes out of his mouth.

“You don’t understand the danger you’re in. You’ve never seen how fucking twisted Rene can be.”

“If he’s anything like you, then I guess I’m in for a real treat.”

The hand around my throat squeezes tighter, crushing my windpipe as he leans in close, his fangs bared.

“It would do you well, little dove, tonevermake those kinds of comparisons. You don’t know what he’s capable of, or what he did to–”

He cuts himself off, loosening his grip.

“To who?” I choke through gasps of air.

“No one.”

He lets me go, turning away.

Vampires aren’t necessarily soulless creatures. They can feel love, just like anyone else. It’s all just twisted with years of monstrous acts. If I appeal to what’s left of his humanity, maybe that’ll help.

I try to make myself look as pitiful as possible. It’s not an arduous task considering how sorry I feel for myself right now.

“Dominic, if you care for me at all, you’ll let me go. We can forget about all of this and start over, just–”

“It’s not about me, Sofie. If I let you go, Rene’s going to take you for himself. You think I’m lying? That he’s not going to swoop in on you the second you leave here?”

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