Page 99 of Bite of Sin

“Shh,” he said in a hushed voice. “They don’t realize I’m up here yet. I’d rather they not know until I’m out of this fucking house.”

“You have to sneak out,” I said, the realization dawning on me. “That’s why you’re trying to convince me to go. Because you can’t drag me out of here without raising suspicion.”

His tense silence had me guessing I was right. I struggled against him again, but he only pressed more of his weight on my hips, and I clenched my teeth at the reminder of when I was on top of him in the basement. Something I did not need to be thinking about right now. Or ever again.

“What if I let you bring him?” he forced out gruffly.

“Who?”

“Warner.” He spat out the name with disdain.

I couldn’t hold back the sarcastic laugh. “So you can lock him in a cage again? Or threaten him to keep me in line?”

“No,” he answered slowly. “Because I know he’s the only reason you want to stay here.”

“I want to stay here because it’s where I belong,” I retorted. “I sure as hell don’t belong with vampires when I’mhuman. Or did you forget?”

“Believe me, it’s impossible to forget that.”

“You’re wasting your time. I’m not going with you.”

“Fuck, Kali,” he growled. “You’re infuriating.”

“So you’ve told me before.”

He lapsed into silence again, and I wasn’t sure if he was listening for noises or thinking. But either way, he stayed on top of me the entire time.

“Even if you stay here tonight, I’m coming back for you,” he warned, his voice low. “And next time, you won’t have a choice.”

“You won’t find me after tonight,” I snarled furiously. “Once you’re gone, we’ll move. We won’t stay where vampires can find us. And I don’t have your little necklace on anymore.”

“Necklace or not, I’ll find you.”

“Good luck.”

“I’ve never had anyone push me like you do,” he murmured. “And as much as it drives me crazy, it also excites me. In more than one way. I don’t want to let that go. Let you go.”

The way my stomach fluttered seriously terrified me. He was sitting on top of me, threatening to kidnap me for a second damn time. His words or actions shouldn’t affect me in any way. But clearly, that wasn’t the case. The way my body reacted to him. How I was content to sit in that fucking basement and talk to him. If I let him in, he’d consume me. I knew it. And I also knew it would end up with me dead. Which was why there was no way I was leaving this house with him. After tonight, we’d move, and I’d never see him again.

“I’ll start screaming if you don’t get off me,” I threatened, desperate to put some space between us.

His dark chuckle growing louder was the only warning I had before his lips suddenly brushed my cheek. Goose bumps covered my skin at the contact, and I sucked in a quick breath when he nipped at my earlobe.

“I’d love to hear you scream,” he whispered roughly. “But we can’t do that tonight.”

“Zan,” I choked out, trying to keep my voice steady. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You won’t leave with me tonight?”

“No,” I answered firmly. “I won’t.”

“You’re right. I’ve already checked outside, and there are more humans than I was expecting.” His lips were still touching my skin between every word, and he was slowly drifting down to my neck. “I can’t sneak away from all of them when I have you over my shoulder and screaming. And I can’t go back to the basement. So it looks like you get your way—you’re staying. For tonight anyway.”

“Then go.”

“You really think I won’t find you?”

“I can promise you won’t.”

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