Page 38 of Bite of Sin

“Your new obsession might get in the way.” He turned his head, giving me a shit-eating grin. “I can’t blame you, though. If you hadn’t claimed her first, I’d be doing the same.”

I gritted my teeth, knowing he was fucking with me. “I’m not obsessed.”

“Really? Then why did you have Pax stay behind when he always comes to drops with us?”

“Fuck off,” I grumbled, keeping my eyes on the road.

It had been three nights since Kali had come to the city. She showed up at Impulse the second night without me having to drag her there. I had been expecting her to try and run again, but something had changed. Her attitude was still very much intact, but she didn’t seem to have the motivation to escape. Maybe she realized life in the city was far better than being on her own. I’d had Pax hang back so he could keep an eye on her, on top of the vampire I kept posted outside the hotel where she was sleeping.

“If Dad finds out you gave that necklace to a newbie, he’s going to be furious,” Viggo said, as if I didn’t already know that. “You know what he wanted you to use that for.”

“Once she’s older and knows her place, I’ll take it off. He doesn’t need to find out.”

He chuckled. “Sure.”

Fuck me. I should have just taken her to the center like Viggo wanted the first night we found her. It was too late now. I didn’t want her to leave. She got under my skin every time she spoke, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to push her even more to see how she reacted. She was unpredictable. Something in this life that wasn’t tolerated at all.

We demanded obedience from every vampire. But I wasn’t forcing it on her like I should be. Even Gia was surprised. But she was just as bad. Already taking Kali under her wing and teaching her our ways without the cruel hand that the center lived by.

I pushed the pedal down more, pushing the truck faster. The headlights were off so we didn’t attract any attention, and with the moon hidden behind the clouds, it was pitch black out tonight. Not that it bothered me. My sight was perfect, even in the dark, just like every vampire.

“In a hurry?” Viggo taunted with a laugh. “You realize she hates you, right? Every time she looks at you, I can see her planning your death. But I can see the appeal. The fun of the unknown.”

I could feel his stare on me, but I kept my eyes on the back road, avoiding the potholes. “She’d never get close to killing me.”

Her strength was nothing compared to mine. Even as she got older, her skills would never come close.

“I’m surprised no one has tried anything with her.”

I bristled. “She’s claimed as mine. No one would fucking dare.”

“You know that’s not true,” he shot back. “There are always vamps who try to challenge us when the urge gets too strong. And she’s an easy target, being so new.”

He was right. As much as we did to keep them all in line, it was a precarious balance to keep them compliant when a vampire’s instinct was to control and dominate. The majority did fall in line, but there were always a few who refused to follow.

“Pax is there. She’ll be fine,” I finally answered. Yet I still sped up even more, tearing through an open field to cut time off the trip.

This was the first night I hadn’t set eyes on her since she came to my city, and the unease strumming through me put me on edge. Which was another problem in its fucking self. She was filling my mind more than I’d ever admit out loud. My priority was Project Hope, but I’d been practically living at Impulse since she showed up, just to keep an eye on her.

I should send her away.

I should. But I wouldn’t.

Chapter16

Kali

“You seem to be getting along well in here.”

Gia’s words had me stiffening, but I smiled at her anyway as I leaned on the bar. It had been a few hours since the doors opened, and like the last two nights, it was nonstop busy. But tonight was different. Because Zan and Viggo were missing. Pax was here, in his usual spot, and I’d caught him keeping an eye on me more than once while I took orders. Tonight was also the first time I was able to see Warner again.

Apparently, having an unconscious and beaten human in the cages was no fun, so they’d taken him to the back room. A room I had absolutely no access to. But I’d been watching. Gia had a copy of the keys for the cages, along with another vampire who had a mohawk. I was guessing his job was to deal with the humans, since I’d only seen him in and out of that back room.

He had brought Warner out earlier and thrown him in a cage in the back of the club near the wall. I didn’t want Warner seeing me—not yet anyway. Not until I could explain what I was doing. If he alerted anyone here about knowing me, it was going to be a problem. But Warner hadn’t looked this way once. He was sitting up with his arms around his knees and his face toward the wall, not paying attention to any curious vampires who came around him.

My heart panged as I stared at his back. He looked so weak, making me wonder when he’d eaten last. He hadn’t had his backpack on him when they’d dragged him in here two nights ago. His head sagged down, and it was taking all my willpower not to reveal myself to him. But first I needed to talk to him without any vampires overhearing, and I wasn’t sure when that would happen.

“Has anyone bothered you?”

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