Page 46 of Bite of Sin

“Believe me, Kali, I’ll know if you lie to me,” I murmured. “And you won’t like what happens. I want truths only.”

“Ifyou can pin me,” she tossed back. “Maybe I’ll kill you before that.”

I couldn’t hold back my laugh. She had no chance, but apparently, she was up for the challenge. I reached forward and lightly grabbed the necklace on her chest. She didn’t move, her eyes not leaving mine.

“Do your worst,” I ordered in a low voice, letting the pendant drop back to her skin and waiting for her to make the first move.

She fidgeted with the shirt Gia had gifted her. It was a black tank top, and lucky for her, it wasn’t strapless like the corset she’d been wearing the last two nights. The jeans she was wearing were tight, but probably not as restrictive as the leather pants. She still had the boots on that she’d come into the city with. Her hair was pulled in a high ponytail that she seemed to favor over wearing it down.

“How am I supposed to kill you when I don’t have a stake?” she ground out.

“Get creative.”

My mocking tone had her bristling, and I got impatient when she didn’t make a move to come after me. I lunged forward, and she twisted away, ducking just out of reach. She stayed light on her feet, moving in a small circle, scrutinizing everything I did. When I angled my feet to go left, she immediately shuffled to the right. She could read my moves. Interesting. I had a feeling she wasn’t being completely honest about not being able to fight.

There was only one way to find out.

Chapter19

Zan

This time I came after her with more speed, making it impossible for her to guess my next move. I snatched her wrist while kicking her feet out from under her. She let out a cry when she went down, and I jumped on top of her. I still had a hold of one of her arms, and her other fist slammed into my ribs. It was a sloppy hit and felt like nothing. Before she could swing again, I grabbed her wrist, forcing both of her arms over her head as I leaned over her.

“Give me a truth,” I said, giving her a smug grin. “Or I don’t let you back up.”

She twisted in my hold, a frustrated shriek escaping her lips. She bucked her hips, attempting to throw me off, but I didn’t budge. Her chest heaved as she glared up at me.

“What truth?” she hissed.

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen. What a big bad vampire you are to scare a little girl.”

I didn’t respond to her lie right away, listening to her heartbeat. I frowned, realizing how slow it was. It was still slightly elevated, but not as erratic as I was expecting it to be. She tilted her head, watching me curiously as I tightened my hold on her wrists even though she wasn’t struggling anymore.

“How old are you?” I asked again. “And please, an answer that’s fucking believable.”

“Twenty-one.”

There was no jump or skip to her heartbeat when she answered, and I paused, annoyance flaring through me. It could be her real age, but there wasn’t any part of me that believed she’d tell the truth about anything. Plus, she looked older than that.

I let it go and climbed off her. She jumped to her feet, and I was on her in seconds, taking her to the ground again. This time she landed on her stomach, and I straddled her back. I fisted her ponytail, arching her neck back as she hissed curses at me.

I aimed to make my next question more emotional. “Do you love him? Warner?”

Her heart didn’t miss a beat when she answered. “No.”

With a snarl, I moved to stand, letting go of her hair. She hauled herself off the ground, taking the time to brush dead grass off her jeans. To my shock, she grinned at me, her gaze taunting.

“Are you lying?” I gritted out.

Her eyes widened with bullshit innocence. “Am I? You told me that you’d know if I was, so why are you questioning it?”

Her voice was overly sweet, a tone I’d never heard from her. She danced away from me when I went for her again.

“Oh, wait,” she exclaimed, darting behind a picnic table to separate me from her. “I know why you brought me out here.”

I studied her, annoyance coursing through my veins. “And why’s that?”

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