Page 25 of Prey

“I hate you.”

A smile came to my face. “So you’ve said a hundred times in the last few days. You’ve also said you loved me almost as many.”

“That wasn’t me you were hearing, Marko, it was yourself. Your blood. The real me doesn’t love you at all. How does it feel to know that the one thing you want the most is nothing but a big, fat lie?”

My eyes narrowed and the hurt had me lashing out. Maybe I did know it was all fake, but hearing it, facing it…knowing what I felt was true and hers wasn’t… “If there’s nothing for me to work for any longer, perhaps I should just kill you now.”

“So you’ve threatened since I’ve met you. Anyway, I’m done arguing with you. Why don’t you tell me what made you choose me?”

The top half of my body fell back onto the mattress and I stared up at the dark ceiling. Even though I was beyond pissed at her smart ass mouth, I could still see her hair flying back from the wind…her exposed neck. My need for her suddenly became something more. Something far past the point of being obsessive. “Your smell. Lavender with a hint of jasmine. And I used to like strawberries. You ate some before you left for the church. The combination caught my attention.” My hands shook and I clenched them through my impatience.

“Oh, you’re right. I think I did have some.” She paused. “Marko, there’s something I need to get out.”

“What?”

“I don’t think you’re entirely bad.”

“No? You sure about that?”

“Yeah, I think so. You’re cruel and an asshole at times, but I’m starting to see something else. Well, not see, but feel. You want me. I know you do. I’m not so sure it’s the blood making me pick it up either.” She broke off and I could tell she was choosing her words carefully. “But, I’m confused about everything. I don’t know because even as I think it, all I can see is you and that’s not helping me figure out these feelings. Your face…well, we both know how insanely attractive you are. And the accent. That’s really hot. And I guess you have this dangerous, sexy air about you that would have not only me, but all the girls swooning.” She paused and I realized my lips were pulled back on the side. “The smile. I can see it on your face so clearly. That’s what gets me the most, I think. It’s like…although I know you’re a killer, there’s this side of you. I feel like…if I could tap into it, I could change you into such a good man. The one I’ve always dreamed of. In reality, that’s the downfall. That’s what I think maybe gets us all. We want to save the bad boy. And even as I sit here and my brain tells me you can’t be redeemed, my heart aches to become the one you truly need. The one to make you better.”

My smile melted and I knew the aching within my chest was a combination of both of us. It was so crippling that my hand rose to push against it. Was this how it was to be human? I’d all but forgotten. Never really wanted to remember the pain, but here it was. The vampire said I needed to put an end to it. The real Marko, the one who once existed, clung to the sensation.

“You can’t save me, mon chaton. It’s impossible. You will die at my hands. And I know it won’t make things better, but you’re the first one who’s made me contemplate my timeframe. I…” What the fuck was I doing? I couldn’t be telling her this stuff. I shouldn’t have even been saying or thinking it. God dammit. What was I doing?

“A small part of you truly doesn’t want me dead,” she whispered. “You want to keep me. You worry about your status. About what everyone will think if you take a human concubine. Is that like a wife?”

Tightening took over my jaw and I sat up, feeling adrenaline kick in. The realization put into words nearly made me sick. To hear the truth of it so loud and clear…I felt exposed. I felt…weak within my race—again. Vampires took human slaves, but never a human concubine. It was forbidden. Unheard of, even. It was like a human marrying their pet. It just didn’t happen. “I can’t stand that you read my thoughts so easily.”

“You can read mine.”

“That’s different. You’re the prey.”

“In your eyes, yes. I see that now. I feel what you do. But I’m a person, Marko. A living, breathing person with feelings and wants. You’ve seen my life. You’ve told me about it. I know when you viewed the years I’ve lived you didn’t feel much, but those were my memories you saw. Through each one, I experienced either happiness, heartache, or sadness. And it makes up every ounce of the person I am today.” She paused and I strained to hear the next part of her confession. “That person has you contemplating more time. Does that mean nothing to you?”

My head lowered and I leaned forward, burying my fingers in my hair. “It’s the exchange of blood, Tessa. Nothing more. It’s not real.”

“Are you one hundred percent sure of that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, getting angrier. “It’s done. You die. That’s not going to change.”

So be it. You leave me no choice. It had been a private thought. Not part of the conversation. My brow furrowed and I gripped to my hair tighter.

“What’s your next move? More days at the hotel you’re staying at?”

A sarcastic laugh came through. “I knew you knew.” Silence. “No. I’m going to join the church. You can’t get me there. I’ll be safe. I’ll live.”

My head shot up and I felt my eyes widen. “You can’t join the church. You don’t even believe in God. Funny since you’ve made your whole life revolve around Him.”

“You know, Marko, I never understood religion, but I’m really beginning to believe it wasn’t as farfetched as I’d imagined. I mean, look you at. You exist. Why couldn’t God?”

The anger intensified. If she was speaking the truth, she’d be right. I would lose her. The mere thought that she’d be gone and not even dead, and at her choice, sent my vampire into a frenzy. I’d never lost when it came to my prey. Never been bested at my own game. Especially with a woman who’d taken in my blood twice. This obsession would never end. It would literally drive me crazy, just like it was doing now. Dead or bonded. There was no in between.

“You come home. Stay here. I’ll leave you alone.”

“You lie.”

My fist slammed into the top of her dresser, sending it to cave in the middle. The large hole was nothing compared to what I could do if I really wanted to unleash the fury I held inside.

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