quite touch the floor as he moved.
How much effort did it take to do that? Not to mention, what was he that he could do it at all? Astral projection was a rare talent, and most who possessed it didn’t advertise it. They made the best spies and, under certain circumstances, excellent assassins.
“She lost a lot of blood yesterday.” He motioned to the dark stain on the stone. Yeah, I wasn’t going to comment on the fact the stone had all but absorbed all that blood. The dark brownish stain was all that remained of my pooled blood.
“Then feed her, asshole,” Fin said abruptly, all trace of playfulness gone from his tone. “You can certainly spare a pint.”
“I’m not hungry,” I said before Maddox could snarl. The fact that the arm he had around me tensed and the rest of him seemed to vibrate suggested his rather vehement response to the accusation.
Fin jerked his gaze to me.
“And I don’t heal that way anyway.”
Head tilted, he stared at me. “You do realize you’re part vampire, right?”
“You do realize that’s an oxymoron, right?” What was it with people telling me what I was? “There’s no such thing as a part-vampire.” Hybrids didn’t exist. Do join the party line. Why else was I in this prison? Oh yeah, because I’d broken some covenant by existing.
Right.
“Agitation. Pallor. Exhaustion. Dissociation, bloodlust, and madness follow. Baby vamps have to eat.” He ticked each item off like I was five.
Yeah, my estimation of Fin began to drop by several points. “I’m a succubus,” I reminded him. “That’s not how I heal.” Or feed.
“Well, I’m pretty sure Maddox still remembers how that works, just let him…”
“Fin,” Maddox snapped. “She already told you she wasn’t hungry. Leave her alone.”
Oh ho, he was defending me now? The flip-flop was enough to make anyone a little dizzy.
“Yeah, but she’s going to need her strength, and if she’s waning after only a day in your company, what’s she going to be like tonight?” He folded his arms, and I swore I could almost hear the tapping of his foot, even if it wasn’t audible.
“We’ll be fine,” Maddox stated smoothly. “Speaking of conserving energy, you should.”
“Says the one who gets to spend time with her while I lay here under the stone floor with a mouse for company,” Fin grumbled.
“Stop bitching and go away,” Maddox said in an aggrieved tone. “We’ll head up when the torches go out.”
“Fine. But she sleeps with me tomorrow.” He blew me a kiss before focusing on Maddox again. “You got two days. Fair is fair.” Then he was gone before my companion could respond.
“Still like him better, Kitten?”
“Not so much.”
He chuckled, then slid his hand up to massage my nape. “He’s not wrong. You do need some fresh blood. Feeding your dual nature needs to be something you get used to.”
“If that’s your polite way of saying ‘bite me,’ no thank you.” I really didn’t want blood. The image of Dorran cutting himself so the blood trickled out flashed through my mind, accompanying the hot flavor of it on my tongue.
I shuddered and curled my toes as I closed my eyes. I did not want to want it. I wasn’t a vampire.
“The hardest part of the transition is accepting your needs have also transitioned,” Maddox said, drawing circles against my shoulder with his thumb. “You have to feed both.”
“Or what?” I asked, in spite of my intentions of focusing on my house.
“Or bloodlust will set in. The need to sate yourself on whatever you can get your hands on, and you won’t mind killing to get what you need.”
I didn’t mind killing so much now.
“And you won’t be able to tell friend from foe.”
That part bugged me a little.
“For those who truly deny themselves, they may lose the thread of who they are entirely. Minds have broken in transition before, it is why those who are turned are carefully curated.” He was almost likeable as he handled this conversationally, without his domineering and orders.
“Too bad I missed that memo,” I told him, though maybe that was another reason Dorran had taken such an interest in me, particularly when I wouldn’t feed. It could also be he just wanted to have a good time. Though it was something to consider on both fronts.
“I’ll give you some latitude, Kitten, if I hadn’t put the shackles on you—you wouldn’t be half-starved now.” Before I could deny it, he gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Deny you’re hungry all you want, but