Blood Debt (Kingdom of Blood #1) - Callie Rose Page 0,35

that on-edge or alert. Probably because they know how tightly the whole palace is locked down.

Just as I turn down a hallway, leaving the men’s wing behind, the hair at the back of my neck prickles.

I freeze, sensing something.

But before I have a second to figure out what it is or even to react at all, strong arms grab my shoulders.

Chapter Eleven

Yanked off-course and pinned against a wall, my first instinct is to smash my head into the face of whoever’s holding me.

I barely restrain myself. All of my nerves are on fire, my muscles twisting with conflicting instincts, until I smell it. The coppery tang of blood, and something sweet and rich, like mulled wine.

Vampire.

My hunter’s focus rises above everything else, allowing me to calm my heart and my breath as I zero in on my prey. Prey that just happens to have me pinned up against a wall, but I’ve been in worse spots and still won the fight in the end.

I lift my head to meet my captor’s gaze and find myself staring at my own reflection in a pair of pale gray eyes. The same pale gray eyes that were watching me all freaking night.

Prince Bastian.

Fuck.

He’s got me pinned in with his body. He isn’t hurting me, but he’s damn sure not letting me get away. He pulls back and cocks his head, looking at me curiously. Hell, I’d be looking at me sideways too. I can’t remember the last time a vampire got the drop on me like this.

But this one is silent as the grave. I didn’t hear him coming, didn’t sense him coming. It’s like he materialized out of thin fucking air.

“Your heartbeat was faster in the great hall, when your safety was guaranteed,” he murmurs, his thick brows pulling together a little as he studies me. “Why aren’t you more frightened now?”

Fuck. I don’t know how to answer that. At least, not without explaining that I’m a vampire hunter in my other life and have trained my body to stay calm during a fight. Think, bitch, think.

“I—I was just so awed and overwhelmed before, with all the luxury and power and—” I’m not making any sense. That’s fine, I’m supposed to be a senseless groupie, right? “And, um, all the vampires.”

Bastian cocks an eyebrow and twists his mouth. “Awed and overwhelmed. Of course.”

Yeah, he’s not buying this for a second. He glances down the hallway, back the way I came from, then turns that icy stare back at me. “So awed and overwhelmed you had to take to the hallways, alone and unescorted, in the dead of night. What were you doing, tribute?”

He doesn’t say it like a slur, but it sure feels like one. Maybe I’m projecting, but I don’t care. Fuck this asshole.

“I was trying to find a bathroom.” I know it’s the wrong thing to say as soon as it’s out of my mouth. He must be aware that Anastasyia shows all of the tributes where their bathrooms are right away.

He actually laughs. It’s a surprisingly human sound, but that doesn’t make it any less creepy. He cuts his laugh off short, giving me a flat glare. “Do you prefer urinals, then, or just the men who use them?”

Crap on a fucking popsicle stick. Okay, so he knows where I was. Play dumb. I cock my head to one side, then think better of it as his eyes flash quickly to the exposed flesh at my throat.

I straighten my head again, clenching my jaw. “What do you mean?”

He chuckles, and the sound pours over me like rolling thunder.

“I see everything, you know,” he murmurs. “I watched as you fucked the male tributes with your eyes. You couldn’t stop staring.” He leans close to me, his breath brushing against my earlobe as he speaks in a low voice. “If that’s the kind of satisfaction you’re looking for, my bed is always open to you.”

My stomach dips and sways sideways, as if I’m on the deck of a ship in the middle of a storm.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead in your coffin,” I hiss out through my teeth, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

My heart thumps hard, and I bite my tongue. I know I’ve made a mistake. Again. I’ve always had grit, determination, and anger on my side, but I’m never been the best at disguising my feelings, and it’s been biting me in the ass all night. It’s only a matter of time before it gets