enough pressure to break skin, but I can feel the threat lingering in the air. “Honestly, Peony, I might’ve spared you if you’ve just given in to me. I liked you. Truthfully, I liked you. We could’ve had something special together.” He shakes his head sadly before anger darkens his features once more. “But then you had to go and fuck all of those little bastards. Tell me, Peony. Were they worth it? Were they worth your life?”
I smile cruelly at him as his blade presses even further against my neck, finally nicking the skin.
“Just their cocks alone were worth it,” I say breezily, and his face contorts in unbridled rage. Emmett’s a bomb ready to explode with only the slightest provocation, but maybe, just maybe, the impending blast will somehow set me free.
It’s either that or die tied to an altar.
He drags the knife from my neck to my arm, carving a clean slice directly over my scars. I release a gasp of pain as blood begins to flow freely to the floor. It won’t kill me, not yet, but it hurts like a fucking bitch.
“They’re little pricks,” he whispers desperately, his face inches from mine. “You can do so much better, Peony. You did do so much better. With me.”
I laugh until tears prick my eyes, even as he begins to growl threateningly. When I finally get myself under control, I hiss, “With you? With a murderous fucking asshole who has me tied up and is cutting me?”
“I only do it to stay alive!” Emmett bellows. “You know that we need blood to survive.”
“You don’t have to kill anyone,” I press. “The triplets don’t.” They never confirmed it, but I assume they take the blood from Nana. I’ve never seen scars on her, though, so it makes me think that they use small needles to draw her blood directly from her veins. The only reason their eyes aren’t red now is because they’re not using dark magic, unlike Emmett. Unlike those other Bloods who attempted to kidnap me.
Emmett’s laugh reminds me vaguely of a sword covered in frost. It’s as icy and as deadly, the noise immediately instilling fear inside of me.
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” Emmett whispers, leaning forward to lick a pathway up my cheek. I attempt to turn my head away, but his other hand—the one holding the knife—grips my chin tightly. “Don’t fucking look away from me.”
“Fuck you,” I snap.
“I’ll admit,” Emmett continues, ignoring my outburst. To my immense relief, he releases my chin and steps away from me. “There’s something addicting about the power drinking blood gives you. And when you drain a witch completely?” He makes a low groan, eyes rolling into the back of his head. “It’s pure bliss.”
“You’re insane,” I whisper, and I realize it’s the wrong thing to say when he lurches towards me, once more sitting on that squeaky stool.
“It’s an addiction,” he protests vehemently. “I thought you, of all people, would understand.” He nods pointedly towards the numerous scars on my wrist.
“It’s not the fucking same, and you know it.”
“Pot meet kettle,” he dismisses.
“You need help, Emmett. A lot of fucking help. You need—” My words cut off as he brings the knife back to my body and cuts from my collarbone to my elbow. A scream wrenches from my throat as I throw my head back, agony pulsating through my veins.
“What was that?” Emmett cups his ear with the hand holding the bloody knife. “I couldn’t hear you. Insane, you say?”
“Fuck you!” I wheeze through my tears. I can see the violence in his eyes, teetering on the brink of absolute destruction, like an earthquake that destroys entire cities in a span of seconds.
“I’m. Not. Insane!” he roars as he brings his knife back down, this time to the sliver of thigh visible where Lucas’s shirt ends.
It suddenly occurs to me all of the things he could do to my body. I’m tied up. Alone. Practically naked.
The fear I felt previously is nothing compared to the fear running rampant inside of me now.
“Look how pretty you bleed for me,” Emmett murmurs as he runs his hand through the blood on my thighs. He inches it higher, higher, higher…
“Emmett, enough,” a gruff voice commands. Emmett freezes, his hand only a few inches away from my pussy, and releases a low growl.
“You said—”
“I didn’t say you could touch the sacrifice,” the newcomer snaps. “Step. Away.”
Emmett’s eyes scream disobedience, but he reluctantly takes a step backwards, bringing the