sigh, shook her head, and took the one step left between them to take his fingers in hers. “I’m not going to kill you, Patrick. I was never going to kill you. Almost kill you, maybe, but kill you? No.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, almost kill me. Well, that makes all the difference.”
Her low chuckle set his pulse into heated flight and he scowled. Once again, the woman was affecting him in ways she shouldn’t. He should be worried about his big brother and his disappearing act. Instead he was getting turned on by a laugh.
“Don’t worry, lifeguard.” She arched her own eyebrow back at him. “Something tells me even if I tried, it would be impossible to sever your life thread.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because Ven transubstantiating himself from the Realm shouldn’t be possible. That he did so answers at least one question I had before bringing you here.”
“And that is?”
“I’m one hundred percent certain your brother has become a second-order demon.”
He frowned. “How did Ven become a second-order demon? And why? Does this have anything to do with me?”
She pulled a face. “I don’t know. But I think I have an idea.”
He pulled his own face. “So, we’re back to square one.”
A small smile, both nervous and hesitant, played with the corners of her mouth. “Back to testing my theory? Yes.”
“But you said you needed to taste Ven’s blood.” He looked around the room pointedly. “Bit tricky when he’s not here.”
She studied him for a heartbeat, expression impossible to read, and Patrick’s gut twisted. “I said I needed to taste Ven’s blood. I didn’t say only Ven’s blood. You’re brothers. The answer lies in both your veins.”
He stared down at her, the twist in his gut turning into a full-blown knot. “You’re going to taste my blood.”
“It won’t hurt.”
He let out a short, sharp grunt. “That’s not the problem.”
She studied him, puzzled uncertainty on her face. “Then what… Ahhh.” She nodded, as if finally seeing the hidden 3-D shape in the image of nonsensical colors. “I’m not going to turn you into a vampire, Patrick,” she said. “That ability is beyond my power. I’m Death, not a bloodsucker and only vampires can sire vampires.”
He narrowed his eyes, but before he could respond—exactly how, he didn’t know—she continued.
“What I said about the soul releasing its secrets to the Void on imminent death is true. I see it all. The person’s entire thread in the Weave, where they came from, right back to their first ancestor. By the same token, I can taste it all, for want of a better way to explain it, in a living human’s blood. In fact, the results are quicker. I would have suggested your blood first, but I was…” A soft blush tinged her cheeks and she looked away for a quick moment. “I was a bit concerned about how I would react.”
“How you would react?”
The blush in her cheeks grew hotter. “I’m not a vampire, Patrick, but I am a Rider. If you make me horny with just a look, imagine what the taste of your blood could do to me.”
He studied her, unsure what to say. Or think.
“But it’s okay,” she hurried on, her gaze holding his. “And all I need is one small taste. Honest.”
Gut clenched, chest tight, he closed his eyes. Ah, Jesus, when had his life become so surreal?
“The moment you were born, Patrick Watkins,” she murmured. “And I’m trying to find out why. Trust me.”
Opening his eyes, he gazed down into her face. Releasing a sigh, feeling more than a little nervous, he nodded.
Her eyes shimmered to white. “Just one taste. I promise. All I need to do is touch my tongue to your vein.”
Her stare held him frozen. Mouth dry, pulse crazy, he watched her slowly lift his right hand level with her chest. She caressed his inner wrist with infinite care, her fingertips trailing over the sensitive flesh protecting his median antebrachial vein, the main source of oxygen-rich blood coming straight from his heart. Her warm breath feathered the delicate epidermal layer and he swallowed at the desert in his throat.
A ripple of tight heat rolled through him. He licked his parched lips with his dry tongue, unable to move.
She looked up at him, confident calm radiating from her. “This will be quick,” she whispered.
God, does it have to be?
The dark, seductive thought floated through Patrick’s hazy mind. He pulled in a swift breath, the sudden realization he was aroused, painfully, completely aroused slamming him in the chest.