so gluttonous,” I suggested.
“Gluttonous,” he repeated. “Blood is our right. We need more.”
“Blood is a privilege,” I corrected. “And you’re not getting any more.”
“You can’t do this,” he snapped, his personality finally shining through. I knew the sniveling bit had to be an act, and now the predator in him had come out to play.
Welcome to the game, I mused. What’s your next move?
He slammed his fist on the desk. “Lilith will hear about this! You’re not even a real royal. You’re only temporary. Just wait until you’re replaced. You’ll be finished.”
“Hmm,” I hummed to myself. “Not the best move. Groveling might have worked in your favor. Of course, then I would have found you weak and unworthy, so perhaps not. But threatening me, well, that’s definitely not a wise decision.”
“You think you’re so powerful; wait until Lilith strings you up by your balls,” he seethed, standing abruptly.
“That would be a kinky sight indeed,” I replied, not at all fazed by his little tantrum. “Unfortunately, the femme fatale scenario has never appealed to me. So I’ll have to pass.”
“No one wants you here, Ryder. I’d watch your back if I were you,” he warned, turning on his heel.
An interesting phrase of words, I thought as I pulled a gun from one of the holsters I’d affixed to the underside of my desk. “Yavi,” I said softly, causing him to pause in the doorway. “It’s not me who should be watching my back.” I pulled the trigger, releasing a bullet right into the rear of his head.
Damien sighed in the corner. “I knew you were going to do that the second you asked me about your call with Lilith.”
“I needed to know how long I had to stage a scene,” I replied, referring to our goal of catching the tattletale among us. We had a pretty good idea after these last two weeks of who might be passing intelligence on to Lilith. “The list is down to five, so I figure we’ll provide another test.”
He nodded. “Who should I call for cleanup?”
“How about Benita?” I suggested. “I’d like to clear her name sooner rather than later since we’ve confided so much in her already.”
“A fair choice,” he agreed. “Are you doing the honors, or am I?”
“I’ll take this one since you have a list of animals to catch and all,” I said, referring to the vampires who preyed upon children in this region. “You can offer them a chance to leave. If they don’t comply, then exterminate them.” What was a few more bodies to add to my growing death rate?
“Lilith will be thrilled,” Damien deadpanned.
“Won’t she?” I mused, standing up. “Now how long do I have before my next call?”
“An hour, why?”
I found an ax on my wall, weighing it in my hand. “I’m thirsty,” I replied, wandering over to Yavi’s prone form and calculating the appropriate arc with my gaze. I hefted it over my head and made a clean hit, dislocating his head in one strike.
“You’re getting better at that,” Damien noted.
I glanced at him. “I missed one time four hundred years ago.”
He lifted a shoulder. “It’s a fond memory of mine.”
That explained why he brought it up all the damn time. I dropped the ax beside Yavi’s corpse. “Ask Benita to clean that for me. I’ll be upstairs playing with my pet.”
I found Willow right where I left her, sleepy and satisfied among the black silk sheets. Her mouth opened to mine the moment I went in for a kiss, her supple form bending in approval as I slid into the bed beside her.
She didn’t ask what I wanted or needed; she just let me take my fill and cooperated beautifully with each stroke and touch.
It was as though our bodies had learned to communicate without words, which was astounding considering we hadn’t even fucked yet.
I nibbled her pert tits on my way down to the deliciousness between her thighs. She moaned a tiny disapproval, her body still sore from my earlier feeding. However, her pained groans soon turned to satisfied sighs as I licked her to completion.
Her fingers slid into my hair, holding me in place as she wantonly rode out her pleasure without ever opening her eyes.
I adored her in this state—compliant and eager and mine.
As the last of her spasms abated, I slid up her gorgeous curves and kissed the hell out of her. My cock ached in my slacks, begging me to free him for a ride, but I didn’t have time to