Sacrifice (Bloodline Vampires #1) - Katee Robert Page 0,37

can get me what I need to make sure this isn’t a mistake of epic proportions.

I stop a few feet away from the door Rylan still hasn’t shifted away from. “Move.”

He stares me down. “I should kill you now and solve all our problems. Can’t breed if you’re dead.”

The fire has nearly died down to ashes, but it flares high as Malachi climbs to his feet, eerily slow. “Watch your words or, friend or not, you’ll lose your head.”

Rylan’s eyes widen just a fraction. “You fool.”

“Fool or not, it stands.”

He shakes his head and finally moves back. Even knowing those couple of feet won’t make much difference if he decided to make a grab for me, I inch out the door and take off running for the kitchen. I find Wolf staring at a pot of water suspiciously. It’s odd enough that it almost distracts me. “What are you doing?”

“How long does water take to boil? I mean, honestly, this is just plebeian.” He glances at me and narrows his eyes. “You’re scared. What happened?”

“Rylan is here.” I jump forward when he starts to blur toward the door, barely getting there before him. “Wait!”

Wolf stops short. “He and Malachi need a referee or they’re going to rip this house down to the foundation.”

Even with that risk, this is too large to ignore. Especially when every hour counts and we’re quite a ways from the nearest human town. “Wolf, wait.”

He narrows his eyes. “What’s going on?”

I don’t know how I’m supposed to handle this, so I just blurt it out. “You came inside me.” When he starts to smirk, I rush on. “If I get pregnant with your baby, my father will use it to collar you. I can’t let that happen. Not to you or Malachi.” I lift my hands, but let them drop before I touch him. “The humans have something called the morning after pill. Or Plan B. Or something like that. I need you to get it for me. The sooner, the better.”

He searches my expression, looking uncharacteristically serious. “You’d go to such lengths?”

“It’s a pill. It’s not like I’m agreeing to surgery with no anesthetic.” When he keeps staring, I wrap my arms around myself. “Look, I know why I was sent here, and I know there’s no happy ending for this for me, but at least I can make sure I don’t screw you guys over. Malachi can’t go. Neither can I. It has to be you.”

He reaches out and catches my chin lightly. “You know if you did end up pregnant, I’d simply whisk you away to somewhere you father can never find you.”

That’s vaguely comforting as a plan of last resort, but that doesn’t create a fix for all our problems right now. “What about Malachi?”

“When you have forever, it gives you time to figure out alternative solutions.” He shrugs. “Most likely, once I secure you, I’ll snatch up some human and haul them back here to break the blood ward and free Malachi.”

“Let’s just shelve the idea of murder for time being” I hesitate. “And maybe get condoms, too? If you want to keep fucking?”

His grin is quick and wicked. “Oh, love, we are definitely going to keep fucking.” He kisses me, and then he’s gone, moving so fast my hair lifts in the breeze of his passing.

I exhale slowly. There’s nothing to do but wait now. I know I should eat, but my stomach is tied up in knots. I’ll just grab something and take it back to my room. Barricading myself in sounds like a good plan right about now. I know it’s more emotional comfort than actually a deterrent for a murderous vampire, but it’s better than nothing.

I feel the cold as I shut off the burner. It’s the only indication I’m not alone. The desire to curl into a ball is so strong, I almost lose it. Gods, I thought Wolf was scary. He’s nothing on this new vampire. I turn slowly and find Rylan standing in the doorway, watching me with those icy blue eyes. A quick glance over his shoulder confirms we’re alone.

Great.

“Malachi seems to think you’re something special.” His tone conveys his doubt of that pretty damn clearly. Rylan steps into the room with exaggerated slowness. “You sent Wolf away. I’m surprised he listens to you.”

“I’ve known Wolf a grand total of twenty-four hours and even I know he does what he wants, when he wants.”

He raises a single eyebrow. “You don’t know him. You