The vampire pulled on the chainsrestraining him to the cave wall. His eyes were bright
green, their glow illuminating the darkness surrounding us.
“Do you really think these will hold me?” he asked, an English accent caressing the
challenge.
“Sure do,” I replied. Those manacles were installed and tested by a Master vampire, so
they were strong enough. I should know. I’d once been stuck in them myself.
The vampire’s smile revealed fangs in his white upper teeth. They hadn’t been there
several minutes ago, when he’d still looked human to the untrained eye.
“Right, then. What do you want, now that you have me helpless?”
He didn’t sound like he felt helpless in the least. I pursed my lips and considered the
question, letting my gaze sweep over him. Nothing interrupted my view, either, since he was
naked. I’d long ago learned that weapons could be stored in various clothing items, but bare skin
hid nothing.
Except now, it was also very distracting. The vampire’s body was a pale, beautiful
expanse of muscle, bone, and lean, elegant lines, all topped off by a gorgeous face with
cheekbones so finely chiseled they could cut butter. Clothed or unclothed, the vampire was
stunning, something he was obviously aware of. Those glowing green eyes looked into mine
with a knowing stare.
“Need me to repeat the question?” he asked with a hint of wickedness.
I strove for nonchalance. “Who do you work for?”
His grin widened, letting me know my aloof act wasn’t as convincing as I’d meant it to
be. He even stretched as much as the chains allowed, his muscles rippling like waves on a pond.
“No one.”
“Liar.” I pulled out a silver knife and traced its tip lightly down his chest, not breaking
his skin, just leaving a faint pink line that faded in seconds. Vampires might be able to heal with
lightning quickness, but silver through the heart was lethal. Only a few inches of bone and
muscle stood between this vampire’s heart and my blade.
He glanced at the path my knife had traced. “Is that supposed to frighten me?”
I pretended to consider the question. “Well, I’ve cut a bloody swath through the undead
world ever since I was sixteen. Even earned myself the nickname of the Red Reaper, so if I’ve
got a knife next to your heart, then yes, you should be afraid.”
His expression was still amused. “Right nasty wench you sound like, but I wager I could
get free and have you on your back before you could stop me.”
Cocky bastard. “Talk is cheap. Prove it.”
His legs flashed out, knocking me off-balance. I sprang forward at once, but a hard, cool
body flattened me to the cave floor in the next instant. An iron grip closed around my wrist,
preventing me from raising the knife.
“Always pride before a fall,” he murmured in satisfaction.
I tried to throw him off, but a ton of bricks would have been easier to dislodge.Should’ve
chained his armsandhis legs before daring him like that, I mentally berated myself.
That arrogant smirk returned as the vampire looked down at me. “Keep squirming, luv.
Rubs me in all the right places, it does.”
“How’d you get out of the clamps?” Over his shoulder, I saw a hole in the cave that used
to be where the inch-thick titanium cuffs had dangled. Unbelievable. He’d ripped them right out
of the wall.
A dark brow arched. “Knew just the right angle to pull. You don’t install restraints
without knowing how to get out of them. Only took a moment; and by then, I had you on your
back. Just like I said I would.”
If I still had a heartbeat, it would be racing by now, but I’d lost that—for the most
part—when I’d changed from a half-breed into a full vampire several months ago. My eyes
turned bright green as fangs slid out of my teeth.
“Showoff.”
He leaned down until our faces were only an inch apart. “Now, my lovely captive, with
you trapped beneath me, what’s to stop me from having my vile way with you?”
The knife I still held dropped from my hand as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Nothing, I hope.”
Bones, my vampire husband, gave a low, sinful laugh. “That’s the answer I wanted to
hear, Kitten.”
Being underground in a cave wouldn’t make most people’s favorite last-minute
accommodations list, but it was heaven to me. The only sounds were the smooth motions of the
underground river. It was a relief not to have to tune out the background noise from countless
conversations that were all too audible with a vampire’s hearing. If it were up to me, Bones and I
would stay here for weeks.
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