Page 40

That band of guilt tightened around his chest again. He’d been so worried about keeping his distance from Liam’s female that he’d neglected her as his Chosen. “I should have realized sooner what was going on. I didn’t want to weaken you while you were healing. It appears I waited too long. The Chosen bond changes your chemistry so no other vampire can feed from you. However, it also creates a need for the venom in our bite. Since your body had grown accustomed to Liam feeding from you regularly, you were experiencing withdrawal.”

Her knuckles paled around the fork she clenched. “Withdrawal,” she ground out. “Like an addict.” She stabbed the stack of pancakes. “My father was an addict. Though, with him, it was gambling. Liam never told me I’d grow addicted to his venom.” Betrayal flickered in her eyes.

Jericho hesitated. Liam shouldn’t have kept this from her. Given her past, however, loyalty prevented him from giving voice to the thought. He measured his words. “I imagine Liam didn’t expect you’d be separated long enough to experience symptoms.”

Pain darkened her expression, and Jericho grew a little smaller at being the cause.

“I’m sure Liam didn’t intend to hurt me,” she said, quick to defend her lover. “The first time Liam fed from me, I passed out. You should have seen him.” A faint smile hovered on her lips. “When I came to, he was even paler than I was. Afterward, he thought it would be safer if he just fed in small amounts every couple of days. Perhaps that’s why the withdrawal was so bad.” She shrugged one shoulder, but the gesture struck him as stiff.

She picked at the edge of a pancake. “I’ve seen my dad go through it enough. By now, you’d think I’d recognize the signs. He’d get twitchy, short-tempered, snapping at me for the slightest offense. Like father like daughter, I guess.”

Jericho frowned. “Alex, Chosen are not addicts. The venom isn’t a drug, but nature’s way of ensuring the exchange is pleasurable for both parties.”

Titan padded across the kitchen floor, coming to sit at the faerie’s feet. The massive beast looked up at her expectantly, watching Alex’s every move.

She flipped Titan a piece of bacon. The hellhound’s broad jaws slammed together with a resounding chomp, catching the treat in mid-air. Jericho stared, speechless.

Alex’s brow furrowed. “Yes, well, it isn’t always pleasurable,” she said, bitterness ringing in her voice.

Jericho sobered. Someone had hurt her, and it sure as hell wasn’t Liam. His friend had shared little about Alex’s past when they’d talked in his office. At the time, what he’d said had fallen on ears of stone.

Damn if those memories didn’t rush in to torment him.

If Jericho remembered correctly, Alex’s father had gotten in trouble with a couple of loan sharks. Those sharks were the reason she ended up in a black-market auction. His gut twisted at the thought of her treatment at their hands.

She shoved the food around her plate in sharp, agitated movements.

He struggled to keep the anger from his voice. “Who hurt you, Alex?”

“No one,” she said, the response more reflex than truth.

“Tell me,” he urged. Dark instincts demanded he find the guilty party and bring them to justice. Justice for…his Chosen.

“No one.”

“Alex…” he growled.

She straightened and threw her hands up. The fork clattered beside her plate. “Fuck.Everyone. Okay? Everyone but Liam.”

Meaning Jericho could count himself on that list.

She tossed Titan the last of her bacon, gathered her dishes, and stormed to the sink. “I need to shower and dress. Victor is expecting me.”

Jericho watched her in silence, flooded with a rush of protective anger he was uncertain how to handle. Questions hovered on the tip of his tongue, all battling for answers. He stood next to her at the sink and grabbed her hands to stop her furious scrubbing. “Leave it. I’ll get them in a minute.”

“Just… Fine.” She slapped the washrag into the sink and turned in a huff. “Thanks for breakfast,” she called over her shoulder, practically sprinting for the stairs.

He took a step, then hesitated. If Alex were truly his, he’d drag her back and demand his answers. Except beneath her furious scowl, he’d caught the fear she seemed so desperate to hide. Whatever memory he’d stirred, Alex was rattled and running, but from what? You couldn’t run from the past. It always had a way of catching up with you. Jericho should know. Alex was living proof.

Ten

Alex strolledat Jericho’s side, dragging her feet the closer they came to Victor’s office. Hunter-green walls ran the length of the hallway, making her feel like a prisoner walking thegreen mile.Occasionally, she’d pause to admire a stuffy piece of artwork or one of the priceless paintings she hadzerointerest in, just to slow their progress.

“You’re not wearing your sling,” Jericho said.

She sensed the weight of his censorious gaze and scrunched her nose. “My shoulder doesn’t hurt anymore.” In fact, she felt better than she had in days, thanks to Jericho’s venom. The reminder heated her cheeks while guilt chilled her insides.

While Alex was on the mend, the man who’d saved her lay on his deathbed. Both she and Jericho had visited Liam moments ago. His condition remained unchanged.