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“It’s not like I can even see.”

He grunted.

“His life is a blur of craving. Nothing matters in his endlessly devoid existence?—”

“Here he goes. Asher, wax poetic some other time.”

A scoff escaped me before I could hold it.

“You’re laughing at me, Pet?” The end of Asher’s words titled at the end from surprise. I pursed my lips tight and shook my head. One of my strands of hair stuck under Ren’s grip and pinched at my scalp forcing me to stop.

We reached the landing, and a faint light beamed across the first step, allowing me to see where they brought me. A spacious room with a russet, traditional carpet rolled out in the middle of two half circle couches facing each other. Across from us was a door that was wide open and the origin of the lighting.

A raised female voice echoed.

“You didn’t say I’d be feeding a blood-mad vampire.” Her voice trembled.

I wrenched free and dipped to escape Ren’s grip. I hurried into the room and discovered exactly why she’d shouted.

Bastien stood at the corner, tensed and ready to strike. The bear-like stature, standing snake-still. His unfocused gaze seemed to see through her.

His look screamed that he wouldn’t have mercy. Ren’s words echoed through my thoughts. She’d die at his hands.

“Why’d you bring her?” Jax asked, eyeing me with irritation.

I chose to ignore his bitchiness.

Bastien’s head slowly turned to face me and his nostrils flared. In a millisecond, he burst forward, hands outstretched to grab me.

He stopped a few feet from me, the chains shackled to his wrists forcing him to a stop. Bastien hissed and jerked at his hands causing metal to clang with his harsh moments.

“Reinforced steel, you’re not getting out of those,” Asher called to him. Of course, Bastien didn’t react.

“Do what you were paid to do.” Jax shoved the shaking girl.

She stumbled forward, into Bastien’s reach. I lunged forward to intercept the stumbling woman. Bastien’s eyes screamed death. He swept me behind him and slammed his palm into her chest. She flew backwards and hit the wall with a sickening thud.

I gasped and lunged to hang onto his arm before he went at her. The girl groaned, curling her legs under her as she clasped her temples.

“Fuck,” she hissed, eyes cinched tight.

Bastien didn’t like that. He moved toward her, head lowered like a bull.

“Stop,” I shouted and smacked Bastien’s arm.

He slowly turned his head toward me.

The girl finally opened her eyes and swiped the back of her hands against the blood dripping from her nose.

She staggered to her feet with eyes as wide as a kewpie doll. She scooted against the wall as she moved away.

“I can’t do this,” she said, her voice wobbling. Jax sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

What an asshole.

“I’ll feed anyone but that thing.”

I clenched my teeth and swung my glare toward her. He threw her against the wall so she was well within her right to be hateful, but he didn’t mean to hurt her. “So which of you need some blood?”