Page 21 of Bite The Power That Feeds

But just the thought made me feel guilty.

She would have to feed too. I knew she must be hungry, even though she never mentioned it. The idea of feeding on someone’s blood probably revolted her, but at some point, her hunger would outweigh her disturbance.

Someone knocked on the door before they walked in.

Larisa was already dressed in the clothes they’d supplied us, a deep green dress with one sleeve. A prominent slit was up one thigh, so high that her undergarments were nearly exposed.

I might not be a fan of the elves, but I appreciated their design style.

It was Cobra, wearing a big-ass grin on his face like he was in paradise. “Morning.”

“It’s past noon,” I said.

“Didn’t notice.” He helped himself to the dining table, wearing his armor and cape. He looked at Larisa, who sat beside him. “The elves have great fashion sense, don’t they?”

“Cobra.” I pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. “Hit on my fiancée, and I’ll have to slide my dagger between your ribs.”

“Can she be your fiancée if you haven’t asked her to be your fiancée?” he asked, an eyebrow cocked.

When I looked at Larisa, her eyes were on Cobra, as if to purposely avoid my gaze.

If her answer would have been yes, I would have asked her before the war. I would ask her now, but everything still felt tense. “Now that you’ve made a pass at my fiancée and provoked us both, can you tell us why you’re here?”

“Do you always smile like that?” Larisa asked.

Cobra waggled his eyebrows. “Queen Clara and I had words…”

“Sounds like a lot more than words,” I said.

“You know me. Always a gentleman.” He waggled his eyebrows again.

“What does this mean?” Larisa asked. “Are you two together?”

“That would never work, Cobra,” I said.

“Why not?” he snapped. “If they destroy their obelisk, she’ll become a vampire. We would be the same.”

“But we’ll always be different—and you know that.”

Cobra’s good mood evaporated, and he gave me his hard stare. “You shouldn’t hold a grudge against someone who didn’t commit a crime. The person who did is gone now. Let’s move on.”

“It’s not that simple, Cobra. They’ve pledged war against us for thousands of years. You can’t just erase that.”

“Kingsnake.” Larisa caught my attention with her serious voice.

My eyes shifted back to hers.

“If the elves agree to disband this practice entirely on their own, we should focus on a new horizon. We should focus on peace. You and Cobra are both kings, and there’s no reason you can’t make this happen.”

Cobra kept his eyes on me. “Maybe Larisa should rule in your stead while you take a vacation or something.”

I ignored the insult. “Viper won’t be happy.”

“Is he ever happy?” Cobra countered.

I stayed quiet when I didn’t receive the answer I wanted. “So you came here to tell us you got laid last night?”

“No. I came here to tell you Clara has been speaking to the elves since early this morning.”