Page 69 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

“All you ever think about is women. Always have and always will.”

“Yes, I like women. You’ve got me there, asshole. But that’s not what this is about—”

“Bullshit. Yes, it is. If this assassin were a man, we would not be having this conversation—”

“Fine. I don’t want you to break all the bones in her arm until she cries. Shit.”

Now his eyes were victorious.

“Let me try my tactic first. And if it doesn’t work…”

“You mean,let me fuck her first, and then you can break her arm afterward.”

“No,” I said. “I’d get the information first and then bed her later.”

Now Viper was the one who rolled his eyes before he walked off. “You know where to find me when this blows up in your damn face.”

13

CLARA

Hog-tied in the cell, my face to the stone floor, I knew I’d committed a forbidden crime.

I was captured alive.

My fingers worked the rope the best I could, but the vampire hadn’t taken any chances and had double-knotted everything. I wiggled my ankles to stretch the rope, but the strands were too thick.

I was trapped.

Until they untied me, I wouldn’t be able to take my own life or flee.

Footsteps sounded and drew closer, the sound of heavy combat boots against stone. My face was turned to the door, so I watched as the vampire who’d captured me approach the bars. He unlocked them, stepped inside, and locked them again.

That meant he intended to untie me. I still had a dagger in my sleeve. Once I had a single arm free, I would jab the blade into his inner thigh or his neck, the two places that were guaranteed to incapacitate him so I could run off.

“Are you going to play nice?” His boots stopped next to my face then he kneeled down beside me, his arm propped on one of his thighs.

Part of my hair covered my face and obscured some of my vision. I could have shaken my head and pushed it away, but there was a chance I would have made it worse, so I just left it there.

His hand reached forward and pushed the strands back from my face. “I won’t bite if you don’t.”

“What do you want?”

“I’d like to untie you—if you don’t make me regret it.”

Oh, I’ll definitely make you regret it.

“You’ve got to be getting stiff—”

“What do you want?”

He stared, dark eyes with a narrowed pupil like a serpent. His short, dark hair matched the shadow on his jawline. Like most vampires, he was easy on the eyes, but he was particularly endowed in the looks department. Probably used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted. “I’m sure you know what’s coming.”

Torture and death. “Then get on with it.”

“We failed to capture your comrades. Well, capture themalive. You’re all that’s left.”

Because I fucked up. Big-time.