Page 82 of Chain Me

“Let’s just say I pushed your body beyond its limits and I nearly killed you in the process. All for nothing, because I failed anyway.”

I swallowed hard, too uneasy to even press for answers. Did he overdose me with his blood? Give me too much venom?

“But I’m still alive,” I pointed out before swallowing the lump that had risen to my throat.

“Yes.” He sighed, deflated of all tension. “You came back. Still breathing. I assumed I’d made a mistake. Perhaps it was the venom? The why didn’t matter. I decided to leave in search of answers. In my absence, I ensured the necklace would protect you.”

“But what you told me was a lie, wasn’t it?”

Its purpose hadn’t been solely to keep me alive.

“As long as you wore it, I could find you,” he admitted, finally lifting his gaze to mine. “No matter your location.”

Deep down, maybe I’d known that. In some ways, it had been easier to let myself pretend my survival could be so simply insured—a magic necklace slipped around my neck just in the nick of time.

But in his world,nothingcame without a price.

“I didn’t realize my miscalculation until I tried feeding from you,” he admitted, referring to the night I’d found him at the church. “You reacted violently. Not to mention that you were weak. Malnourished and… When yourcancerwas discovered, in a way, I wasn’t surprised. Merely by attempting to change you, I had unknowingly encouraged a new breed of ‘life’ to take root. Mero always did have a rather ghoulish sense of humor.”

I exhaled sharply in a poor excuse for a laugh. It was a morbid joke, even for a vampire.

“I know it was wrong to deceive you.” He reached for my hand again, and a part of me scoffed, eager to write him off. But he had never sounded so raw before.Soopen.

And for whatever reason, I couldn’t pull away.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How could I?” He laughed darkly, shaking his head. “When I didn’t even understand myself?” He eyed me warily and reached out with his thumb. When I didn’t cringe, he brushed my cheek, lingering against my skin. “I still don’t. Years of servitude to that bastard, yet he’s never toyed with me. Toyed withlivesjust to test me. Not like this.”

And perhaps that fact alone was Raphael’s driving motive.

But trying to understand the man at all made my head throb. I cradled my palm against it, rubbing my aching temple.

“I need time to process this,” I said softly. “I just… I need time—”

“I understand. But there is one thing you mentioned that I would like to explore in further detail.” He cocked his head, his eyes narrowed. “What did Raphael say when he gave you my contract?”

I sucked in a breath. “He said that if I helped him prove something, he’d give me what you bargained for.”

“Damn him.” Lurching to his feet, Dublin transformed once more into stone. Ruthlessly focused, he scanned the length of the cabin until he eventually found Dmitri.

The other vampire was seated in the same spot, balancing the giggling flight attendant on his lap.

“Do you have an ability to communicate with the ground?” Dublin demanded. “Where?”

“A satellite phone, of course.” Dmitri inclined his head toward an alcove at the very back of the cabin.

Without a word, Dublin crossed over to it, leaving a trail of rage like a storm cloud.

“I hope you ring lovely Yuliana,” Dmitri called after him, smiling sweetly. “I do so hope to see her.” As he turned to me, his grin widened. “There is no use in torturing yourself, dear. Come sit with me.” He patted the space beside him.

“No, thank you.” I crossed my arms, fighting to keep any of the turmoil ripping through my heart from showing on my face. “I’m fine.”

Accepting defeat, Dmitri sighed. “Suit yourself. It’s much harder these days to make this old voice carry far, but I suppose I must try. If you want answers, I am willing to trade.”

Trade. The way he’d said the word almost reminded me of Dublin—full of mysterious innuendo. And I knew better than to take any bait he might offer.

“I know more than you realize,” Dmitri added. “Like the fact that you are hungry. That you’ve been starving yourself and your child for far too long. That if you continue to be so reckless with your health, the results may be disastrous.”