Page 114 of Cruelly Bitten

I knew Cam. He was my mate. The other half of my soul. He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t justuseme.

And yet, this version of him did.

This version of him—the one that was essentially like the male I’d met a thousand years ago—had no problem seeing me as a doll meant for his pleasure alone.

So how did I change him then? Why can’t I do it now?

Because the element of surprise was gone.

That element of surprise—the moment when I’d given him pause because I knew what he was—no longer applied.

Humans were fully aware of the existence of vampires and lycans now.

Humans were also enslaved to them.

There was nothing extraordinary enough about me to make Cam take a few steps back, to truly evaluate the potential of our situation. Instead, he was hungry. Demanding.Sexually charged.

I wasn’t unique to him. Hell, I probably didn’t even taste as good to him as the blood virgins did. All I had to barter with was my body, which clearly hadn’t been satisfying enough to keep him entertained for long.

My knowledge of his current likes and dislikes might prove useful, but nothing more. And once I divulged enough information to appease his curiosity, then what?

I pinched the bridge of my nose and blew out a breath.

He’d told me to relax today. I was very much the opposite of relaxed. A bath would do little to dispel the tension tightening my shoulders and neck. Besides, he’d probably try to drown me in it when he returned.

And I did not want to die that way.

What am I going to say to him?I wondered.Can I distract him with news of Cane being out of his tomb? Or does he already?—

A male voice echoing down the hallway had my head snapping up, my gaze focusing on the door.Cam.

No,I thought in the next beat.Michael.

“Are you sure, my liege?” he was asking. “Because there’s no going back.”

“It’s the way she should have died a thousand years ago,” Cam replied, his English accent more prominent than usual. Or maybe it just felt that way because of the words he was saying.

What does he mean, “It’s the way she should have died a thousand years ago”?

He couldn’t possibly be talking about the night we met… right?

He… he wouldn’t… He couldn’t… He didn’t even remember…

Except… Well, I’d told new Cam about it. Not every detail, but enough for him to… to…

No.

No.

“Seems fitting enough to me,” he concluded, causing the hairs along the back of my neck to stand on end.

Fitting?

“If you’re certain.”

“I am.” Two crisply spoken words that sent a chill down my spine. There was a hint of finality there, a whisper ofgoodbye. “Get it over with.”

This…no.