Page 2 of Cruelly Bitten

CHAPTER ONE

CAM

This is my mate?I thought, studying the blonde on the bed.Fuckable lips. Beautiful tits. Supple waist. Pretty face.

I supposed I could see the physical appeal. But I felt nothing for her other than an urge to fuck her.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. I also wanted to drink her dry again.

Alas, I couldn’t do either option because she was unconscious.

“Fucking mortals,” I muttered, disgusted by her slow regeneration process. If only Lilith had succeeded in her attempt to create unbreakable human toys.

With a sigh, I returned my focus to my laptop and started a new log.

“My liege,” Lilith’s voice greeted, the tone grating on my nerves. I’d heard it far too often over the last ten days.

Unfortunately, it was required.

Too much had transpired over the last century while I’d slept, and with my failing memory, I relied on this high-pitched voice to update me on the world order.

“If you’re watching this log, then you have decided it is time to announce your return to our alliance. I have prepared a few suggestions for you?—”

“Have you?” I drawled, rolling my eyes. “And who is king here, hmm?”

I listened as she listed several ideas on how to approach my reemergence into society. None of them appealed to me.

This was my kingdom.

Therefore, I would run it my way.

She’d already set a meeting for three days from now, but thanks to Ryder’s recent broadcast featuring Lilith’s severed head, the various region royals and clan alphas were in distress.

I would need to deal with the errant rebel at some point. However, establishing order was a more pressing matter. Especially with the revolutionaries on the rise.

“You really did fail me,” I said to Lilith as I turned off her log. “Perhaps I won’t punish Ryder too harshly, as it’s clear your death was well deserved.” And not just for her failures as a leader, but for her irritating voice.

Did her voice always bother me like this?I wondered, wincing from the headache that followed her log.Or is this just a residual reaction to sleeping for so long?

Because every one of her logs seemed to splinter across my skull, leaving a dull ache behind. Which couldn’t be normal. But I couldn’t ask Michael or any of my other subordinates about it. Pain was a weakness. It made me no better than a mortal.

Like the delicious-smelling blonde on my bed,I thought, returning my attention to her. “I’m not sure why I’ve kept you for so long, Ismerelda. Maybe I’ll let you explain it to me when you’re awake.”

Or, more likely, I’d just kill her again.

I was starved for her. I’d tried drinking from a few other humans, but their blood just didn’t compare to her exquisite taste.

A fucking travesty, really. Because the female was disobedient with a penchant for speaking out of turn. I hadn’t been impressed when she’d run toward me on the tarmac. And I was less than impressed now as she continued to sleep onmybed.

“I should put you in a cage,” I told her. “Perhaps that would help you understand your role in life.”

She didn’t reply.

Didn’t even fucking react.

Because she was stillrecovering.

With a growl, I set my laptop off to the side and stood.