Page 32 of Kingly Bitten

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11

Calina

My skin prickledwith awareness as Jace returned, his regal energy a whiplash to my senses. He didn’t look at me or speak, just wandered over to the bar again to fix himself another drink.

I watched as he bent, noting the way his black jeans molded to his thighs and backside. Vampires were always alluring creatures, their potency a seductive tool they used to lure their prey. My attraction to him was ingrained in my being, making it impossible to resist the masculine masterpiece before me. If he told me to kneel, I would, because my body would require it.

However, that didn’t mean he could have my mind.

He straightened with something in his hand and started moving toward me. I met his gaze and held it, telling him without words that I didn’t fear him. Lilith had attempted to beat unequivocal terror into me, but all her efforts did was prove to me how much I could take without breaking.

His palm twisted across the item in his hand, drawing my focus to the bottle. Then he pressed the rim to my lips, giving me a healthy dose of water. I hadn’t even realized I was thirsty until I started swallowing. The earlier sips of alcohol had left behind a burn in my throat that the water soon quenched, leaving me sighing and grateful for the refreshing liquid.

He said nothing, just carefully helped me drink until the bottle was empty. When I finished, he set it to the side and moved to stand behind me.

I resisted the urge to look back at him as his fingers found my shoulders. “Have you made a decision?” he asked, his voice a silky caress to my ears. “Will you work with me?”

He started massaging my stiff muscles, releasing the tension down my arms and sending shivers to my abdomen. I fought the impulse to moan, his touch hypnotic and knowing as he sought out my various pain points and applied just enough pressure to loosen the agonized joints.

I’d been tied to this chair for too long, my arms and legs unmoving.

But that enchanting touch made me feel alive, rejuvenated,whole.

“Or do you prefer we go about this the hard way?” he continued, his thumb digging into a pressure point on my neck, making me gasp in pain. “Say something, Calina,” he murmured against my ear. “Or I’ll be forced to guess at your resolve.”

I trembled as he resumed his massage, my body immediately caving to his will. There was no question that he owned me now. But would I willingly cooperate?

“I need to know James and Gretchen are safe,” I said on a gasp, jolting as he returned to the pressure point. “I won’t help if they’re hurt.” The statement came out through clenched teeth, then I sighed as he tormented me with those delicious circles against my skin.

He wanted to break my mind, to make me outwardly submit even while I screamed inside. I could sense it in the way he handled me, his strategic movements marking him as a worthy opponent in this ring.

Just like Lilith.

She’d been a master strategist, too.

“They’re fine,” he replied. “And they’ll remain that way if you cooperate.”

Meaning he intended to keep them alive as leverage.

“I need them alive to testify, so I won’t be setting them free. Which you should thank me for, Calina, because they would not survive this world without my guardianship.” He nipped at my pulse, his palms sliding down my arms as though memorizing the feel of my skin. “And neither would you.”

A quiver skated down my spine as his knuckles brushed the sides of my breasts, his heat at my back a comfort my body craved far more than my mind.

But I couldn’t deny that I felt oddly protected in his embrace. And that was despite the very real threat of his teeth against my pulse.

“Work with me,” he whispered. “Help me take down Lilith’s empire.”

I swallowed. “Is that your true goal?”

“Yes,” he admitted softly. “I intend to burn everything she’s created. But to do that, I need to find Cam. I also need to know who she was working with, where your files were headed, and what other logs might exist in the server farms, assuming they’re even real.”

“They’re real.”

“That’ll be the first item I demand you prove.”