Page 49 of Kingly Bitten

I kissed her pulse, considering the sole negative to turning her—she would lose that delectable flavor in her blood.

And I was definitely not ready to give up that drug yet.

I straightened, my palms still on her shoulders, and watched as she pulled up a map of former-day New York. She typed in coordinates, hit Enter, and looked up at me. “There.”

“Impressive,” Darius murmured behind us.

I’d sensed him entering when I’d straightened my spine. He must have taken it as a sign of something happening.

Calina tried to look around me at Darius, but my hand slid from her shoulder to her throat, holding her in place. “How do I know you’re not sending us into a trap?”

“What benefit would that serve for me?” she countered. “You have the only individuals I consider to be family here. You also showed me Lilith’s head, thus freeing me from her control indefinitely. Some would say I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“And you display that by insulting me in front of my team?” I returned.

“I… I didn’t mean it as an insult. I’m just struggling to understand you. You’re not like the vampires I know.”

I considered what she’d told me about Lilith earlier, how she used to demand a report and then feed from Calina until she died.

“Your view of my kind is skewed,” I said after a beat, my thumb drawing a line up the column of her neck while I held her captive in the chair with her head tilted back. “Lilith believed humans are meant to serve. There are those of us, such as myself, who disagree to an extent.”

I released her throat and reached down to move her chair around so she was facing me. Then I grabbed the arms of the chair and leaned forward to place my face before hers.

“Humans are inferior because they’re weaker. But the fact remains that vampires rely on mortal blood to survive. Therefore, it’s our duty to protect our food source. That all of us were mortal at some point should also afford us at least a little bit of humanity, too.”

I reached up to draw my fingers through her still-damp hair.

“And sometimes, there are precious humans who stand out among the rest. Whether it be intelligence, a special skill, or…” I drew my thumb along her chin to the opposite side and down her throat. “A unique bloodline that needs to be preserved and revered.”

“My blood is why you are acting this way?”

“Partly,” I admitted. “But I also value what’s in here.” I lifted my hand to tap her head gently. “And I’m hoping the information you’ve just provided is valid and helpful so I can continue to value it. Otherwise, it will be your blood I consider precious, which will drastically change your fate.”

It was a false threat.

Something told me that even if she attempted to deceive us, I’d still be too enthralled by her to do anything cruel about it.

But Ryder would.

As would Darius.

And I wouldn’t stand in their way.

Finding Cam mattered most. Not even a delectable female could change my mind on that.

I kissed her temple and stood again.

“Looks like we’re going north again,” I told Darius. “I want to be in the air before midnight. Which means we need to prepare for another long day of sunlight when we arrive.”

“I’m already missing the moon,” Darius replied.

“Me, too,” I murmured, slipping my fingers beneath Calina’s chin. “Stand. You’re going to need appropriate clothes.”

16

Calina

Jace had letme see Gretchen and James before we’d left. He’d also given them a moment with their son, which had erased some of the worry lines from Gretchen’s brow.