Page 58 of Kingly Bitten

It seemed I wasn’t the only one experiencing a momentary lapse in judgment.

She released a violent shiver, her hand landing on my forearm and giving me a squeeze as she fought for her balance. I continued to hold her up by my grip on her hip.

After another moment, she cleared her throat. “I’m… I’m stable.”

I snorted. “You’re not.” But she could stand, and that was all I needed. Turning around, I noted the lack of humans in my periphery. “Where did they go?”

“They’re all inside,” Damien murmured through the earpiece. “Went in through an underground tunnel around the back.”

Calina swayed again, her blonde hair flickering in my peripheral vision. I caught her and pulled her against me once more. She sagged in relief, then stiffened upon realizing her reaction.

I fought the urge to chuckle, this pull between us electric and alluringly perfect. That she tried to fight it only intrigued me more. “Still think it’s just my vampire prowess?” I asked against her ear.

She didn’t reply.

“Jace,” Darius prompted. “How do you want to proceed?”

“I think we both know how he wishes to proceed,” Damien drawled.

I ignored his humored tone and focused on the building again.

“They’re all human,” I said, recalling the detail from their assessment while I’d been feasting from Calina’s vein. “That means they’re here under orders. And as they weren’t alert when they arrived, I assume those orders were issued as some sort of protocol that Lilith set in motion. Similar to the others we’ve witnessed.”

“Her phone is silent, so it might be unrelated,” Damien pointed out.

“Perhaps,” I agreed. “But there’s an opportunity here to find some answers, and not just from the servers.” I ran my hand up and down Calina’s back, noting her strengthening posture.

“What do you have in mind?” Darius asked.

“An inquisition.” I glanced down to find Calina staring up at me. She didn’t have an earpiece, so she couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation.

“The humans consider us to be gods,” I continued. “So let’s take them to confession and see how many of them wish to atone for their sins.” I held Calina’s gaze, my next words for her. “Consider this an introduction to the new reign.”

19

Calina

My mouth tingledwith the reminder of Jace’s kiss.

No, not a kiss.

Aclaim.

He’d taken my lips with a ferocity that I’d felt all the way to my toes, his possession a brand against my very soul.

“Still think it’s just my vampire prowess?”

His question rolled around in my mind as I followed him toward the server farm. I didn’t pay attention to the rocks or grass or dirt beneath my flat shoes. Because all I could hear was that question and my whispered mental answer ofno.

Because Lilith’s feeding frenzies had never made me feel like that. Like I was so hot I would combust without his touch. Like I would melt and enjoy every minute of it. Like I wanted him to drain me dry just to satisfy his need for my blood.

It was a dizzying sensation, one that left me bewildered and slightly unhinged.

My thighs clenched with the need to feel his fingers inside me again. Or something else. Something longer. Thicker.Harder.

I swallowed, only to elicit a soft moan from within as the tantalizing flavor of his essence circled my mouth once more.

He’d called me addictive.