Page 2 of The Curse Trilogy

“I think there’s a lot about me that makes you mad, Ivan. You don’t necessarily hate my kind, you envy us, and I don’t blame you,” I taunt, and he just shakes his head while continuing to carry his secretive smirk.

“I would never envy a hybrid.”

“I think you do. You see, you have to stay segregated from the humans in an effort to keep the infection from spreading, where as I can walk among them. You can only live off their blood, for the blood of your own kind is not meant for nourishment. I don’t need a human’s blood at all. I only need blood when I need to heal, and I can take anyone’s blood I want - straight from the vein. That warm, drizzling flow can enter my mouth any time I feel it necessary, and all I need is someone’s consent. For instance,” I say with a suspenseful pause, while circling over to the human guard I had intentionally brought into the room with me.

The gentle-eyed man turns to me, and I strum my fingers over his chest before walking behind him. My mouth grazes over his back as I circle back around, and I can see Ivan’s eyes widening when he realizes I’m seducing him with his only weakness - the blood from a human’s vein.

“Right now I could take this young, dedicated man’s blood if he wanted me to. I could taste the warmth of his delicious red stain flowing into my mouth while the passion inside of me erupted. We would tangle up in our passionate throes, and he would give me access to any part of his body I wanted to drink from,” I seduce, and the human wavers under my heated touch as he tries to steady his enticed libido.

“Yes, ma’am,” the human stammers out, and I try not to laugh while keeping my very in-control stance.

“You hear that, Ivan? I didn’t even have to ask. He’s simply offering his blood to me. Doesn’t that drive you crazy? I don’t need, crave, or even desire that blood unless I’m hurt, but you need it all the time. Here I am with a soft, supple bit of flesh just inches from my lips, and you’re restrained to a chair. Don’t tell me you don’t envy me,” I smolder, and then my teeth scathe over the man’s shoulder, tearing his uniform slightly when my blood bringers unsheathe themselves from my gums to add a little more zest to the mind torture.

“Stop,” Ivan almost whimpers. “Please stop,” he begs again, and now I know I am getting closer to bringing him to a fold.

My teeth press down to where they almost break the skin on my human puppet. The mortal heartbeat quickens, the sound resonating in the ears of the lusting full blood sweating a river in the same room. Ivan squeals out through a gasp.

“I’ll tell you if you let me drink from a vein,” he huffs out heavily, his eyes almost black as they teem with need.

I draw back from the seductive ploy, and the guard shivers off my lingering tease.

“I can have a death row inmate brought to your cell for your pleasure. You can drain her, blood fuck her, and then we’ll ash her - or him if you prefer. That’s up to you,” I murmur with a nonchalant tone.

The offer dangles over him like a slab of meat over the head of a starving dog. There’s no question about it, he’s putty now.

“Him, please,” Ivan almost whispers, and a devious smirk emerges to my face.

“Then tell me who is behind the Rising. I need names. The more you give me, the more time you’ll have alone with him.”

“I want it in writing. As soon as I have it in writing, I’ll tell you everything I know,” he eagerly promises.

I smile very victoriously, and then I wave to the glass that seconds as a mirror. Almost instantly, I’m joined by the redhead I’ve worked with for almost too long. She sits down with the paperwork necessary to start the deal, and I give her a wink to display my joy for the win we’ve been looking for.

“Let me know the scoop. Clay asked me to come see him as soon as I finished up here. Give Ivan some pictures of the ones we have on death row. If his facts pan out, we’ll make sure he enjoys his one night,” I say to Sherry, my partner.

Ivan is almost drooling when I walk out, and he’s eager to spill the information. I’ve been working for so long to catch this break, and now it’s finally here.

Clay’s door is open when I turn the corner, and I can see the heavy face I was hoping would be much more lifted with this win in the bag.

“I just found the biggest lead to the Rising yet, and here you are moping in your office,” I chuckle out.

“I’m not moping, Araya, I’m a little stressed is all,” he sighs, and then he motions for me to shut the door.

I do as he silently beckons, and then I sit down, bemused by his bizarre reaction to the biggest break we’ve had yet.

“We’re calling an emergency meeting. The Rising is no longer a top priority, and I need you to pack a bag for the Seminole compound,” he grumbles.

“What?” I squeal. “I’ve been busting my ass on this for months, and now that I’m this close to blowing the doors off, you’re pulling the plug?”

“I’m not pulling the plug,” he growls. “Sherry will have to handle the Rising on her own. They’re not the biggest threat right now. We’ve run into some problems in other compounds. Weapons as strong as ours were used in the attack. They have our knowledge, and they have anonymity. It’s not the Rising though. We at least know that much.”

“Why do I have to go? There are tons of interrogators in the United,” I grouse.

“You’re our lead interrogator. Discretion is an absolute necessity. The last thing we need is an outbreak of panic. You’ll be going under the guise of a training seminar.

“There will be actual students there to learn, and not even they will know they’re just pawns in this scheme. You’ll have a schedule to keep for the public eye, and cloaked meetings for our privacy. I’m sorry, but you’re my best.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have been so snippy,” I grumble, and then something dreadful races through my mind. “Please don’t tell me he’s going to be a part of this,” I almost whimper.