Page 35 of The Vampire Kingpin

But I wasn’t used to this degree of attention—not when I was being myself. When I was playing a part, sure. But not when I was Lark.

Even Troll hadn’t looked at me like that. He’d only wanted my body. Spider stared at me like he was trying to see into my brain.

I had to force myself not to squirm on the mattress.

Deflect, deflect.

It was instinct to hide myself. That’s what I’d been taught, and the reason I’d survived the past six months.

Instead, I heard myself ask, all breathy and feminine, “Thinking about me how?”

He propped his head on his hand, hard-muscled and beautiful. The man could cut glass with those biceps. “For one thing, I’m wondering how you ended up with Grimclaw.”

Oh. So this was about Grim. Inside, the hopeful, excited fluttering wobbled to a halt.

“He’s my cousin.”

“I know. But you had nowhere else to go?”

“Sad, huh?” I made a comic face to hide the fact that it was sad.

He didn’t smile. “Yeah. The man isn’t fit to be alpha of himself, let alone a lair.”

I turned my head so I was looking up at the ceiling. “I know that now. But I didn’t have a lot of choices, you know?”

“Because he wasn’t affiliated with a syndicate?”

Yes. But that was too close to the truth, so I prevaricated. “Why would that matter?”

“You don’t belong down here—anyone can see that. People like you, they’re usually on the run from some syndicate.”

I made a noncommittal sound.

Even Grimclaw didn’t know Jared Darkman was hunting me. He knew I’d had to leave Nevada in a hurry, but he thought it was a heist gone wrong. The story fit what he knew about me and my parents.

The truth? My parents tried to con the spoiled heir of the Las Vegas primus.

Jared had staked them. Me? He had a different fate in mind.

I swallowed noisily.

“Lark?” Spider touched my cheek. “What aren’t you telling me?”

I tensed, my instincts screaming a warning.

Time to shut this down.

I couldn’t trust anyone. I couldn’t involve anyone.

Good sex—even if it had been earth-shattering, brain-melting sex—didn’t mean tossing my caution out the window.

I lifted a brow. “Excuse me, but why is this your business?”

“Hey.” He picked up my hand and kissed it. Without my meaning to, my fingers closed on his like a lifeline. “I don’t give two fucks who you’re hiding from, but if you want me to give someone a beatdown, just say the word.”

I blinked rapidly. Damn. Way to hit me in the feels.

I’d been on my own for so long. Grimclaw didn’t count; I only trusted him so far.