Page 7 of The Vampire Kingpin (The Vampire Syndicate #7)

He waited for my nod, then said, “I have to run. Here’s something to wear.

” He tossed me a T-shirt. “Help yourself to something to eat, or another whiskey. Whatever’s gonna bring some color back to your face.

And Lark?” His face hardened. “Steal from me again and the deal’s off.

I’ll chop off your goddamned hand and send you back to your cousin. ”

I lifted my chin, the T-shirt clutched to my chest. “I won’t, as long as you’re straight with me.”

“Then we won’t have a problem. Now, be good.”

And he was gone.

I stared at the closed door. Then I finished my drink and took up his invitation to find something to eat.

The Cavern was still empty so I fried up a couple of burgers, downing them between gulps of another blood-whiskey.

In the walk-in pantry, I helped myself to two more chocolates.

Might as well eat my fill of MariBelle’s while I could.

My mind flashed to my cousin’s lair where food was something you had to scrounge up for yourself, and I felt another pinch of envy. By then, most of the silver had worked its way out of my system, and between that and a full belly, I could barely keep my eyes open.

I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to bed down, but Spider had ordered me not to leave the area, so I made my way back to his room, where I took a quick shower in his beautiful, blue-and-green tiled walk-in shower, putting my hair up and letting the hot shower pound my sore muscles from five different directions.

Before leaving the bathroom, I rinsed out my thong and thigh-highs and draped them over a towel bar, claiming territory in my own small way.

Back in his bedroom, I pulled on his T-shirt and crawled into his king-size bed along with a paperback mystery I found on his dresser. The bedding smelled like him.

I snuggled deeper and sighed at how comfortable I felt. How safe.

Troll couldn’t sneak up on me here; I could allow myself to relax.

I cracked open the book—and promptly nodded off, stirring only when Spider returned and took the open book off my chest. He killed the light and climbed into bed, slinging a heavy arm over my waist.

I roused enough to mumble, “Didn’t know where to sleep.”

“Right here, little thief.” He nipped my nape. “You’re exactly where I want you.”

When I opened my eyes again, it was late afternoon and my nose was pressed to Spider’s neck, my arm and thigh thrown over his naked body like I was trying to burrow into him. I remained there for a long minute, absorbing that you’re-safe vibe into my bones.

Don’t get used to it. People like you don’t stay in one place—and men like him aren’t safe .

I slid out from under the covers.

First things first. I retrieved my blade from his wall safe, telling myself I was only taking back what was mine to begin with.

I glanced at the blade, then at Spider. The comforter had slipped down, baring his neck and one powerful shoulder. Even in sleep, he looked dangerous, a lion at rest.

But he was a lion with an Achille’s heel, because I could stake him and slip out of the Cavern in the shadows.

My gaze flicked to my palm. The gash was barely visible, and I felt better than I should’ve after a silver cut that deep. I licked my lips, recalling Spider’s rich, masculine taste, his power obvious in how rapidly his blood had healed me.

He’d done that for me when he didn’t have to. He could’ve let me suffer—I’d deserved it for breaking into his lair in the first place. But instead, he—an alpha vampire—had allowed a low-in-the-hierarchy dhampir to drink from him.

Confusion balled in my stomach. What was the dude’s game?

I didn’t understand him, and that bothered me.

Whatever happened, I was done with my cousin. I was never going back. I was sick of being jerked around and treated like a servant, not a full-fledged member of his lair.

I’d known for a while that I had to get out, but Grim had kept me on a tight financial leash, taking whatever I stole as payment. Room and board, he called it, even though I brought in thousands each month.

When I’d balked, he’d let Troll search me.

The prick had put his beefy hands all over me until I’d been forced to cut him.

He would’ve beat me if Grim hadn’t intervened out of some belated cousinly feeling.

After that, I handed the jewels over without argument.

I couldn’t afford to get kicked out of Grim’s lair.

The only safe place for me was the Underworld.

My parents had had money, but I didn’t dare try to access it. Jared Darkman would be watching their accounts. My only assets were a pair of ruby earrings and a matching necklace—all I’d had with me when I’d left Vegas.

So why not agree to be Spider’s thrall? It’s not like sex with him would be a hardship.

I wouldn’t do it for free, of course. The man had money. He could pay me.

And then I’d be out of here.

A tendril of uneasiness slithered up my spine.

It might not be that easy.

I shrugged the uneasy feeling off and headed into Spider’s bathroom for another shower.

This time I washed my hair, shaved my legs with his razor, and helped myself to another shirt—an expensive silk button-up.

I rolled on the thigh-highs and stepped into my low black boots.

The blade went into a sheath on the inside of my left boot.

Only then did I venture into the large cavern to scare up something to eat. A couple of women and a man were seated at the kitchen table, eating bacon and eggs. They stilled mid-bite and turned in unison to stare at me.

I froze, recognizing the guards I’d sneaked past—the man, a loose-limbed, curly-haired, golden-skinned dude, and the shorter woman, a lean redhead with a pixie cut and freckles.

Like me, they were dhampirs, but the other woman was human.

The emotions leaking from her—dislike and suspicion—gave her away.

“Hey.” I pulled up an easy, I’m-harmless smile. “I’m Lark.”

“We know,” the dude replied, his sharp brown eyes sweeping over me in a quick, assessing look.

“Right.” Of course, Spider would’ve told them about me.

He indicated the platter in front of him. “You hungry?”

I forced my tense shoulders to ease. Stay smooth, my dad would’ve said. Never show the cracks.

“Starving,” I admitted with a self-deprecating grin.

The redhead pointed a thumb at her chest. “I’m Zayne. That’s Jacko.” She tipped her head at the curly-haired dude. “Plates are in the cabinet by the coffee pot.”

“Thanks.” I got out a plate and silverware, helped myself to a mug of coffee and sat at the table, leaving a seat between me and the other, taller woman.

She eyed me from beneath a straight black fringe. “I’m DeeDee.”

“Nice to meet you.” I dug into my food. “This is good,” I said around a mouthful of buttery scrambled eggs.

Jacko preened. “Thanks.”

“So, Velma says you’re Spider’s new thrall,” said Zayne.

I took a gulp of coffee. “Velma?”

“Spider’s lieutenant,” Zayne replied.

“Oh. Well, I guess you could say so.” I suspected they knew I was actually his prisoner, but maybe they didn’t want DeeDee to know.

“Are you or aren’t you?” asked DeeDee.

I moved a shoulder because it wasn’t any of her fucking business.

She didn’t take the hint. “If you’re not his thrall, then what were you doing in his bedroom?” she demanded.

I met her eyes. “Because he wanted me there.”

DeeDee’s dark brows came together in a perturbed V. “He doesn’t sleep with thralls. Says he doesn’t trust them. We usually don’t even keep them.”

I couldn’t decide if she was jealous or merely protective. “Well, he slept with me.”

“Let it go,” Zayne told her. “She wouldn’t have been in there if Spider wasn’t okay with it.”

DeeDee frowned at me but subsided.

I continued eating. Zayne tried to draw me out, so I gave her enough to get her off my back, saying I’d grown up out West but had joined Grimclaw’s lair in April.

“Grimclaw?” Jacko asked, exchanging a look with Zayne.

“It’s temporary,” I muttered, embarrassed to admit I was part of the shakiest lair in the Underworld. “As soon as I can, I’m out of here.”

They nodded and, to my relief, let it go.

Brunch over, I offered to clean up the kitchen. DeeDee left for a job on the surface—she was a bartender, apparently—and Zayne and Jacko had guard duty. They helped me carry the dirty dishes to the tub-sized, stainless-steel sink, then leaned in from either side of me.

A sharp point touched my spine. I stopped in the act of reaching for the bottle of dish soap. “Something wrong?”

“Spider wants you to stay put,” Zayne said. “We have to patrol the tunnels, but we’ll be checking in on you.”

“You leave,” Jacko added, “and we’ll know it. Just in case you have any ideas about escaping.”

“Got it.” I calmly drizzled soap over the plates and turned on the water to fill the sink.

The pressure on my spine disappeared, and Zayne squeezed my shoulder. “I think I’m gonna like you. Tell you what—I’ll dig up some clothes for you. We’re around the same size.”

“Yeah? That’d be lit.”

“No problem,” she said, and Jacko chimed in, “Later,” and they strolled out of the Cavern.

Blowing out a breath, I finished the dishes, then flipped through a couple of magazines before returning to Spider’s bedroom. I sank into the armchair and waited for him to wake up.