Page 54 of Vengeance and Vipers

Jules frowns. ‘Stop using fae magick on me without my consent.’

He raises his hands in placation. ‘I vow I’ll cease immediately.’

She looks at me, obviously hoping for the same pledge.

‘We’ll see,’ I growl.

She just looks away with a small sigh, like she knew what I was going to say.

‘Why did you want me here?’ she asks Krase.

‘For your company,’ he answers readily.

‘Bullshit. You’re hungry.’

‘That as well.’

She chuckles. ‘At least you don’t lie about it, I guess.’

‘Are you crazy?’ I snarl at him. ‘You can’t feed from her!’

‘Aye,’ he says with a grin. ‘I am crazy, and I already have.Twice.’

He licks his lips, and her cheeks redden.

I look from her to him. Jayce and Axel and now Krase, too.

‘Maddox should know—’ I begin.

Krase laughs. ‘You aren’t going to tell him.’

‘The hell I’m not!’

‘You breathe a word of this, and I’ll make sure he finds out about your nocturnal activities with Jayce and Axel,’ he snarls, and I see darkness leaching into his eyes. ‘How do you think he’ll react if he finds out you were working with them against him to get Jules out of the Mountain?’

‘They were?Youwere?’ Jules asks.

I ignore her. ‘How do you know that?’

He laughs. ‘Doesn’t matter how I know, but Maddox won’t forget. You know how he feels about turncoats.’

‘I’m no traitor! I’ll go tell him now,’ I bluff, but he just rolls his eyes.

‘Don’t play with me, Iron.I’mthe Master of Games, not you.’ He turns to Jules, who jumps a little when she sees his eyes. ‘And that reminds me of something I’dloveto do with you.’

‘Mr. Hyde?’ she asks in a small voice.

‘Not yet,’ he answers, ‘but he wants out. He wantsyou, deamhan àlainn.’

‘You can’t hurt her—’ I start, but Krase just laughs again.

‘I don’t want to hurt you, little rabbit,’ he growls at her, his voice low and gravelly. ‘I want to chase you and fuck you where I catch you. Tha an t-acras ort, nach eil, Jules?’

‘I don’t know what you’re saying,’ she breathes.

And we’re on the same page because I don’t know either, I think as I look between them. She seems scared, though her pupils are expanding with lust, and I step towards her to intervene. Maddox will have promised her safety here so long as she abides by the rules. She seems to be, but Krase’s idea is nowhere near safe.

‘You can’t do that, Krase, for a thousand reasons. Not least of which, what if youdohurt her?’