Shed never feared Aden before, and really, she didnt fear him now. It was just, he was so different, she didnt know what to expect from him. At least shed been smart enough to choose a winter robe to somewhat fight the early morning chill. Something shed never had to do before. In fact, shed had to borrow the stupid, constrictive thing from a human blood-slave.
Weather had never before mattered to her. Temperature had never before mattered. Now, she was freakishly cold. All. The. Time. Shed tossed and turned all night, shivering, her teeth chattering.
I like it out here, Aden said.
Casual conversation. Fabulous. Im surprised. The trees were sparse, their limbs gnarled, offering very little shade overhead. Not that Victoria needed much shade. Her now vulnerable skin loved the sun, soaking in every ray, though still not warming her.
Yeah. No prying eyes, nowhere for anyone to hide.
Anyonelike her? Should I be scared?
I dont know.
His honesty relaxed her enough to leave her smiling. Just warn me if you decide to attack.
All right. A moment passed. Heres your warning. Im hungry.
Goodbye relaxation. Tensing, she waited for him to pounce. When he didnt, she cleared her throat and asked, Hungry for human food or for blood?
Blood. The word was as slurred as before, when hed been staring at her pulse.
If that was the only reason hed asked her to walk with him, shedshe didnt know what shed do. What she did knowthe thought hurt with the same jolting force as a car slamming into her and angered with a flash of fire usually found only in hearths. To calm herself, she breathed in and out, distantly heard the rattle of locusts and the call of the birds.
Before you drink from anyone else, I need to teach you how to eat. Good. No hurt, no anger.
I think I know how to drink, he said dryly.
Properly? Because what theyd done in the cave didnt count.
Meaning?
Veins and arteries taste different. Arteries are sweeter, but theyre deeper and harder for humans to heal, so you go for them only if you want to kill. And each vein tastes different, too. The ones in the neck are deoxygenated, so they have a little bit of adeliciousfizz to them, but if you dont know what youre doing youll, what? Kill.
I knew that, he said, then thought for a moment. He nodded. Yes, I knew that.
She didnt ask whether hed learned from her memories, as she had learned a few things from his, or if hed learned on his own, like, say, sometime during the night, while theyd been apart and shed had no idea what he was doing. Some things you were better off not knowing.
Well, either way, you cant drink from me. So there!
The frown Aden leveled on her was all about intimidation. I know I shouldnt drink from you, but why are you so against it?
Because he would find out how vulnerable she was. Because his still-human teeth would cut through her skin without any problem and probably damage her. Because she might like it more than he did.
Because she might now become addicted to his bite.
The way that blood-slave had reacted to him, all pleasure and delight and eagerness, meant that even without fangs, he now produced the chemical needed to intoxicate.
Victoria?
Oh, yeah. She hadnt yet answered. What should she say? I just dont want you to, she finally lied. Time to change the subject. Sodid you drink from anyone last night or this morning?
The moment she asked, and so snappily, too, she wished she hadnt. Finally she understood what he had gone through every time hed thought of her mouth pressed into someone else, their blood filling her up. How hed hated it but had had to accept it, because shed needed to drink from others to survive.
She despised the thought of him drinking from someone else. Despised the thought of his teeth inside some other girls vein. And yes, she wanted to kill the stupid girl!
Stupidbecause anyone who messed with Victorias boyfriend deserved what she got.
Who are you?
And was he still her boyfriend?
I havent drunk from anyone. Yet. Ill find someone, he replied, completely unawareor unconcernedwith her rising anger. When Im ready. He flicked her a glance, his gaze dropping straight to her neck, tracking her pulse like the predator hed become.
Perhaps she was the stupid one, because she tossed her hair over one shoulder, offering him an irresistible view. Trying to tempt him, Vic?
No. Never.
Really?
Fine. Yes. I am trying to tempt him. Hes mine!
And now she was talking to herself. The day improved by the minute. Have you fed today? he asked in that casual tone.
Disappointment crashed through her. So much for tempting him. Yes. Of course, I have.
His eyes narrowed, creating tiny slits where each individual lash was visible and his violet eyes were able to laser down at her. Violet eyes? Again? On who? he demanded.
On what was a more fitting question. For the first time in ever, shed eaten food. Real food, with weird textures and flavors shed before tasted only in liquid nutrient form. As of last night, her need for blood had begun to dwindle. Oh, she still craved it (kind of), still needed it (sort of), but she also needed something else. Something solid.
Shed had to sneak down to the slave quarters and raid their fridge. She could have gone to the wolf quarters, but they would have scented her out and known shed been there, and shed rather avoid a conversation about her new eating habits.
She hadnt known what to pick, so shed hidden two balls of cheese in her robeher breasts had looked so perky and large!snuck back to her room, and nibbled on them, surprised by how much she enjoyed the rich, smoky flavor.
Maybe her declining interest in blood was the reason Chompers wouldnt shut up. He was the reason she still needed to drink, after all, and since she hadnt fed him breakfast, he was probably starving. Poor guy.
Poor guy?
Her wards were in place, so that wasnt the issue. Before, with her vampire skin, those wards had lasted a few weeks, no longer, and shed had to re-ink them. Shed had these new ones for four days and they hadnt even begun to fade.
Victoria. I asked you a question.
Right. She had to stop retreating into her own head. Uh, you dont know him. Truth. Cheese came from cows, and there was no way Aden had met this particular cow.
Tell me his name anyway.
So you can kill him? she asked hopefully. Soliciting a massacre wasnt her objective, but a jealous Aden was a caring Aden.
Never mind. He waved away her reply. It doesnt matter.
Hopes dashed again.
Something vibrated against her side, and she yelped. Aden glanced down at her, confused and maybe just a little concerned. Hopes reignited.
A yo-yo, thats what she was.
Are you okay? he asked.
I think Another vibration, another yelp. What theher phone, she realized with relief. Only her phone. Yes, Im fine.
She stuffed her free hand into the robes only pocket and withdrew the small, plastic devise. Shed started to carry one after meeting Aden, so that he could call if he needed her. So far, he hadnt called, but Riley was certainly taking advantage. His number was different every time, the little thief, but his message was always the same. How many This is bullshit! texts could she get from him?
A message from Riley, she said. Give me a sec. I have to reply.
This is bullshit! she read. Got MA 2 safety & T is about 2 ruin it.
T. Tucker. Victoria hated Tucker. After releasing Adens handwhich she hated to doshe typed, Kill him. Make it hurt. In her haste, she typed hart but didnt realize until too late.
How is he? Aden asked. He wound his arm around her waist, guiding her out of the way of trees as her attention wavered between her phone and what was ahead of her. Well, well. While the hand-holding had been as delightful as finding a rainbow, this was like finding the pot of gold at the end of it. She absorbed his heat, felt her cells waking up, responding to him.
Good. Another vibration and she read, Hart? Ha! CID. Soon. SOBs helping 2. Another vibration, a new text. Hows BK doing?
BK. Boy King. Riley had started calling Aden by the stupid nickname in earlier texts and hadnt stopped. On mend.
Ask him if the name Tyson means anything.
Does the name Tyson mean anything to you?
Tyson? Aden asked. Mmm-hmm.
A moment passed. No. Should it?
Dont know. She asked Riley.
Well talk about it later. Call if u need me.
K.
Ill call when Tuck has bled out.
Her lips twitched as she returned the phone to her pocket.
Aden didnt ask what theyd discussed. He just changed the subject, saying, Elijah says Im now like you. My personality, I mean.
Of course Elijah is blaming me for the change. He doesnt like me. None of them do, she said, then his words sank in, and she gasped. Wait, what? Her step faltered, tripping her, dislodging Adens hold. When she straightened, she glared at his still moving form. Never mind that shed had the same thought yesterday. Shed been more inclined to blame her father. Aden!
He turned back to face her, frowned at the distance between them and approached. Again she absorbed his heat. Now that her cells were fully awake, they practically quivered in rapture, being this close to him.
How she would have loved it if hed deigned to return her glare, but no. His expression remained blank. He says you left pieces of your character inside me. Like when I gave you the souls, and you gave me Chompers. His head tilted to the side, his gaze moving past her, past the forest, as if he were listening to someone else. He probably was. Then he nodded and said, And when we drank from each other.
She ran her tongue over her teeth. Her sharp, useless teeth. Youre saying this uncaring, very nearly unlikable act is because of me? You thought the same thing, she reminded herself. How can you be mad at him?
She didnt know, but she was. Very mad.
Yes. Thats what Im saying. Offered with no hesitation.
That was how people saw her? Cold, distant? Oh, shed known they considered her too serious, but this Ugh, ugh, ugh. Why arent I acting like you, then?
Maybe you are.
What does that mean?
I dont know. You tell me.
Her chin lifted. You mean Im acting confused, tuning in and out of our conversations, distracted all the time, and throwing jealous fits? Wait. She was. Her eyes widened as realization struck. She really was.
Was that how you saw me? he asked, parroting her thoughts. He took a menacing step toward her, then another.
She backed away slowly, trying not to be obvious in her cowardiceand her desire. Her quivering became outright shaking, her need to be touched by him overshadowing everything else, making her ache.
He didnt stop coming, and she didnt stop retreating until her back pressed into a thick tree trunk. She might crave him, but she didnt know this Aden, didnt know how hed react to the things she did and said.
Although, if Elijah was correct, she could guess. If Aden was acting like her, he would try and resist her, but he would fail. Just as shed always failed to resist him. He would try and dislike her, try to detach himself from her, but again, he would fail.
Finally, a blessing amidst a curse.
When shed first met him, she had been following orders from her father. Find him, interrogate him, and kill him. Shed found him all right. Shed interrogated himkind of. While her father had expected screams of pain to spring from the question-and-answer session, shed ended up swimming with Aden, playing with him. Kissing him.
Shed told herself she didntcouldntlike him. He was food, nothing more. Shed told herself to remain disconnected from the situation, to do what needed to be done. Aden had summoned her kind to Oklahoma, he hummed with a kind of power none of them understood but were drawn to, a power the beasts inside them yearned for and basically worshipped, and he could do serious damage to their race. Killing him would have been a mercy to her people.
Killing him, though, had never been an option for Victoria. She had been intrigued by him, had identified with him. He was an outsider to his own kind; he was misunderstood, unwanted. She wasnt an outsider, but as a princess she was set apart. And it hadnt helped that shed always been a disappointment to her father. She wasnt a warrior like her sister Lauren, and she wasnt a volatile force of nature like Stephanie.
She was justherself.
Aden flattened his hands at her temples, his lower body brushing against hers and pulling a delighted gasp right out of her. Hed caged her in, surrounded her, becoming all that she saw. All she wanted to see. You are tuning in and out of our conversations, he said. There was no heat to his tone, but maybemaybe there were threads of amusement?
That doesnt prove anything, she said, just to provoke him. What would he do? How far would he take this?
Lets test the theory, then.
How?
His nose brushed against hers, his breath fanning over her cheeks, warm and minty. How would you like to test it?
Was he going to kiss her? Her heart sped into hyperdrive, her veins expanding to accommodate the increase of blood flow. She ran her tongue over her lips, her gaze melting into his. II dont know.
I do, he said darkly, huskily. First, do I have all your attention?
Yes.
Good. Thats step one. Now for step two.
Without any more explanation, he settled his mouth over hers, soft, exploring. Her breath hitched as she tasted him. Then, he pressed harder, opened up, and licked at her. She opened up, too, welcoming him inside, and their tongues rolled together. Her hands slid up his chest, around his neck and tangled in his hair.
I like step two, she rasped, so happy this was happening, she could have burst. But it doesnt prove anything.
Kiss. Well, well worry about that later. Kiss.