Shaking, he pushed her arm awaythe part of him that still craved her screamed in protest. Her skin was warm, and though not as hot as before, he tingled where theyd touched all the same. He wanted to be touched again and again and again.
Focus on the human. You, he said, nodding to her. He refused to fall under another girls spell. If he did, he might not recover. There was no way anyone would affect him the way Victoria did. Surely. Do you want to feed me?
That dark gaze at last zoomed in on him. Y-yes.
Truth or lie? Are you nervous?
Of you? She shook her head with conviction, but her subsequent stuttering contradicted the motion. N-no.
She wasnt scared of him, but she was scared of something. That wouldnt stop him. Good. Come here.
Riley and Victoria shared a long, dark look. More than a look, actually. He knew Riley was pushing his thoughts into Victorias head, and shrugged. Let them sayor not saywhat they wanted. Nothing would change his decided course of action.
Finally Victoria nodded, moved backward, and the wolf shifter gave the human a little push in Adens direction. She scooted around the princess, remaining out of striking distance, and Aden suddenly comprehended the reason for her upset. She feared Victoria.
Smart of her. Victoria watched her through narrowed eyes, poised to launch into an attack at any second. Were they enemies? No, they couldnt be. No one was more protective of Victoria than Riley, and the wolf never would have let the human through the door if that had been the case. Sowhat was the problem?
Only when the girl was at Adens side did she relax. She curtsied, grinned. What can I do for you, my king?
He didnt allow himself to study his vampire and her reaction to the girls query. Let me have your arm.
Instantly she reached out. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist. It was thicker than Victorias, with a little more meat under her skin. As hot as Adens body temperature now was, the human felt chilled.
He absorbed her scent, testing it. Sharper than what he craved, he mused, with more spice than sweetness, but he could deal. Already his stomach was twisting, knotting. He urged her closeropened his mouth
Wait. Youre going to hurt her, Victoria snapped, beside the girl in the blink of an eye and jerking her from Adens hold.
The human gasped and trembled.
Aden growled, even as the scent of the vampire stirred up some kind of animal inside him. A wild thing, cohabitating in a place where there was no room for emotion, only instinct honed on a battlefield.
Mine, that wild thing said.
Never yours, the other part of him hissed.
You dont have fangs. Victoria raised her chin. So, like I said, youll hurt her. Ill bite her and
Ill bite her. Fangs or not, he knew how to feed. Hadnt he proven that to Victoria, over and over again?
The memory had his gaze falling to her neck, where her pulse hammered swiftly. The ache in his gums returned. Mine, he thought again. Mine to bite and to drink from and to kiss.
You dont even like her. Not anymore.
Ill bite her, she continued through gritted teeth, and you can drink from her. She didnt give him a chance to respond. She simply lifted and bit.
The human closed her eyes, moaning as the pleasure hit her. Pleasure Aden knew very well and still craved, despite his determination to remain aloof.
Vampire fangs produced some kind of drug that numbed your skin and flowed straight into your veins, warming you up, making you feel good, too good. Which was exactly why so many humans became addicted, willing to do anything for another nibbling.
Not him. Never him. Not again.
A second passed, then another. Victoria lifted her head. Blood wetted her lips a deep scarlet, and Aden wanted to lick them. Instead, he forced his gaze on the two punctures in the humans wrist. Blood wetted there, too, and he groaned. What he didnt do was chastise Victoria for disobeying him. What right do I have to chastise her? He simply claimed the arm offered to him and brought the wound to his mouth.
He licked once, twice, tasting ambrosia, groaning again, before sucking, letting the nectar fill his mouth, swallowing, his eyes closing in the same surrender the human had experienced. And yet, in the back of his mind, he thought that as wonderful as this blood tasted, it should have tasted better. Should have been sweeter, with only a little hint of that spice.
has no fangs, yet he still craves blood, Riley was saying as Aden became aware of his surroundings again. Its unheard of.
Apparently not, Victoria snapped. Look at him. Hes enjoying every moment of this.
Enjoying? His eyes look dead, and have ever since he woke up. Somethings wrong with him.
Aden knew they were talking about him, but just as before, he didnt care.
Well, shes enjoying it, then, Victoria added, words sharp as a whip. If I wasnt holding her back shed be grinding on him.
Do you want me to deny that? the wolf muttered. Because we both know Id be lying.
Youre a terrible friend.
Whatever. Just dont kill her afterward. To borrow her, I had to promise Lauren youd do her laundry for a week. And I had to promise youd do it forever if any harm came to her slave.
Thanks a lot. You couldnt have asked Lauren for a male?
A tremor rocked the human. Of fear? Or was she still too lost to the pleasure to care, either?
Im only guessing here, but I dont think humanseven former humansare like us. They cant separate feeding from sex. I figured Aden would appreciate a female.
Well, hes appreciating her too much!
Riley arched a brow at Victoria. Are you jealous, princess?
No. Yes. Hes mine. A pause. Well, he was. Nowhe pushed me away. Twice. Did you see him push me away?
Yeah, I did, but he loves you, Vic. You know that.
Do I? she asked softly.
Did he? Aden wondered. Even though he didnt like her at the moment? Because, as he knew, you didnt have to like someone to love them. A lesson hed learned as a child, when his parents had him committed, then walked away and never looked back.
He hadnt liked them, might even have hated them, but even still, hed loved them. At least at first. But as the days had passed in a medicated haze, as other patients beat him up and called him names, that love had withered, leaving only the hate. Then, the hate, too, had left him, and he simply hadnt cared. Hed had the souls.
His souls. Where were his souls? They werent chattering, and he couldnt feel them in the back of his mind. Did Victoria have them?
No longer was she watching him. Her gaze had moved just over his shoulder, perhaps even outside the room. Her eyes were as blue as before, no longer mixed with green, brown and gray. No, the souls were not inside her head.
They must be in his, and the medication must have put them to sleep. Another reason to dislike Victoria. The souls were his best friends, and a few times over the years, theyd been his only reason to live. They despised his medication and would not be happy when they woke up. Shed known that, yet shed forced the pills down his throat anyway.
Yes, Victoria finally said. He loves me. I know it.
She did? She was a step ahead of him, then. Once, he had loved her; he knew that much. And why wouldnt he have? She was flawless, a walking fantasy. But what did he really know about her?
Badto her, humans were nothing more than food. Badshe could enslave with a single bite. Goodshe cared about her family. Badher father wanted to kill him. Goodshe knew he was different than other humans and vampires, and she liked him anyway. Badshe was insensitive to humans and their needs. Goodshe was trying to be sensitive to humans and their needs.
During their one and only date, she had danced around him, telling jokes. Lame ones, but shed been trying. For him. Trying to be what she thought he wanted and needed. So, yes, he had loved her. But now? He couldnt summon a single spark or hint of softness.
Oh, the attraction was still there. He wanted to push the human away and fall on the vampire. He wanted his teeth in her neck and his body pinning hers. He wanted her hands on him, and her mouth on him, and he wanted her gasping his name.
Even as the thoughts drifted through his head, images formed. Of her, of him, of the two of them together, doing exactly what he wanted. What he wanted so badly he was actually growling, the guttural sound rising in his throat and spilling into the bedroom, echoing menacingly between them.
Victoria must have assumed the growl was for the human. Suddenly she vibrated with anger and concern. He could actually taste the emotions in the air, and they had him sucking at the human with renewed fervor.
The human moaned her approval.
Strength was infusing his cells. His muscles were expanding, his bones humming. And, wow. If this human female affected him so powerfully, how would the vampire affect him?
Okay, enough. Riley strode to the bed, grabbed the human, and jerked her away from him. Leave, the wolf told the girl.
II She swayed. Yes, of course. Then footsteps sounded, the slam of a door.
Victoria. When the wolf stretched a hand out to the vampire, Aden jumped to his feet and moved between them, preventing contact. An instinctive urge to protect what was his.
Are you thinking to fight me or her? Riley asked, seemingly unconcerned by either choice.
Neither. Both. He might not like Victoria, but he still wanted her. He didnt want anyone else to have her. The impulsethe two needswarringwhat the hell was wrong with him? He was like two different people.
O-kay. Why are your claws out?
Claws? Aden looked down, and sure enough, his nails had lengthened and sharpened, little daggers tipping his fingers. He should be freaked out but could only lift his hands to the light, studying this newest development. How is this possible?
Riley blew out a breath and said, Either youre changing into a vampire slowly, one modification at a time, or youre the first human-vamp hybrid. To my knowledge. Now, are you going to back off or do I have to make you?
A little bark of amusement escaped him. Little, yes, but amusement all the same. You could try.
Clearly not the response the wolf had expected. He blinked, shook his head. Look, well come back to the male pissing contest in a second. Theres something wrong with you, and I dont know how deep the problem goes. So were gonna have a little chat and find out.
Behind him, Aden heard Victoria shift from one foot to the other. The fine hairs on the back of his neck lifted, his skin doing that tingling thing. He scowled. He was that aware of her? Theres nothing wrong with me. There, we talked. Now, gather my people in the great hall.
The words echoed with threat, surprising Aden as much as they did Riley. Only recently had he accepted his right to rule, but never once had he thought of the vampires as my people. But they were, and now he had plenty to say to them. There is something wrong with you, Aden, Riley insisted. You havent even asked about Mary Ann. Shes out there somewhere, on her own, perhaps in danger. Do you not care about her anymore?
A flicker of emotion sparked in his chest, extinguished before he could figure out what it was. Or what it meant. Shell be fine, he said.
Are you sure about that? Has Elijah told you?
Yes, Im sure. And no, he hasnt.
Hope bloomed and died in Rileys eyes. Then how are you sure?
Because he wanted to be, and in that moment Aden was certain he got what he wanted. Always. And if he didnt, he did whatever was necessary to change the circumstances.
Wait. Was that true? He couldnt think of a specific example, buuuthe simply knew. He shrugged. That was good enough for him. Maybe there was something wrong with him. Not that he cared about that, either, he realized. He would talk to his people, as planned.
Perhaps you didnt hear me, Aden said. Youve got some gathering to do.
Gather them yourself, majesty. Riley huffed and puffed, his shoulders straightening, squaring. Adens lips twitched in renewed humor, but he wasnt sure why that would be funny to him. Im going after Mary Ann. Victoria?
She stays, Aden said, the words leaving him before he could stop them. Despite everything, or maybe because of it, he wanted her with him.
Victoria? the wolf snapped.
I did this to him, she said softly. I have to stay with him and make sureyou know.
Aden didnt know what you know was, and he still didnt care. He was getting what he wanted: her presence. That was enough. For now.
Riley popped his jaw. Very well. Keep your cell with you at all times, and call if you need anything. Anything at all. And Ill call you if I learn anything. Be careful.
Always.
A stiff nod in Adens direction, and then Riley was turning on his heel, marching away.
Aden didnt spare Victoria a glance and certainly didnt thank her. He wasnt one to say thanks, ever. Right? Even though the desire to do so sparked and died in the same place as that unnameable emotion for Mary Ann. He simply strode to the rooms only window, a bay that opened on to a balcony, determined to call his people together on his own.
SIX
VICTORIA REMAINED IN PLACE AS Aden stood on her balcony, doing nothingwaiting forshe wasnt sure. He wasnt chatting with his people, though. He was alone, barefoot and unconcerned by everything around him. Oh, and someone elses blood flowed in his veins. The knowledge irritated her when it should have delighted her. He was alive. He was awake.
She was still irritated. Despite everything, she wanted her blood in his veins. Her blood making him stronger.
Get over yourself already. The open balcony doors let the chilled morning air inside the room, and she shivered. For the first time in her life, she would have welcomed a coat. Something, anything, to melt the frost practically glossing her exposed skin.
How was Aden not shivering? He was bare-chested, deliciously so. Rope after rope of muscle lined his stomach and neatly patterned his back. Tragically, he wore jeans. Clean jeans, at least. Shed washed and changed him while hed slept. And she hadnt looked at anything improper. Except for those twofourtimes. Riley had been too distracted to ask about those sponge baths, for which she was grateful.