A violent quiver stirred inside my lower abdomen, shooting sparks to each nerve ending. Sparks that ignited into flames as his fangs pierced the sensitive area around my nipple.
I cried out in surprise and slight pain, only to freeze as he lifted the drink to the fresh wound.
“As I said,” he whispered, his icy irises capturing mine. “I can make your life comfortable. Or I can make it absolutely miserable.”
He tipped the glass, the alcohol slipping over the edge and directly onto my breast once more.
The comfortable burn morphed into a stinging inferno that elicited a sharp hiss from my throat, one born of shock and pain.
His tongue chased the torment, licking up my alcohol-laced blood and soothing the burn.
It only lasted a second.
But his point was clear.
I’m your master now. Work with me, and I’ll consider rewarding you. Work against me, and I’ll destroy you.
9
Jace
Calina’s hissrolled through my mind on repeat, the sound one I wanted to replicate as I drove deep inside her.
Mmm, I’d meant what I said about hoping she didn’t cooperate. Not because I wanted to truly harm her, but because I desired to teach her a lesson in authority.
The pretty little researcher considered herself my equal, and while I admired her tenacity, she was most decidedly not on my level.
But she could be.
It’d been a long time since I’d considered the prospect of a progeny. However, Calina’s spirit called to mine, her presence an alluring intoxication that I wanted to drown within.
She was strong. Tenacious. Stubborn. And most importantly,strategic.
In one conversation, I could discern all those qualities because she had presented herself as an open book. Not because she was naïve, but because she knew it was her best chance at survival.
And she’d tried to play me, maneuvering around the discussion like a clever champion.
My lips curled in amusement.
I wanted to indulge her and enjoy another round. But time was not on our side.
So I left Calina tied to the chair and went in search of Damien to give him an update on the server farm.
“Consider wisely,” I’d told her before leaving the room. “I’ll want a coherent response when I return.”
I hadn’t bothered to heal the wound on her breast. It would close on its own, something her intriguing genetics would hasten along.
Besides, I rather liked leaving my mark above her erect nipple. It was almost as though I’d claimed her as mine.
One bite to the neck. One to the tit. Perhaps my next sampling would be from her creamy thigh.
Yes, indeed,I mused, picturing the image clearly in my head.
“Are you drunk?” a deep voice demanded, giving me pause. “Or has old age impacted your eyesight?”
I glanced over my shoulder to find Ryder leaning against the wall with an arched eyebrow. “Am I meant to acknowledge you and bow?” I asked, avoiding his statement about my preoccupied state.
Because apparently I’d walked right by him without noticing.
