Cheryl shakes her head. I know she doesn’t want to witness me drinking from another female, but her heart is conflicted. She can see I need blood.
“He can have my vein,” Cheryl interjects. “He doesn’t need Nightingale blood.”
“Silence, savage!” Lady Nisha commands.
Cheryl turns to her. “Drop dead, skank.”
The collar is activated, and Cheryl cries out. Her body convulses violently, making her collapse on the floor.
“No!” I try to get up, but the guards push me down, pressing my face to the floor and holding my arms tight behind my back. I’m not in chains because of the damn collar around my neck.
“Pull him up,” Lady Nisha commands.
They grab me by my hair, yanking hard to cause maximum pain. My lower lip stings from when I hit the floor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s cut.
“You’re in bad shape, vampire warrior,” she says in a seductive way. “But it’s nothing compared to what your pet will look like when we’re done with her.”
To make her point, she uses the collar against Cheryl again, making her cry out once more. My nostrils flare, and my fangs are aching to tear this vile female’s throat open, and not to drink her blood.
A servant carrying a tray with a goblet and a dagger approaches her. Maybe guessing I will do some serious damage if she offers me her vein, Lady Nisha takes the dagger and cuts her palm, then lets the blood drip into the glass. My gums ache as the scent of her spilled blood enters my system. My hunger comes to the forefront of my mind, and all I can think about now is feeding.
Once the cup is filled, she presses it against my lips. I don’t want to drink her blood. I don’t want any part of this female inside me. But I can’t let her torture Cheryl again, so I surrender to the hunger and accept the offer.
The moment her blood hits my tongue, magic takes over my senses. At first, I believe it’s just the Nightingale magic that I taste, but after a moment, my thoughts become muddled, and my skin feels like it’s being pulled tight. My cock hardens, anda lust fog takes over me. I meet Lady Nisha’s gaze and see the victory in her silver eyes. I’m lusting for her against my wishes.
“Ronan…” Cheryl calls my name, clearing my head for a moment.
Lady Nisha must have done something to her blood to make me crave her. I shake my head, fighting the magic trying to bend my will. I focus on my bond to Cheryl, using that as a lifeline. When the female tries to kiss me, I turn my face away. “No!”
Her eyes widen as she steps back. “No? You dare to refuse me?”
Damn it. She’s going to retaliate against Cheryl. I have to stop her.
The wail of a newborn reaches us from somewhere in the manor. Lord Valkor and the dark-skinned Nightingale trade a glance, then both walk away, heading toward the noise.
Unfortunately, Lord Valkor’s sadistic daughter remains. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done, vampire.”
She strides toward Cheryl still holding the dagger. I don’t need to read minds to know what she intends to do. I drank her blood; I know what’s in her heart. She hates Cheryl because of what she means to me, and she intends to make her suffer while I watch.
I prepare to shake the guards holding me and attack, but a feeling of uncontrollable dread hits me. The guards release their hold on me, and I sense their fear. My gaze collides with Cheryl’s. Her round eyes and ragged breathing tell me she’s realized the same thing I did.
Shadowbeasts are coming.
Thirty-Three
CHERYL
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
Pandemonium ensues the moment everyone realizes the manor is under attack by shadowbeasts. Guards storm the grand hall and quickly form a protective circle around Lord Valkor and Lady Nisha. Lord Indigo lifts me off the floor and unties me. “Can you fight?”
He’s blocking my view of Ronan now. I look over his shoulder, but there are too many guards in my way.
Lord Indigo grabs my arm and shakes me. “Can you fight or not?”
Pure terror shines in his eyes. It’s an emotion I never thought I’d see from any Nightingale, especially him. He always seems collected and in control, like an ice sculpture with psychotic tendencies.
“I’m deadlier in my wolf form.”
