He was pure insanity, a literal raving lunatic.
And I’d trapped myself here with him.
For. Ever.
“You claim witches can’t be turned into vampires,” he raved on, “but here’s a little secret: one already has.”
“You’re so full of shit, Jonathan. Back in the caves, you told me you were working on it. Now it’s a done deal?”
“We’re just waiting on the final tests, but all indications are that it worked. And before you get all sanctimonious on me, she volunteered. Oh, yes,thatwitch knows about sacrifice for the greater good. And she was rewarded for her loyalty with more power you can even imagine.”
I stilled, narrowing my eyes at him, trying to find the lie in his words. Jonathan read my silence as intrigue, stepping closer and offering a mad, bloody smile. But I wasn’t intrigued at all. My brain was still stuck on the part about the witch who’d turned. Was that true, or just another one of his tricks? Witches never survived the vampire blood swap. So how had he done it? Fiona said he’d beenworkingon technology to hybridize witches—and he’d confirmed that back in the caves. But had he actually succeeded?
I filed the information away for later.
Then I sighed, remembering my predicament. For me, therewasno later. As far as I knew, I had no way to get in touch with Liam or the others. No way to let them know what Jonathan had just told me.
“Despite everything, Sunshine, my offer still stands,” Jonathan said, gentler now. When I met his gaze again, his green eyes softened in a way that—if I’d let it—might’ve reminded me of all those times we’d made out in his tree fort in the woods as kids.
“Do you mean that?” I asked, pretending to consider it.
“We could be great together. You know that, Rayanne. You can feel it, just like I can.” He leaned in close, slowly inching his mouth toward mine. Then, in a hoarse whisper he probably thought was sexy, “You liked the taste of my blood, didn’t you? You want it again.”
Doing my best to ignore the rotten stench of his breath, I smiled and let him get within a hair’s breadth of my lips.
Then I spit in his face and head-butted his already smashed nose.
He howled in agony as the blood surged all over again. “You treacherous littlebitch!”
“I tasted your blood once already, filthy hunter. That was enough.”
Even after drinking all that water in the lake, the bitter tang of that blood still lingered on my lips.
Still, no matter how revolting, it would never be enough to erase the memory of Asher’s fiery kiss.Thatwas a kiss to remember, a taste I wanted to hold on to—at least, for as long as my memories lasted in this twisted place.
My heart squeezed. In that moment, I wished more than anything I was back in that cave with Ash. Back in his arms.
I wished we could do it all over again, without the threat of hunters and devil’s traps and murdered witches. I wished we could do it just because we wanted to be together. To feel that connection. That heat.
I’d healed him—that much was obvious. But I’d never told him it was so much more than that for me.
I’m, uh… I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you, too. So… there’s that.
I closed my eyes for just a moment, replaying his words in my mind.
“Fuck you, witch,” Jonathan shouted.
I opened my eyes, unable to hold back the bubble of laughter pushing its way out.
I laughed until my sides hurt and tears streamed down my cheeks.
And then I fucking snapped.
“Newsflash, Jonathan!” I shouted. “I’m already fucked. Completely, totally, thoroughly fucked. Everyone I care about is gone—I’ll never see them again. I don’t even know if they’re okay, or what kind of shitshow you left behind. I’m trapped in this realm for all eternity with my sworn enemy, a man—and I use that termveryloosely—I find more repulsive than the idea of eating the demon shit I stepped in on the walk over. And now you’re trying tokissme?Seriously?You know what, Jonathan? Fuckyou.”
I hauled off and punched him in the mouth. It was an easy hit, one he hadn’t seen coming, and my aim was true. But the crunch of my knuckles against his few remaining teeth was a lot less satisfying than I’d hoped.
It riled him up, though, and he came at me with renewed energy, knocking me off my feet before I could duck out of the way.
