“We’re not as spoiled as you think.” A wry smile touched his lips. “None of us, except maybe Caspian. We weren’t born to peaceful times, Max.”
A flicker of sorrow crossed his face, chased by old rage that was banked but not extinguished. He might’vebeen thinking of his parents. The White Witch had orphaned three of the four heirs.
And now, all I wanted was to comfort him. As much as I could.
I studied the vampire prince in the mirror. Hunger pulsed in him—for me, or for my blood. His crimson eyes had darkened, the effort of veiling it visible. His hands stayed deliberately at his sides instead of reaching for me.
“It’s time to offer you my blood, Your Highness,” I said. “A deal is a deal.”
21
MAX
Nikolai spun me, pressed my back against his taut chest. His hands settled on either side of my waist, cool palms resting over the fabric of my shirt. No one had ever held me that way. Not with intent. Not with heat disguised as patience.
Blood rushed to my face. My heartbeat climbed into my throat, and every place his body pressed against mine turned to a live wire. The match had been struck. I was the oil.
I had to stop this before I stepped over the cliff.
“Can you just bite me, sir?” I asked in my low, rough voice.
“Is the foreplay not to your liking?” He crooned the words against the tip of my ear, and I shivered, need humming under my skin.
We were still standing in front of the mirror. My reflection blinked back at me—flushed, wide-eyed, a woman in men’s clothes with a vampire prince molded to her spine.
“This is me donating blood, sir.” I tried for casual. “Why is foreplay necessary? You pierce my skin with your big, sharp teeth, suck in a mouthful, I slap a bandage on it, and we say good night to each other. Right?”
“Max, Max.” His low, rich laughter vibrated through his chest and into my back. “I’m a vampire, not a barbarian. Only mindless feeders take blood that way. I’m the highest of my caste.”
I’d just insulted the vampire prince. But at least I’d taken his mind off his grief.
“And I don’t have big ugly teeth.” He turned me gently until I faced him. Then he grinned, showing off his flawless, even, white teeth. “My fangs only come out when I’m about to feed, fight…” His crimson eyes darkened with seduction. “Or fuck.”
The ache in my core tightened into a knot. My breasts grew heavy and tender beneath the bind, straining against the fabric.
Shit. Why did he have to say that word? It was vulgar, yet the image it conjured made my blood run so hot I could feel my pulse in my fingertips.
I shouldn’t have bargained with the devil. Or maybe I should stop floundering and follow his lead instead of exposing every shade of my ignorance.
“Feeding is an art, Max.” His voice dropped to a rich velvet. “Especially on someone as unique and exquisite as you.”
“I might be unique since I’m built like a siege tower.” I held up a hand. “But I’m not exquisite. Don’t delude yourself about who’s standing in front of you, Highness.Whatever you think you smell in me, I’ve been a miner my whole life. My blood probably tastes like iron dust and bad decisions.” I bit my tongue once. Didn’t care for the flavor. “Just lowering your expectations so you won’t be bitterly disappointed.”
While I was still delivering this fair warning, he bent his head. His nose brushed the hollow between my shoulder and neck, and that feather-light touch sent fireworks across my skin. My back arched, pressing into him. I bit down on a moan that nearly escaped.
He inhaled slowly, greedily, as if my scent were something he wanted to hold in his lungs and never release.
Shit.
“Too kind.” He murmured the words against my flushed skin. “You don’t want me to be bitterly disappointed.”
His fangs grazed the column of my neck, dragging a line from below my ear to the junction of my shoulder. His lips followed the same path, cool, barely there. I shuddered. My body wound tighter, every muscle tensed like a bowstring, anticipating the inevitable puncture.
It didn’t come. I was sweating through my shirt.
“You’re tense, Max.” His chuckle ghosted across my damp skin. “I suspect you’re a virgin.”
Now he’d irritated me. “You say that word like it’s dirty.” I snapped my head sideways to glare at him. “It’s not my thing to sleep around.”
