Page 76 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

But I was getting better. It was getting easier. I could function in his company, case in point, last night. I had actually…enjoyed myself. Which was why it had surprised me when he dismissed himself after discussing our new guests.

Had that been his plan all along? To make me more accustomed to him? Make me fear him less?

I purposefully took a seat next to Eleanor, forcing Bastian to take the seat on her right. I tried not to let my panic show when Laurent took the seat on my left. I sucked in a slow, controlled breath, held it to the count of three, then released.

He wasn’t going to hurt me, I reminded myself.

Some of my nerves dissipated.

Marco was the only one who remained standing. “We appreciate you coming. As you’ve heard, vampires are being targeted for their blood. At first, we couldn’t understand how anyone could successfully ensnare us. When one vampire went missing, we didn’t think much of it. But when it kept happening, our concern grew. Our strength makes us nearly impossible to capture.”

I braved a few glances at Laurent while I listened. He was relaxed, as if none of this mattered much. His face wore its usual expressionless mask.

“A few weeks ago, we received intelligence that worried us. We believe someone is using a powerful object to ensnare us. Perhaps something specifically intended for vampires. A ruby.”

A small breath left Eleanor’s lips. Bastian turned toward her, his forehead furrowed in question. I caught a glimpse of his hand holding hers under the table. Bastian looked around me at Laurent, “How did you come by this information?”

“Took it from a demon,” Laurent said.

“With blood?”

“Yes.”

“That must have been disgusting.”

“It was.”

“He only caught a glimpse of the ruby,” Marco clarified. “But we don’t know what it does or how it’s being used. We also don’t know who is behind this.”

Bastian made a thoughtful noise while Eleanor remained silent, her eyes distant and thoughtful.

“We are not asking you to find the culprit,” Laurent added, leaning around me to catch Bastian’s gaze. I stiffened at his closeness, my heart taking off in a gallop.

Bastian grunted in answer, appeased.

I tried to calm my breathing. It didn’t appear as if Laurent was paying attention to me. Yet, his hand casually brushed the back of mine, which was clenched around the chair’s arm. A part of me that had nothing to do with fear paused as tingles raced along my skin. The tension in my muscles eased and I sank deeper into the chair, frowning.

“We are hoping,” Laurent continued, “that you can help us understand more about the ruby. I want to know what we’re up against.” He was closer to me than he’d been in weeks. His left arm was braced on the table while his right shifted to the back of my chair, all but caging me in. I caught wind of his scent and inhaled, taking him deep into my lungs. A faint hint of musky cologne⁠—

My muscles twitched and I tried to sink deeper into my chair. Laurent’s eyes darted toward mine in question, like he sensed something amiss. A small furrow formed between his brows before he turned back to Bastian and Eleanor.

I licked my lips, resisting the urge to scratch my skin. I felt itchy. Hungry. I tried to swallow but my throat was unusually dry. My eyes darted toward Laurent’s throat.

There was a pulse there, faintly visible, slowly beating. Vampires had hearts. I’d seen him rip one out in front of me, as if it were nothing. He’d used me as bait for the witches. He was the reason I was tortured. He’d done worse to others. Unspeakable things like ripping out throats and drowning in blood.

He was an awful, awful creature…

I glanced at his throat again, this time inhaling. Breathing in his scent. My eyes locked on the fluttering pulse there, which seemed to speed up under my gaze.

For some reason, I never realized just how delicious he smelled. How mouth watering. How badly I wanted to⁠—

I reeled backwards, scooting my chair out to stand. The sudden, gnawing desire made absolutely no sense. Laurent jerked, frowning at me. “Sorry,” I squeaked, my cheeks flushing. “I need to visit the ladies room.”

“Oh! Actually, can I join you?” Eleanor also came to her feet. “With this baby, I have to pee like every five minutes.”

My shoulders sagged with relief.

Bastian stood too, but Laurent growled with irritation. “Your mate will not be harmed in this house, Bas. I gave you my word.”