Page 24

“It works best if you’re half shifted.”

He nodded, though something like shyness overtook his arrogant face. He took a deep breath and his eyes glowed bright gold. He bared his teeth, now jagged and sharp. They looked almost too large for his mouth, and I fought the urge to step back. I gripped the needle tighter, and he ran his tongue along his deadly canines. My next breath was shaky.

“Any sudden moves, wolf boy, and I’ll shove this needle into your eye, you got that?”

His response was a short huff. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck as I fought the urge to look away.

“Head back, mouth open, and don’t move,” I said.

He did as he was told.

My hand shook as I leaned over him. I should’ve placed one hand on his face for stability, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not when teeth like those had marred me and put my immortality at risk.

Before I could chicken out, I stuck the needle into his gums. He startled, his entire body jolting and eyes squeezing shut. He was just being a big baby.

“Do not move,” I reminded him.

His hands gripped the arms of the chair, a grunt of discomfort deep in his chest. Perhaps he hadn’t put enough of the powder on his gums. With a sigh, I pulled back slowly on the plunger, watching the black venom fill the barrel. Sylvan’s eyes were squeezed so tight, his face contorted. His hands were shaking from how hard he gripped the arms of the chair, and I was sure he’d break it. I almost felt bad.

He let out a heavy breath once the barrel was full, and I retracted the needle. I stepped back, and he dropped his face into his hands and swore. Hands still shaking, I picked up a vial and uncorked it with my teeth. I slowly transferred the contents of the needle into the vial, watching the black liquid flood the tube.

By the time I corked it, Sylvan’s eyes were on me. The glow was gone, as were the jagged teeth. He stared at the vial, then at me. Without a word, I swapped one syringe for a fresh one. To my embarrassment, my hand was shaking even more.

Mouth shut tightly, Sylvan ran his tongue along the top of his now humanlike teeth. His brows were furrowed, his focus on my trembling hand. I set the needle down and took a deep breath. “I need your blood,” I said to him. “No numbing powder for this one.”

“That’s fine, I felt the fucking needle anyway.”

“Weakling,” I mumbled.

“Says the woman whose hands are shaking. I’m not letting you get anywhere near my veins with that needle. I’m not bleeding out in your office.”

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have a comeback.

“Ah, nothing to say huh?”

“Fuck you.”

He smirked in response. I went to grab a handkerchief from my pocket, but as I was drying my hands, Sylvan was rolling back his sleeve.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“Getting your blood sample.” He pulled something from his pocket, a flick of it revealing a wicked blade.

“That’s not how⁠—”

He was already carving into his forearm, bright red blood blooming against his brown skin and starting to drip. I stared at the trickle of scarlet, enthralled. The enticing scent bloomed and set my mouth to watering. My stomach clenched, and my hands trembled anew.

“Are you just going to stand there or hand me a vial?”

That snapped me out of it. “With your level of senselessness, maybe I should just let you bleed out. Evolution will thank me.” I grabbed a vial and uncorked it, passing it to him. He caught as much blood as he could while I stood there, trying my best not to call him every name in the book. “You could’ve just pricked your fingertips, genius.”

“I could’ve, but it wouldn’t be enough blood to fill this damn vial.” A drop of his blood hit the floor, but he managed to fill half the vial. “I can cut again if⁠—”

I snatched the vial from him and corked it before wiping it with the handkerchief and setting it down beside his venom. “If you cut again, you’re going to bleed out.”

“You do know lycans heal quickly, too, right?”

“Doesn’t mean I want you to bleed all over my floor.”