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The girl stares, chest heaving. She’s pale and shaky. Blood dots her shoulder where he scratched her. Her heartbeat thunders in my ears, and I slowly inch back into my cell. The scent of her blood, mixed with sweat, and the extra layer of terror on top does something to me. A delectable combination that threatens to consume me.

‘You’re welcome,’ I say, struggling to push down the roaring bloodlust rearing its ugly head inside me right now.

The woman is silent as she stares at the dead vampire. Her entire body trembles. She meets my eyes, breathing hard. She’s probably wondering why I didn’t kill her. Why I chose to save her over him.

I don’t think I have a good chance of being released by either one of them, but he was crazed. I wouldn’t have been able to get through to him or convince him to release me. Vampires look out for themselves, that’s something you must always remember.

‘Thanks,’ she says, barely audible. She swallows. ‘You just killed him.’

‘He was going to kill you,’ I reply. ‘Problem solved.’

‘You could have killed me.’ Her gaze finds mine, and she doesn’t flinch away from the eye contact. I don’t have the strength to compel her anyway. I could have killed her and tried to convince the young vampire to release me, but I don’t think it would have worked in my favour. The vampire would have drained her and fled. I’m the stronger one, he wouldn’t have trusted me not to attack once I was free. ‘Why didn’t you? You think I’m going to let you out?’

‘I don’t think you will let me out. I can tell the assumptions and opinions you have about vampires are ingrained in you.’

‘Then why not kill me?’ she questions, her golden-brown eyes studying me carefully.

‘Maybe I’m not as much of a monster as you think I am.’

Doubt crosses her face as she stares at me. ‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah,’ I reply, the corner of my mouth twitching as a smirk threatens to make an appearance. ‘Since I saved you and all, do I get to know your name now?’

Straightening, she slowly makes her way over to her discarded knives and picks them up one by one, wiping away the blood on them before putting them back into the pockets she had them in.

‘Tara.’

‘Hmm,’ I say. ‘I prefer Cupcake.’

She looks unimpressed.

‘Where are we, Cupcake?’ I ask, leaning against the bars. ‘Who has me prisoner?’

Pausing, she turns back to me. ‘You have no clue where you are, or who brought you here?’

‘I’m not just pretending for the fun of it,’ I answer dryly. When she doesn’t reply, I exhale. ‘Why are you protecting these people? Clearly, they haven’t filled you in on anything. Are they worth protecting?’

‘How the hell do I get out of here?’ she mutters, ignoring me.

We both look up when the metal door makes a snapping sound as it unlocks. The door swings open with a groan, and a man with a mask enters. He rushes forward, grabbing Tara by the arm as she yelps in surprise.

‘What are you doing down here?’ he exclaims.

‘Jace?’ Tara says in surprise, staring at the man, a look of realisation crossing her face as if she’s just put two and two together. ‘What the hell?’

The man looks my way as I mull over the name, trying to figure out if I know of anyone called Jace.

‘It’s not safe,’ he barks, and then notices the dead vampire on the ground. Looking alarmed, he drags her toward the door.

‘Bye, Cupcake,’ I sing at her retreating back. ‘Come back soon!’

She looks over her shoulder at me, eyes round, before the door is slammed shut, and once again, I am left in the dark, all alone.

6

TARA

The Host