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“H-hello.”
When I didn’t reply, Peyton’s hands went to the woman’s throat. “Aw, our guest doesn’t like you, pet. She doesn’t like your greeting. You know how much I hate it when you displease our guests.” His grip tightened, and the woman’s eyes bulged. She started gagging, struggling for breath, but with her hands chained to the bed she was helpless to fight him off.
“Stop,” I pleaded.
“You didn’t say hello.”
“Hello. Hello. There, I fucking said it. Now stop.”
“Not so cold after all, are you?” He released her, and she stumbled, fighting to stay on her feet, but his hand was soon in her hair again, holding her upright.
“Would you like to sample her? She has marvelously sweet blood.”
This was a trick. If I said no, as I desperately wanted to, he would punish her. If I said yes…
Was he trying to prove to me that I was as much a monster as he was? If so, he didn’t need to put me through any elaborate tests. I wasn’t pretending to be a good person these days.
“I’d sooner eat a piece of meat someone threw in the gutter.” I sneered, and the girl seemed both relieved and sad. “You’ve made a mess of her. Look at her neck, for God’s sake.”
The tooth marks weren’t all his. Peyton had his distinctive one-fanged bite, and not all of the holes were from him. “It appears you’ve shared her quite freely already.”
“As I said, she has a fine flavor.”
“I don’t like to share.”
“I could bring you another, in that case. Someone fresh.”
“I thought you said you were done playing childish games. I don’t want to eat from any of your idiot humans. Anyone stupid enough to find their way to you deserves what they get.” I didn’t believe my own words. I knew very well the vampire thrall could convince people they wanted things they did not, and this girl was likely brought here against her will. I’d save her if I could, but I wasn’t going to show her any mercy before I did. “I’m not here to chat over neck cocktails. I came to kill you.”
“And what a fine job you’re doing.”
“Well, to be fair, I didn’t think you’d have gotten this smart in your old age.”
“I’ve had to make adjustments to my standard methods. I suppose I learned a few things after our last encounter.”
Now it was my turn to play dirty. “Didn’t want to end up in those silver chains again? They were so fetching on you.”
I pride myself on being fast. I thought I was cunning and clever and a talented fighter. Until tonight I had believed I was the best, good enough to beat Peyton without even trying. But a moment after the words were out of my mouth, I was off my feet and flying across the room.
A second after that I was on his bed, my sheathed sword jammed hard into my spine and a snarling vampire on top of me.
Peyton’s spit dampened my face, and he cupped my chin with almost crushing force, demanding I look at him. His eyes were an inky black, a sure sign he was no longer in control of himself. I was not in the best position right now.
His fingers tightened on my throat, and his sharp fingernails pierced the skin. A sudden wetness on my neck told me I was bleeding, not the most ideal thing when a hungry berserker vampire was on your chest.
This wasn’t at all how I pictured tonight going.
I struggled, getting my arm up under his chin, shoving his head as far away from my neck as I could—which wasn’t far given the ferocity of his determination—and tried to wriggle free of his nails. All I succeeded in doing was opening the wounds more.
I could smell my own blood, so Peyton certainly could as well. His nostrils flared, and for the briefest second his grip faltered. I kneed him in the groin and lifted my head fast, angling for the hit. My skull cracked into his as he howled in pain from the blow to his junk, and as he recoiled from the head-butt, I flipped him over so I was now in control.
My guns had been taken away, but they weren’t too thorough because the knife in my boot was still there, and before his guards could reach us I had it at Peyton’s throat.
“Keep your distance, kids. I have a twitchy knife hand.” To prove this to them I let the silver blade sink into the vampire’s neck enough to draw blood. “Look, now we match. Back. Off.” I glared at the guards, keeping the knife in long enough the blade started to make his skin sizzle.
The room stank of melting flesh.
“Go,” Peyton ordered.
