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A dark brow arched. “I’m not sure ‘divvy up’ is the correct term, but you’re correct. There is a method to how the leader of each Gyre is decided.”
“Cage matches?”
“In the past there were trials to determine the most powerful leader,” he conceded. “Now we try to be a little more civilized.”
His words reminded Peri of Tia’s seething hatred for the Cabal and she eagerly latched onto the welcome distraction.
“Tia suggested that she was enslaved by a not-so-nice vampire by the name of Batu.”
The chill in the room deepened. “Batu was an unfortunate example of why we felt the need to modernize the Cabal.”
“Was he a friend of yours?”
“Never a friend, although our paths did cross.” He hesitated, as if unsure whether he wanted to share top-secret leech business. “He was warned that he would be removed from the Cabal if he continued to terrorize his people.”
“Obviously he didn’t heed your warning.”
Valen shrugged. “Thankfully, the dark days of treating our people like property to be used and abused are in the past. As I said, we’ve tried to become more civilized.”
Peri didn’t have to fake her disbelief. Valen might not be as savage as Batu, but there was no doubt he controlled his territory with an iron fist.
She smiled sweetly. “Does that mean you’ve decided the best policy is to hide your true nature?”
“Don’t we all?”
Peri flinched as his words hit a raw nerve. “Not everyone.”
“Everyone,” he insisted, his silver eyes trapping her gaze. “Including you.”
Okay. Time for a distraction.
“Did you already eat?”
The words left her lips before she had the sense to swallow them. Then it was too late as the air suddenly felt too thick to breathe. Valen leaned even closer, his gaze sweeping over her face before moving to settle on the curve of her neck.
“Are you offering?”
Peri made a choked sound. Talk about leaping from the frying pan into the fire.
“I’m sure Gabriel has a ready supply of donors.”
“He does, but I’m not interested in nutrition.” His power pulsed around her as his hand moved to brush his finger down the length of her jaw. “I’m interested in you. Just you, Peri Sanguis.”
“That seems…” Her words faltered as his thumb tracked the curve of her lower lip. “Dangerous.”
“When have you ever backed away from a challenge?”
With a deliberately slow motion Valen lowered his head, his hand moving to thread his fingers in her hair as his lips brushed over her mouth. Shock waves jolted through Peri at the soft caress. As if she’d just been struck by lightning.
A groan escaped her parted lips as he tasted her with his mouth, then with the sweep of his tongue. The press of his razor-sharp fangs was oddly erotic, sending a thrill of excitementshooting through her. She’d heard the bite of a vampire was addictive. Now she knew that a leech didn’t have to bite his prey. His kiss was enough to enthrall any woman.
Pressing her hands against his chest, she turned her head to the side. Not in rejection. She didn’t have the willpower for that. But she wasn’t a vampire. She needed to breathe.
“Only a very foolish person would consider you a challenge,” she rasped.
“Or a very courageous one.” His lips scorched a path of light caresses down the curve of her throat, his tongue sweeping over the pulse hammering just above her collarbone. “I can taste your magic. It perfumes your skin.”
She didn’t think he was offering her empty flattery. As her body stirred with arousal, she could feel her magic humming through her veins, a layer of power coating her skin in a silvery web.
