Page 117 of Dark Embers

Grabbing one of the glasses, Hadrian poured the blood. Raising the glass to his nose, he inhaled deeply, like a professional wine taster sniffing in a competition. At last, he raised his glass and drained it.

“Exquisite,” he said, licking his lips. “A good mix. Only the best for the elite, right?”

I didn’t want to taste it. I wanted to defy elitism by knocking the glass pitcher to the ground, shattering it into a hundred pieces and spilling its contents. Hadrian was no better than any other vampire. In fact, he was the worst. The only division between vampires in my eyes were the good ones and the bad ones. And I had yet to meet any good vampires.

Not waiting for me to make a move, Hadrian filled my glass and pushed it across the table to me. I caught it with quick reflexes, a bit of the blood splashing out from the sudden stop. Obediently hiding my reluctance, I lifted it to my lips and took a sip.

I couldn’t deny the burst of flavor that tickled at my taste buds, and I took my time swallowing. Grateful I hadn’t been the one required to extract it, I pretended it was just another bag of blood.

But it was nothing compared to the ecstatic rush of orgasmal bliss that Shea’s blood had been. Though I despised myself for giving in to my bloodlust with her—and actual lust—I’d been unable to stop obsessing over that sinful moment, like a teenage boy compulsively masturbating in his locked bedroom.

The warmth of her center as I ground my need into her. The mind-fucking explosion of her blood on my tongue. The vibration of her moans as I sucked on her neck that echoed through my body even now.

Recalling that beautiful depravity made this slosh more tolerable.

“Delicious doesn’t begin to describe it,” I said, setting the glass down and looking back up at Hadrian.

The vampire leader continued to smile. “Indeed.”

I raised the glass again and took another sip. As I brought my arm back down, I circled the rim of the glass with my fingertip. “Something tells me you didn’t bring me down here just to share a drink.”

Hadrian chuckled. “Intuitive as always, Julian. You see much that many others miss.”

I saw past the compliment and heard the caution of his words.

Hadrian gulped down another glass, then leaned forward. “You froze on Thursday evening. During the fight, you barely got involved. I want to know why.”

I’d wondered if Hadrian had even noticed. He’d been so wrapped up in the capture of Arya.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “You asked me to watch our backs, just in case the shifter military showed up. And that’s precisely what I did.”

Hadrian’s upper lip raised as he nodded. “Yes, you settled for the bare minimum quite well. Which is quite unlike a vampire of your caliber.”

I laughed. “You flatter me, Hadrian. You do realize how long it’s been since I’ve been in battle, right?”

This time, Hadrian laughed. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that you’ve gotten rusty? You’re an eternal being, Julian. Youcan’tlose your touch. And I’ve seen what you’re capable of.”

I drank from my glass, trying to appear casual and unfazed. “It’s harder than you might think, after stepping away for as long as I have. Sure, my abilities might be as keen as they’ve always been, but the kind of mission we were on was more of a mental game than anything.”

“Mental for you,” Hadrian scoffed. “Extremely physical for the rest of us. Did you miss the fact that there were two dragon shifters involved, not to mention a phoenix?”

“They were kids, Hadrian,” I replied. “Since when do we go around hunting kids?”

“They killed Theo and Amelia,” Hadrian spat, slamming his cup down on the table. “And so many others. And when did you decide we should go easy on younger shifters? Shifters are shifters, no matter their age.”

I hated this whole situation. I hated that I was here in this fortress, surrounded by bloodlusting brutalists who couldn’t just let life go on.

“Forgive me,” I said, bowing my head and trying my best to sound sincere. “I won’t let it happen again.”

Hadrian wagged a finger at me. “You’d better not, because we have another mission. We’re going after the girl again.”

I furrowed my brow, feigning stoic curiosity.

“What’s so special about her?” I asked, swirling the blood in my glass like I hardly cared. “You said her blood was important to you, but I hardly see why she’s worth so much effort.”

Sitting back, another grin formed on the vampire leader’s face. “The girl is my daughter.”

I narrowed my eyes, unable to stifle my surprise. “What?”

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