Page 14 of Curiosity

The truth.

He smirked. “Come on… youreallydon’t remember me?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m sorry.”

He moved closer still, his mouth spreading into a smile. “What about now?”

“I could see you fine from where you were,” I told him, picking up my bag from where it had been on the counter – there was pepper spray on my keys.

“I don’t think you could,” he countered, andthatwas when I saw what he had to be closer for me to see.

His teeth.

Fangs.

“You were at that party,” I stammered, suddenly remembering as my fingers closed around the little aerosol can. “With that woman… youbither.”

“You make it sound like something she didn’t like,” he mused. “But… you’re clearly a virgin, so I wouldn’t expect you to know.”

A virgin?

“Okay, I’m done with this conversation – you’ve got no business in here, so you can just—”

“I can justwhat?” he asked, moving so that there was barely space between us, fangs bared.

“Leave me the fuck alone, that’s what,” I told him, backing up and raising the pepper spray. “I’m not interested in your freaky games, weird dental work, none of that.

“Dental work?” he chuckled. “Oh, I am going to havefunenlightening you.”

“You’re going to leave her alone, is what you’re going to do,” a fresh voice came from the door.

I peered past the door to find Irina standing there, arms crossed.

“I got promoted – you don’t get to interfere with this, remember?” he sneered at her, then turned back to me. “This one is mine.”

“Actually– Elias would disagree,” she spoke up, her voice shifting into something… different.

Grittier.

“… what?” the man gave his attention back to her. “She’s inscribed?”

“Not yet. But as you know – she is untouchable in the meantime. And if you care to challenge that, Bradley, I have no problem ripping you from toe to tongue and serving you to our guests.”

Holy shit.

“It’s not even that serious, damn,” he huffed, lifting his hands as he backed away from me. He was suddenly in a hurry to leave, but Irina stayed where she was, blocking the door.

“I’ll be talking to Parris about your “promotion”,” she said, glaring him in the face. “I don’t know what the fuck you think this is –whothe fuck you think you are,wherethe fuck you think you are. But you’d better act like you know the hierarchy,and in case youdon’t…I’m ten levels on top of you. So even if she didn’t already belong to someone, ifIsay she gets left alone, tell me what happens?”

I’d never seen the melanin drain from someone, not until that moment.

Irina was petite – short and slim, delicate facial features – I’d actually thoughtBlack Tinkerbellthe first time we met. Bradley had at least a foot and a half of height on her, and definitely a hundred pounds, and neither of those things mattered.

That pretty face was twisted into something outright sinister.

“She gets left alone,” Bradley answered, in a distinctly higher pitch than he’d been using just a moment before.

“I’m glad to know you’re paying attention. Leave.”

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