Page 117 of A Bond Beyond Blood

He raised one condescending brow, but refrained from reminding me that he’d beaten me to a pulp and graciouslyallowedme to live just a short time ago, right here in this very shop.

I huffed and rolled my eyes, then his features hardened, his lips thinning into a firm line, and my heart skipped a beat.

He stepped toward me and I held my breath as I held his gaze.“I should take you over my knee each time you make that derisive sound.”

I gulped at the image that stirred in my mind—and the rush of heated desire that followed.

Goddammit, Jackie, no.

No.

He smirked as he lowered to a crouch at my feet, and I sucked in a breath, bracing myself to be tossed over his shoulder—and not hating the thought as much as I should.

Instead, Eli retrieved the wrapped sausages I’d dropped when he’d surprised me, then his nostrils flared and crimson rimmed his crystal blue irises.

“The offer stands,” he purred, looking up at me from his crouched position.

I swallowed hard and shook my head.No.See?That wasn’t so hard.“No thanks.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes at me, but I didn’t threaten to pull him over my knees—

He snorted.“A tempting thought indeed.”When he was back at his full height and taking up all the oxygen in the room, he said, “Tell me, Jack, have the boys failed to satisfy your needs in my absence?”

“Satisfy my...”Blinking, I tried to clear the fog from my mind, ignoring the way my body melted at that crimson heat in his eyes and the way it slipped down between my legs like a physical caress.I ignored that dirty promise in his words.The challenge.

Iftheyweren’t satisfying me,hecertainly would.

And I had no doubt hecould.

He leaned down, closing the distance between us, his breath a gentle tease against my cheeks as he whispered, “Smart girl.”

Then he straightened again and I craned my neck to keep my eyes on his, too afraid to look away—or too completelymesmerized, if I was being honest with myself.

Eli moved so quickly that my brain had barely registered motion when his hand snaked around the back of my neck and his lips brushed the shell of my ear.I sucked in a gasp, shivering from the contact.

“I find you mesmerizing as well,petit colibri.”He pressed his nose against my ear and breathed deeply, reminding me of the way Vinny always breathed me in—

Shit.Vinny.

Snapping out of it, I stumbled backward, out of Eli’s hold, hurrying away from him until my shoulders hit the wall.

“Trapped,” the vampire king said with a cluck of his tongue.He canted his head to the side, then gave my body a languorous once over.“Whatever shall we do?”

“What are you doing here, Eli?”He’d stayed away so long I figured he’d changed his mind about me—

His eyes snapped to mine.“I’d sooner cut off my own hand.”

“Don’t let me stop you.”

His lips quirked up on one side, a delicious smirk.“I’d prefer to keep them intact.”He grinned, wolfish and predatory.“The better to unravel you with.”

I closed my eyes and counted to five.When I opened them again, he had one eyebrow raised in challenge, but when I didn’t say anything, he lifted one shoulder as he waved his hand in the air dismissively.“I’ve had business to attend to, as you know.Dreadful stuff.”He closed the distance between us slowly and my pulse sped, my shoulders still pressing against the wall as if it might open up and swallow me whole.

“I would have much preferred the presence of your company to the loathsome men at the Council of Lords.”

The crimson still ringing his irises stirred something deep in my belly, a desire I wanted nothing to do with.

Elitsked.“Let’s not be mendacious, Jack.It benefits no one.”

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