Page 39 of A Bond Beyond Blood

Because he’s not human, you moron.

My father should have warned me.Should have told me Eli looked likethis.

His hair was so blond it was nearly white and slicked back, long on top and cut neatly along the sides and in back.His body was long and lean, all hard lines beneath a sleek black suit.Skin as pale as freshly fallen snow stood out in contrast against that bespoke suit, striking in its beauty, but it was his eyes that captivated me.

The purest icy blue, like the deepest caverns of a glacier—

“If you’re quite finished...”

I gasped, eyes widening as I realized he’d sat through that entire monologue.He’d heard every bit of it and hadn’t stopped me.

He tilted his head, boredom evident in the way he watched me, but then his brows furrowed.“Feminine lips, though?Really?”

“Oh my god.”

He smiled, but the motion didn’t meet his eyes.“If you wouldn’t mind...”He motioned toward the back door.“We have much to discuss, and I fear I am running out of patience.”

I swallowed hard, then, before I could talk myself out of voicing the question, I said, “Have you fed lately?”I grimaced as I awaited his response.

“I have, yes.”He flicked his wrist toward the walk-in freezer as he turned and began to stride away from me.“I helped myself.Hope you don’t mind.”

“You’ve been gone for ayear.What have you...eaten?”

Eli sighed, the sound deep and loud in the quiet butcher shop, then he spun back around toward me and motioned to the office.“Shall we sit, then?I can see you’re unwilling to take me upstairs.”

“I’m not inviting you into my house.”

“Little secret about a blood bond, love...”He met my gaze and his striking blue eyes stole my breath.“What’s yours is mine.”He waited, allowing those words to sink in, then rolled his eyes as he added, “I no longer need an invitation.”With that, he disappeared into my father’s office and left me frozen in place.

Giving my head a quick shake, I forced my feet forward, stopping just inside the doorway.

“Sit.”

“I’ll stand.”

“Stubborn like your father, I see.”

As the silence grew louder between us, I couldn’t keep myself from asking, “Why are you here?”

“Would you believe I’ve been struck with saudade?"

“What?”

“Melancholy, love.Nostalgia.A longing for—”

I snorted.“No.”As if vampires could feelmelancholy.

He sighed and dismissed me with the flick of his wrist.“Well, as much as I hate to admit it, we most certainlycan, and Ido.”He looked around my father’s office, then leveled his gaze on me.“This was your father’s favorite holiday, you know.”

I gasped and he offered me a sympathetic smile that made my spine itch with irritation.“Don’t talk about my father.”

“You asked me why I am here; I simply responded.Might I suggest you refrain from asking questions you do not want the answer to?”He leaned back and unbuttoned his suit jacket and my eyes followed the motion of his hands.They were strong hands, but slender like the rest of him.I held my breath as I watched those hands, my brain wandering off into dangerous territory as I imagined what those fingers could do to my body—

“As much as I enjoy your tawdry musings, if you continue to look at me with that blatant lust in your gaze, I’ll be forced to respond.”My breath hitched and he laughed, then added quietly, “And you may find yourself in a situation you cannot get out of.”

I swallowed hard and looked up into his eyes, instantly regretting my wayward thoughts.His eyes were dark and hooded—and damn near glowing red.Which meant he wanted one of two things—and I wanted nothing to do with either.Plus, I was smart enough to know he wouldn’t go easy on me in either capacity.When he licked his lips and I caught the faintest hint of a fang, I sucked in a stuttering breath as my belly clenched and heat rushed south.

Hetskedagain, then stood so quickly I jumped.

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