Page 40 of A Bond Beyond Blood

“In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose,” he said as he closed the distance between us.Then he snaked his hand around to cup the back of my neck, tilting my head back and exposing my throat.Panic surged within me.My heart beat loudly, the rush of my pulse deafening in my ears.

He brought his nose to my flesh and inhaled, sighing as he leveled me once again with his intense gaze.“So it’s true?”He tilted his head as he stared down at me.“You offer yourself up to my kind?”

“No,” I ground out through clenched teeth.

All these months of training and now he was going to bite me.I was truly defenseless, and the fact that I’d never be able to avenge my father tore a sob from my lips.

His hand tightened and his brow furrowed.“What was that?”

Tears leaked from my eyes as his grip continued to tighten.If he squeezed any harder, he’d snap my spine clean in half.

“I could, yes, but I’m much more interested in why you’ve been training.”

“Tofightyou,” I forced through clenched teeth as the pain in my neck made it difficult to speak.

“To fightme?”Helaughedand my fists clenched at my sides.

And then, with amusement dancing in his dark eyes, he released me and took a step back, extending his arms to either side and giving me the slightest bow.“To fight me,” he mused.“Splendid.”He quirked a brow in challenge.“By all means,petit colibri, who am I to deny you?”

Chapter Thirteen

Elias

Had I known that Franco’sJackwasn’t a son at all but this bold, beautiful woman with fire in her eyes and a mind so filthy I wanted to pry her head open and climb inside, I wouldn’t have stayed away so long.

Eleven appointments I’d missed in the time I’d been gone.

Eleven opportunities to meet this woman who’d apparently been waiting for me.

I watched her with a strange sort of amusement, surprisingly rapt as she prepared to fight me.

Knees bent ever so slightly, she brought her fists up in front of her, one tucked close to her chest and the other extended out a bit.She’d been trained by a fighter, clearly, but being trained in hand-to-hand combat by a human meant little when faced with a vampire, especially one of my age and ability.She stood no chance against me, but I’d allow her to get her fill of the fight.

After all, the girl desired vengeance, and I was eager to oblige.

“Well, come on then, love.”I crouched, mimicking her stance with my fists in front of me, and she sidestepped to the left so I sidestepped to my right, and we began our deadly dance.

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