Page 81 of A Bond Beyond Blood

Jacqueline’s mouth formed a cute littleohof surprise.“I thought you couldn’t eat?”

Cocking one eyebrow, I finished chewing, then licked my lips.“We don’tneedto eat, but that doesn’t mean wecan’t.”

Her brows furrowed thoughtfully, then she nodded.“I guess that makes sense.”She motioned to my wine glass.“I’ve seen you drink wine and whiskey.”

“Coffee sometimes, too.”

“But not because you need the energy...”

“Correct.Simply because I miss the taste.”

Her brow furrowed.“You told me ‘I don’t eat donuts’.”

My lips twisted.“First of all, I don’t sound like that, and second of all, of course I don’t eat donuts.They’re disgusting.”

Jacqueline laughed.“They’re fantastic little fluffs of goodness.”

“Debatable.”

“I think this is our first disagreement.”

“And look at that,” I said with a wink and a flourish of my hands.“We survived.”

She nodded then reached for a slice of bread and smeared a hunk of burrata across the top of it.“So...”She shoved the food into her mouth and I chuckled.

“Well that’s one way to get the conversation going.”

Her eyes sparkled but she didn’t speak with her mouth full.

Taking a deep breath, I set my wine glass down and draped my arm across the back of the couch as I turned toward her more fully.

As I was gathering my thoughts, she spoke first.

“I know why Eli is here.”

I’d figured as much when I learnedhewas the vampire she’d been so intent on fighting that she’d sought me out, hiring a vampire to train her even while she loathed my kind.But I’d accepted the fact that she most likely wasn’t going to tell mewhy.

But with a nod, I waited.

“My father, when he was dying,” she started, breathing deeply to compose herself, “he told me about Eli, about the vampire he’d signed a blood bond with.”

My intake of breath was audible, but I tried to hide the tensing of my muscles from Jacqueline, hoping she didn’t notice the change in my posture.

A blood bond.

Fuck.

Deals with vampires were not to be taken lightly.

How the hell had Franco found himself indebted to a vampire?

And a king, no less!

“Say something,” Jacqueline whispered, her voice as shaky and uneven as the ground suddenly felt beneath my feet.

“I’m sorry, I...”I shook my head.“I wasn’t expecting that.”

“It’s a big deal, isn’t it?”

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