Page 10 of Dark Flame
More questions arise over them, but ducking my head, I distract both myself and her by dragging my nose up the column of her neck, her skin soft as silk and so easily crushed beneath my palm if I wished it to be.
“Oh, little witch, you have no fucking idea what you’ve unleashed by running.”
A goddamn addiction.
Feeding from her may not be possible, and I’d never sully myself by fucking her, but I’d happily chase her around my property for as long as she’s able to run. The thrill of the chase will be enough; her fear will feed my bloodlust. If I won’t be killing this Sinclair, nor allowing her to continue her life as normal to create the next generation, then her punishment needs to be long-lasting and satisfying—for me. Hunting her until she dies sounds like an exhilarating idea.
“Little witch,” I muse into her skin, more for myself. The moniker came from nowhere; I’ve certainly never humanized her ancestors this way. “Little witch…no, that isn’t right. You might be short, but you’re certainly not little. You have too much willpower to bow, don’t you? I sense you’re about to make my life very fucking hellish.”
She jerks in my grip, whimpering, her pulse skyrocketing. Knowing it’ll amplify her panic further, my tongue darts over her pulse.Fuck, she tastes better than imagined.And this is only her skin. Her blood would surely destroy me.
“Just do it already and leave me alone.” Her throat bobs with her swallow.
I pull back slightly, but she quickly avoids eye contact, staring towards the nearest house. “What are you talking about?”
“My blood. The cure. It’s why you’re here, isn’t it? What you want. What all you assholes want. Bite me and get it over with.”
I open my mouth, ready to reveal all the ways her life’s about to change, when something scrapes the ground nearby, earning my immediate attention. I straighten from Sinclair, partly disturbed by the fact her addictive scent distracted me enough I didn’t hear the intruder’s approach. Probably some stupid human out for a nighttime stroll.
I turn when my senses begin prickling, the urge to keep the witch behind me protected, growing inexplicably strong, especially when spotting who’s approaching.
Three vampires whose attention is locked on the woman at my back.
“Leave.”
“Your Majesty.” The middle one steps forwards, claiming leadership over the others. He dips his head respectfully, but that respect is quickly extinguished by the flash of red overtaking his black pupils. “You have the Sinclair witch. I didn’t realize you wanted to give up your throne.”
“Why I have the Sinclair girl is none of your business,” I reply dismissively. “Run along before you piss me off.” I’ve already killed one of my kind tonight and have no qualms about taking out three more if they don’t obey.
“We want a taste,” the middle one pleads, while the vampire to his right hisses. “We all have our reasons for craving mortality, and there’s a cure not two feet from you. Only fair you share.”
“In time,” I declare, knowing Sinclair’s listening intently. Can’t give away all my secrets yet.
I see the attack before it comes. When two of them launch themselves at me, I’m forced to spring into action. Fighting with Sinclair was the only battle on my nightly plans, but they’re making me choose otherwise.
They both reach for me, obviously trying to distract me so the third can go for Sinclair. Which is exactly what he does, darting around me, so I quickly pivot directions, heading his way. The other two attack at the same time, and I lose track of whose hits come from where, charging forward. My hands grasp one’s head and I yank, ripping it off his body and ending his life.
I turn for the other two when my ears pick up the sound of quickly retreating steps. She’s running, which isn’t much of a bother. For one, she’ll be quick to catch again, and two, it’s one less thing to focus on while I deal with this infuriating irritation.
Whoever these vampires are, they’re obviously much younger than me, and therefore slower and weaker. One manages to get his arm around my neck, but with a twist of my feet, I’m out of his hold, gripping him by the shoulders instead and jamming my fangs into his neck. Not to feed, but to latch onto his skin, and with a quick jerk, I yank.
His skin ripping creates a shrill sound, followed by the thump of his undead body becoming, well, actually dead as his head is torn from his neck. Blood drips from my mouth. I spit out as much as I can, the taste sour and sickening, before standing to my full height and descending on the final vampire.
“You.” I bore down on him, my steps silent through the pool of blood seeping from the two bodies on either side of me. “You will remain alive, and you will spread the word. You want mortality? I’ll grant it to you, to all vampires…for a fee.”
He hisses, his eyes darting around for an escape. “You don’t own the cure, Dormer.”
“I do now,” I affirm slowly, words paced. “Andyouwill not touch what is mine. Spread that to everyone you know, and attach this warning to it. If anyone goes for her, they’ll be dealing with me, and I promise to make the rest of their immortal lifeextremelylong and painful. Look for my missive. Keep pissing me off, and you’ll be banned from mortality and I’ll instead take your life.”
With a disgruntled huff, he slinks away before taking off in a blur down the road, leaving me bloodied, with the Sinclair witch getting farther away, and two dead vampires by my feet. I should clear them away so the mortals don’t attempt to examine the bodies and learn something is different about them, but in reality, the dumb beings will simply confuse themselves with theories that’ll result in scientific study that goes nowhere for the next few decades but keeps them entertained. If they were going to figure out vampires—as well as witches, shifters, and all the other otherworldly and celestial creatures out there—are walking amongst them, they would have done so a century ago.
Leaving the dead vampires behind, I run in the direction Sinclair’s syrupy scent is taking off to. I catch up when she’s three blocks away, running the opposite way from her house. She’s trying to escape where she believes she won’t be looked for, so I suppose the witch has a bit of a brain.
I stop in front of her, her responding screech echoing through the street. She halts, panting, her gaze taking me in, paying particular attention to the blood dripping from my fangs.
“You cause a lot of trouble. We need to go before more descend.”
I lunge, wrapping a hand over her mouth, fingers pinching her nose. I count to five so I don’t accidentally suffocate her, given that time can pass in a blink if I’m not careful.
