Page 61 of Hunt the Dusk
“Then why…Whydidyou stop?”
His eyes flinched. “Decisions made while mentally inebriated aren’t always wise, and I wager they wanted to catch me off guard.”
No…that wasn’t all of it. There was more. I could feel it. “And that’s theonlyreason you stopped?”
His eyes narrowed. “What other reason would there be?”
Me. The other reason could be me. That he’d heard my plea and listened. But saying it, even in my head, sounded arrogant, so I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “I have no idea.”
His shoulders dropped slightly, the challenge in his expression melting away. “You’re not safe here. Not anymore. You’ll leave before dawn and?—”
“I’m not leaving you to face Darage alone.”
“Dammit, woman, there will be no one to protect you once I’m drained, and that amulet will hold no meaning once Darage is in power.”
“What? No. You won’t lose.”
He sighed, eyes slipping closed for a beat. “As much as I appreciate your vote of confidence, the odds are very much against me. Darage is an ancient, almost as old as Laudon and me. He hails from a powerful bloodline in its own right. He has not been weakened by a spectral attack and stripped of his psychic power or left to hunger.”
“You tried to compel the vampires in the dining room, didn’t you? But it didn’t work on all of them.”
“Yes. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have tried. Now they all know how weak I truly am. TheCertamina pro thronois an ancient rite to challenge the monarch that was woven into the oaths centuries ago.
“Why would you allow them to add that?”
“To prove I was the most powerful.”
Dammit, the arrogance. Where was it now? “Then beat him!”
His gaze softened. “If I had a few days, I could heal and feed. But we do not have that time. And no doubt Darage has been preparing for this for decades. Godor will deliver you back to Branwood and return for my body.” His gaze fell to my lips then lifted to meet mine. “I regret that we did not get our full year, Miss Lighthart, and I doubt that I will find such a delightful watcher when I next wake, but I assure you, I will reclaim my seat at my next rising.”
That was it? He was giving up? No…He wasn’t. He thought this was a temporary setback, that he could get his power back next century because this wasn’t the first time that he’d been knocked on his ass, but he didn’t know…He didn’t fucking know it was his last chance to beat his curse.
I had to do something to help him. To give him the strength needed to win this fight. My stomach dipped, registering the truth of what I’d have to do before my conscious mind acknowledged it.
Dammit. “Feed from me.”
His eyes flinched, mouth parting in surprise. “What?”
“Take as much as you need, but don’t you dare drain me.”
He scanned my face. “You’re offering me your blood?”
I did not want to do this but… “Will it be enough?”
He licked his lips, nostrils flaring. “You’re blessed, and your blood is potent, more so than any I have ever tasted. Yes. It will be enough.”
There was no way he hadn’t considered it himself. “Then why didn’t you just ask me for it?”
“Would you have agreed?”
I studied him for several beats, unable to read him. Had I just been manipulated? Even if I had, did it matter? The goal was to keep him on his feet.
I tugged off my amulet before I could change my mind, stomach quivering with nerves. “Just do it. Then you’ll have the rest of the night and day to recharge, and so will I.”
“In that case, we should move into the bedchamber.”
“Um…not likely.”
