Page 19 of House of Crimson Kisses
“You’re not even close to fine,” she says, only this time it comes out through gritted teeth. She stabs her finger into her carotid. I lunge forward and pin her hand in place.
“Do not even think about pulling that nail out,” I say.
“Red, you collapsed. Your skin is grey, you’re sweating. If you don’t dose, we’re not getting out of this fucking tunnel let alone back to Sangui City.”
“And if I do drink your blood? Then what? We fuck? Why would I fuck someone I hate?”
She snorts at me. “You’ve never had a problem doing that before.”
I huff at her, release my grip, and wobble on my feet.
“For the love of my patience, take the dose before I have to carry you back to Sangui City unconscious…” she pauses, straightens up and then adds. “Please.”
A sick curl of pleasure twists around my gut hearing her say please. I could make her beg me to take her blood.
“I’ll take it if you answer one question.”
“Anything,” she says, keeping her finger wedged firmly in her neck.
“With the exception of the rooftop a day ago and the night Amelia was turned…” I start.
Octavia swallows hard, but she doesn’t look away.
I take a step closer to her. I need to see her expression, read the micro movements, make sure she doesn’t go vampire still and protect her truth from me. “Aside from those instances, have you ever taken my memories?”
She swallows once. Twice.
I shake my head.
“You fucking have. I knew it.”
I spin on my heel and storm off. “We’re done.”
She chases after me, and I can sense the instant she pulls her finger off her neck. My mouth waters automatically. I wish it wouldn’t, but I’d give just about anything to feast on her blood. The thought sickens me. How can I despise her so much and yet need a piece of her body so dearly? She must pat it dry because the exquisite scent of her blood dissipates in the air so fast, I barely taste the saliva buildup in my mouth.
“Red, wait.”
“You don’t get to ‘Red wait’ me anything. Give them back.”
“What?” she says as she catches up.
“Give back the memories you stole,” I bark and wipe my brow. I’m sweating harder now. My vision is dizzy. I lean against the tunnel. They’re familiar now. We must be nearing home at last.
“I can’t,” she says.
“The fuck do you mean you can’t? They’re mine. GIVE. THEM. BACK.”
Her jaw clenches, her eyes watery as she stands a little taller, steadying herself for whatever I can throw at her.
“No,” she says. “I won’t.”
I scream and shove her back against the wall. “I FUCKING HATE YOU.” I shout, and take a step but stumble, my vision smattered with grey.
“WELL, I FUCKING LOVE YOU,” she bellows back.
“But you don’t, because if you did, you’d give back what doesn’t belong to you.” Tears are falling. My hands ball into fists. I thump them against her chest with a weak rhythmic thudding. I don’t want to hurt her, not really, not in this moment. But the movement eases the ache in my heart.
She folds her hands around my mine, pulling them off her chest. Then she brushes my shaggy locks behind my ear.
