Page 88 of Bite of Passage
“I don’t believe we’ve met.”Gemma crossed her arms.
As VanFliet smiled, a flash of lightning lit up his features, making him even more handsome.But he wasn’t just a pretty boy.For an instant, the bugs scattered from his eyes.There was a hint of evil in his gaze, even if that gaze wasn’t directly fixed on her.He was dangerous.
He flipped his hair.“No.We have not had the pleasure.”
No shit, the guy had done a hair toss.His hair was incredible, but something about the small vanity made him less intimidating.
She compressed her lips against an inappropriate giggle and waited, expecting him to introduce himself.When he didn’t, she asked, “Are you going to tell me who you are?”
“I assume you know who I am.”
Oh, the ego of these guys knew no bounds.She chose to play stupid, hoping to irritate him.Perhaps it wasn’t the best choice.If he had a short fuse, it could prompt him to attack, but surely no man who did an intentional hair flip would randomly attack a woman.
She said, “Nope.No clue who you are.If you took away the strange insects walking across your face, I think you’d be reasonably attractive, but the bugs are a turn off for me.There might be some girls…” She shook her head.“Sorry, I can’t think of any I know with a bug fetish.”
He scowled.“VanFliet.”
“That sounds like a last name.Do you have a first name?”She bit back a smile when he huffed.Damn if the so-called evil vampire didn’t roll his eyes.
“Just that.”
“Well,Just ThatVanFliet, I’m surprised to meet anyone out here.Why are you lurking in dwarf territory during a thunderstorm?”
“No, the name is VanFliet.”He kept his stance wide, arms at his sides as if expecting her to assault him.“Why did Skarde turn you?”
“Why did your maker turnyou?”She shot back.“Because you were pretty?”
“If only it’d been that simple.”
“I could say the same,” she muttered.“Why the bugs?”She cocked her head and stared at him, her healing intuition kicking in.“They help you.That’s interesting.”
“How the…” He snapped his jaw closed.“They’re my protectors.”
She needed to touch his hand to know exactly why he used them, sensing VanFliet was unhealthy.How odd for a vampire to be sick when Skarde had implied they were impervious to illness.The need to know VanFliet’s problem overwhelmed her sense of survival.She stepped toward him.
He backed up.
“Are you scared of me?”she asked.“I swear I won’t hurt you.I want to know why you need the creepy crawlies.”In a flash of movement, she reached out and touched his hand.
He yanked his hand away from her.
“Wow.Would not have guessed,” she whispered.“The medicinals Fontaine mentioned weren’t for Tania.She got them for you.Did you kill them, or did she when they couldn’t fix your eyes?”
“You lied.You do know who I am.”
“I’m a firm believer in proper introductions upon a first meeting.Will you let me examine your eyes without the insects?Maybe I can help.”
“Why would I trust you?For all I know, you’ll shove a knife in them.”Holy shit, she could hear the fastthump-thumpof his heart.That meant he was excited or interested in her assessment, right?Maybe it meant he was preparing to go on the offensive.A subtle sniff picked up the smell of his blood, not that it meant he was actively bleeding.Just that she could scent him.Such a peculiar ability, but from a medical standpoint it made sense she could smell good food.His blood wasn’t the scrumptious aroma she associated with Skarde, but more like a low quality beer, the kind that tasted somewhat watery and lacked a hearty hops flavor.
“I won’t attack you.I’ve got no interest in killing you, and your blood doesn’t interest me.So, no worries there.”She smoothed out her voice as if trying to settle a fussy child.“I want to see if you have something treatable or if whatever’s going on is irreversible.I have some medical training where I come from.Will you let me look?”
He removed a huge knife from a sheath at his side.
“Will it make you feel safer to hold that?”Gemma tried hard to keep her humor out of her voice but failed.A laugh burst out.
“You’re not right in the head.”
She giggled.“Skarde didn’t understand me either and often accused me of being crazy.I think that’s why he dumped me.The guy might have an ass sculpted by Nordic gods…” She leaned to the side to try to check out VanFliet’s butt.“Yours isn’t half bad, but his…” She rolled her eyes heavenward.“Incredible.The rumors of him in bed are one hundred percent true.I thought he and I had something, which is why it caught me off guard when he went psycho on me in the middle of trying to kill a deranged witch and her zombies.I wonder if he wasn’t half insane from something the witch did to him… Maybe he didn’t intend to dump me.”She tapped her lip.“Damn it.He’s going to be pissed at me for misinterpreting him, which means he’s likely on his way.Are you two friends?Maybe you used to be friends?”
