Page 143 of Mortal Shift
“Because you hated it. You told me that if what was happening between us was real, I’d stop him. So I stopped him.”
I swallowed. He’d done that for me. He’d listened. He’d seen what being fed on was doing to me, and he’d made it stop. Told his best friend to stop.Thatwas why Thaden hadn’t fed on me for the last few weeks before Cole was arrested.Thatwas why it had ended. Because Cole had chosen me over his friends, and his allies.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
He dipped his chin curtly, and then his expression hardened as he turned back to Thaden.
“You’ve fed from her since. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”
“He had no choice,” Thessalia said.
“No. But you did.”
“I knew nothing of your pact.”
They glared at each other as they spat the words, and I stepped quickly between them before it could escalate into something physical.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, and all three of them turned their heads to stare at me. “What’s done is done. Thaden was unconscious. He didn’t know what he was doing. None of us knew he would feed that first time. And Thessalia and I made a deal for the other two times.”
I reached up and traced my fingers over Cole’s face. “I am more grateful than you can know that you stopped Thaden from feeding on me.”
“But?” he said.
“But things have changed.Thischanges things. His addiction.” I twisted round to the vampires. “You’re sure that’s what it is? Absolutely certain?”
Thessalia nodded. “Yes. The healer agrees.”
“Why?” I wrapped my arms around myself, frowning. “Why did he react that way to my blood?”
No-one answered for a long moment.
“We don’t know,” Cole said eventually. “But we will find out. I promise.”
“But only if we work together,” I said. “All of us.”
“Then you’ll do it?” Thessalia said.
“I knew you’d warm up to me, sweetness.”
I glared at Thaden. “Yeah, no. Don’t get ideas. I’ll let you feed, but only until we can work out why, and find another solution. And I want something in return.”
Something flickered over Thessalia’s face. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said she looked impressed.
“You’re finally starting to understand how Darkveil works,” she said, her mouth curving up just a fraction.
“And what is it you want, sweetness?” Thaden purred. “What is it you crave?”
A growl rattled low in Cole’s throat, and I touched my hand to his chest, and then turned my attention back to Thaden.
“Actually, there is something I want from you. Something only you can give me.” I flicked my gaze to Thessalia. “Both of you.”
“Kinky, sweetness. I didn’t have you down as the type.”
“You two are vampiric royalty. You’ve got more sway than any other vamp here. So I want you to make things better for Darkveil’s humans.”
They stared at me in utter silence for three long seconds.
“What’s the punchline, sweetness?”
