Page 147 of Cruelly Bitten
No.
None of that mattered.
Because it had almost happened.
The beginnings of that threat would forever live in my mind. Along with the image of Cam walking away. Leaving me to my fate.
With those fucking words lingering in the hall.
I swallowed a particularly sour bite, my insides wincing as I fought the urge to throw it all back up.
The sound of ceramic hitting the table jolted me out of my memories, bringing me back to the present as Cam settled into the chair beside me.
“I added some brown sugar to make it less bitter,” he told me, his focus shifting from me to the coffee mug he’d just set down.
He had another cup in his hand, the liquid masked by the opaque siding. But I guessed it was the blood he’d mentioned.
“Let me know if you need heavy cream, and I’ll call for some,” he added. “I didn’t see any in the fridge, but I know you prefer it.”
A subtle hint of all the details he’d been pulling from my brain. Or maybe it was meant to be a test to see how much I would mind.
He seemed to be seeking boundary lines, trying to determine how far he could push. I couldn’t tell if he wanted that distinction as a personal reference point or because he wanted to make sure he didn’t push me.
Regardless of the reason, it was different from what I was used to. Cam had usually kept our link open, always having free access to my thoughts. And he’d done that to constantly monitor my well-being, ensuring I was safe and alive.
This… wasn’t that.
His concern now seemed to be more about my comfort than about my fragile state.
Because you’re a lioness, not a swan,he whispered into my mind as he sipped his drink—which his superficial thoughtstold me was blood-spiked coffee. But I wasn’t focused on that information so much as the statement he’d just made.
Is that why you call me a lioness? To differentiate from my old nickname?
He hummed, his gaze grabbing mine.I couldn’t give two fucks about your former pet name. I call you my lioness because that’s what you are.
A stray memory lingering in his mind mentioned my eyes, how they were feline in nature—cunning and borderline predatory.
I frowned, his perception of me different from my own. Primarily because I’d always been the prey. Cam was the beast. The predator lurking beneath a handsome facade.
He didn’t reply to my surprise, just sipped his drink and returned his focus to the lake. Because there were more windows here, the entire suite seeming to face the stunning view outside.
There was a balcony as well, one that appeared to frame the whole floor.
We had to be about five or six stories high, making me wonder if we were in a penthouse of sorts.
Or perhaps all the suites boasted balconies like this.
I’d never been to Deirdre City. Hell, I hadn’t been much of anywhere since Cam’s disappearance. I’d been hiding in Majestic Clan, waiting for him to return.
So while I knew what the world had become, I hadn’t actually seen any of it.
Apart from what some of the others had shown me in photos.
I ate a few more bites, my stomach protesting each one. Mostly because I hadn’t eaten much over the last… My lips curled down again. I wasn’t sure how long it had been since my last meal. Hours? A day?
Cam’s blood was probably the only reason I felt somewhat okay.
His blood had also been the reason I’d already healed from theincident. I’d imbibed some of his blood before Michael had dragged me away, which had turned into a curse of sorts because it had made me harder to hurt.
