Page 119 of Undying
More than a little leery, I watch as he shrugs off his jacket, then rolls up his sleeve. He drags a long, black nail across his wrist deep enough that dark, almost black blood spills down his arm. It drips into the waiting cup, mixing with the human blood.
“Dhampyrs can’t drink human blood without becoming violently ill. I’ve added my blood to the mixture to make it impossible for her to resist.” He lifts the goblet, swirling the blood together, then holds it out to me. “Come, take a drink, and prove to us if you’re sincere or a fraud trying to trick us.”
My fangs immediately throb with hunger, darkness swirling through my veins at the potent brew. The fucker was clever, leaving me no choice but to rise to his challenge, and my stomach churns at the thought of having his blood in me. Then I catch a scent of something hidden in his blood, something familiar that has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
I close my eyes to resist temptation, and it takes a heartbeat for my fangs to retract. I’m breathing heavily by the time I get myself back under control. “Would you mind telling me why you have my blood in your veins?”
Stanton curses under his breath, shoving away from the table and standing so fast that his chair topples to the floor. “You broke into HQ. I thought it was to discredit me, but you did it to take her blood. You’ve known all along that she’s a dhampyr.”
“They wanted to create more creatures like you, but ones they can control,” Milo muses, but I have my doubts.
“No, he’s smarter than that.” I push away from the table and stand, wanting to be ready to defend myself if it comes to it. “Why create something that might not work when he can claim the original? You took my blood to force a courtship between us. That’s why you want me to drink your blood.
“Then, if your plot doesn’t work, you can just rape me and force the mating.” Disgust turns my stomach at the thought of him touching me. “If you gain control of my abilities, you’ll be too powerful to be challenged. No more defiant vampires. No more having to deal with pesky humans. You could take the crown and take over the world without a fight.”
Silence fills the room as the vampires focus on Julius with predatory eyes. While they didn’t give a shit what happens to a female, it’s a different matter when their own houses are threatened.
“That’s preposterous,” Julius blusters, retribution darkening his eyes when they lock on me. If looks could kill, I’d be ash on the wind, and I swear I can actually feel his hands around my throat. “How could I possibly know she is anything but a female vampire?”
Stanton gets the answer before anyone else. “You have a spy in HQ.”
That’s when things start falling into place, and I say, “You sent a woman to my house to poison me and my men. You wanted us vulnerable, pliable to your will when we showed up here.”
“If we even managed to appear in the first place,” Milo mutters, glaring daggers at the fucker. “If we failed to appear, you would’ve lost your seat, and he could’ve claimed you without challenge. No one would’ve ever known.”
Even the old guy in the wig looks at Julius with suspicion, rubbing his jaw. “Vampires are notoriously hard to poison.”
“Sweet blood.” Stanton spits out the name like a curse. “Thankfully, my mate was able to smell the poison. Can you imagine what it would be like for an ancient to be lost to bloodlust? Entire cities were lost in the 1400s because of it, blamed on the Black Plague. We wouldn’t have been able to keep it from the humans this time.”
“What nonsense,” Julius scoffs, his chest puffing up in outrage at being accused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s even worse.” I snort at the horrible liar. “If what you say is true, you either have no clue what your people are doing behind your back, or you have no control over them. I’m not sure which is worse.”
He takes a step toward me, practically quivering with rage, and I immediately find myself surrounded by a wall of men. I roll my eyes at the big lugs, then shove my way through them. “If you want my house, don’t be a coward. Be vampire enough to challenge me for it.”
I swear I can almost hear my men groaning in my head.
A crocodile grin crosses Julius’ face, and malicious glee sparks in his dead eyes. “I challenge you. If I win, you will become mine.”
I roll my eyes at his obvious answer. “And if I win, you’ll be dead.”
The room fills with excited chatter, like a bunch of old biddies gossiping about who they think will win. Some of the vampires flock toward Julius, talking like his win is a foregone conclusion. To my shock, more than a few vampires cast somber looks my way.
Almost like they’re worried about me.
While distracted, the brazen female openly eye fucks my mates, like they will become hers once I’m defeated. I’ll kill her first and take pleasure doing it. The other female is so meek, no one else is paying any attention to her. She slowly twists her head in my direction. It’s kind of creepy, like seeing a doll moving on its own. When our eyes lock, something dark sparks in her brown eyes—maybe a silent plea for retribution? Salvation?
Before I can decipher it, servants are grabbing the chairs and clearing the table. When I look back at the girl, she’s staring forward blankly once again, like she never moved. I glance around at the chaos, then place my hands on my hips. “What are you doing?”
Everyone slowly stops and turns to stare at me like I’ve lost my mind. The old curmudgeon in the wig snorts. “The challenge will happen immediately.”
I nod slowly, like he’s the idiot. “And Julius is the one who issued the challenge. Which means I get to choose the time and place.”
The teenage vampire quickly squashes his grin and steps forward. “She’s correct. What are your orders?”
I take a moment to answer, ignoring the men as they desperately try to get my attention. “We fight outside.”
The teenager gives me a strange look, disappointment dimming his eyes. “Then we shall meet tonight—”
