Page 94 of Undying
But apparently, my heart isn’t going to let me get away with that lie as a small crack splinters through it at seeing Stanton practically fucking the girl on my new goddamn dining room table!
Milo mutters something under his breath, a dark scowl on his face as he urges me to leave the room, but I flinch from his touch.
It’s too late to leave. The damage has been done, the image of the two of them seared into my brain. I glance around the room to keep from getting sick, and I’m startled to see that they’re not alone. The other woman we hired has her head down, dutifully setting the table, desperately trying not to draw attention to herself.
The two shifters seated at the table appear relieved at our entrance and uncomfortable at the same time. They’re watching the graphic display with disgust, neither one wanting to have anything to do with the performance enacted out in front of them.
Against my will, my gaze goes back to the couple still going at it, and I watch them with a sick kind of fascination. When the bitch catches me watching, her shit-colored eyes narrow, then a tiny smirk curls her lips, and she tips back her head, releasing her best porn star worthy moan, practically humping Stanton as we watch.
I inhale sharply when pain threatens to consume me, gnawing at me from the inside out. Then I still when a tiny whiff of rancid meat gets caught in the back of my throat.
Something in my primitive brain recognizes that scent, my senses screaming danger, and I launch myself across the room before I can even process the thought. I tackle the couple, grunting when I slam into them and knock them apart. I twist at the last second and land on my feet, never once taking my eyes off the girl.
Which was a mistake.
Stanton hisses at having his meal stolen and bares his fangs at me. The hairs on the back of my neck lift. Before he can reach me, Castle and Tobias crash into him hard, and the three of them go sprawling.
The other maid cowers in the corner. While everyone is distracted, she quickly scurries off to the kitchen without looking back once.
Then chaos erupts when Stanton shrugs off the wolves and jumps to his feet. The cat shifters jump into the fray without hesitation, keeping him busy, and I use the time to try and figure out what about the girl triggered me.
Milo swipes a knife from the table, standing guard at my back, and I know he will do whatever is necessary to keep me safe. Ignoring the commotion behind me, I spring toward the blonde and pin her to the wall by her neck. Blood trickles down her throat, and I nearly gag at the raunchy stink that hovers around her like a toxic cloud. “What did you do?”
She remains limp in my hold, not phased in the least when I get right up in her face. The opposite, in fact. The bitch flashes me a confident, shit-eating grin and turns her head to the side as if offering for me to bite her as well.
What the actual fuck?!
My skin tingles where it comes into contact with her flesh, and the darkness churns in my chest like a noxious mix, urging me to bite her but making me want to throw up at the same time. No matter how much I struggle to keep it at bay, the darkness spreads through my system…and so does the nausea and hunger.
I grimace when the rank stench becomes so strong, it’s like something dead crawled into my senses and then rotted into a putrid sludge that coats my mouth and nose. Even if I wanted to bite her, I can’t get near her without gagging.
I heft the bitch higher, my grip tightening on her neck, and my claws sink into her skin like melted butter. Blood trickles down her neck, and my eyes water when the caustic mixture hits the air. Understanding clicks, and I growl right in her face. “What did you put into your blood?”
A hint of fear crosses her face, and she swallows hard. It only lasts a second, then she flashes me a cocky smile, her hand coming up to stroke my wrist in a flirty way. “Just a little something to make you feel good.”
My jaw drops at her audacity, then I slam her into the wall behind her so hard that the plaster cracks and the slats beneath her dent. I snarl, my grip tightening, then I smile when genuine fear shimmers in her eyes as she chokes. “I’ll ask you one more time. What. Did. You. Do?”
She claws at the hand holding her, but the wounds heal almost as fast as she inflicts them. After a few more seconds, I relent and release my hold, if only to get some answers. She drops to the ground like a broken doll, coughing and sputtering, massaging her throat as she glares up at me. “It’s just a bit of flavoring to the blood to make you more amenable.”
I can only blink at the sheer insanity of her statement. “And you think I would allow you to live after you drugged us?”
With a lot of grunting and swearing, the men finally manage to cart Stanton from the room, but I can hear yelling and the sound of furniture breaking even from a distance.
Blondie grimaces as she gingerly probes the bite mark on her neck, the injury looking like someone chewed on her. Blood still trickles from it in a steady stream, staining the top of her shirt. She glares at me, then gives an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “Julius loves me. He said if I did this for him, he would reward me.” Her chin lifts, avarice gleaming in her dark brown eyes, and a nasty smile comes to her lips. “He’s going to turn me into a vampire, and we’re going to spend eternity together. He’s going to be pissed that you threatened me.”
I can’t help it—I burst out laughing.
Which only has her scowl deepening.
Using the wall as support, she pushes herself to her feet. “You think I’m foolish, but he gave me his word. Vampires are nothing without their word.”
I roll my eyes at the idiot and snark back, “Yeah, they must honor their word with other vampires. To humans? Never. You’re nothing but food.”
She stubbornly shakes her head, completely delusional. “I already called him. He’s going to come and get me. If anything happens to me, he’ll kill you.”
“You really don’t get it, do you?” Milo interrupts, his voice harsh with disgust. “You’re already dead. Julius hasn’t even marked you as one of his minions. If we kill you, there will be no repercussions.
“You lie,” she snarls, taking an unsteady step toward us.
