answers he needed.
The trio approached, the manâs arm around his girlfriendâs waist, and the other arm draped across Lyricâs shoulders.
âNice,â Vail said to them as they walked by, leading him toward the end of the parking lot where the streetlight flickered and a dented black van sat parked in the corner.
Chain-link fencing surrounded the parking lot, bent up here and there to admit a person or a stray cat through the overgrown weeds that probably never saw a mowerâs blade. Security lights beamed over the entire lot, but here, the van shadowed their encounter.
Lyric was already cozying up to the man by the time Vail rounded the back of the van. The sight of her running her hands up the manâs arms and whispering in his ear increased Vailâs heartbeats. But for thelife of Herne, he wasnât sure if it was arousal orâno, couldnât be jealousy.
The mortal woman threaded her arms about his shoulders and tugged him around toward the front of the van. She breathed whiskey onto his face. âYouâre sexy,â she tried, enunciating carefully as drunks often did when they thought they could conceal their inebriation.
âAnd I love redheads,â he replied, allowing her to kiss the corner of his mouth sloppily. Mortals. No attraction whatsoever.
Keeping an eye on Lyric, he nudged his nose along the womanâs jaw, following the rapid pulse that did not call to him. It was just a heartbeat.
He bent closer to her skin, drawing in the acrid scent of whiskey, yet beneath that something deeper lingered. Life. It gushed and throbbed. So unique how mortal blood took on the scents and taint of the things they consumed and put on their bodies, which was why it did not attract him. Ichor remained pure, no matter what the sidhe had consumed.
Remembering his captive, Vail glanced aside, pushing curls of red hair away to better see. His ice princess hadnât bitten her mark yet; she was prolonging the tease, working the mortal to a sexual frenzy. Spiced with adrenaline, it must make the blood hotter, perhaps even tastier.
And yet, it was just a tease. Vail maintained the staunch insistence ichor was the only sustenance for him. And it was. But a weird part of him, something he didnât want to examine too closely, suddenly tiltedhis head down to inhale the scent of mortal blood. It didnât smell awful. Actually, it smelled appealing, whiskey and all.
What was that about?
The woman read his subtle exploration incorrectly, and palmed his cock through his leather pants. That both pissed him off and pushed him over the edge heâd been toeing since kissing Lyric earlier. The vampiress had gotten under his skin, and he had wanted to get under, into and all over her skinâuntil sheâd touched her blood to his mouth.
Heâd never take vampire blood.
Moans slipped from Lyricâs mouth now, her mark matching the sensual tones. Scent of jasmine and cherries distracted Vail from the mortal womanâs whiskey perfume. She kissed the edge of his mouth, but he didnât want her sloppy attempt at intimacy.
âSwoon for me,â he whispered, penetrating her mind with persuasion. You feel so good. Better than youâve ever felt .
âKiss me back,â she murmured. âDonât you want me?â
The persuasion was not working. Why couldnât he utilize the thrall in the mortal realm? Was it akin to the power Hawkes insisted he claim?
He considered dusting her, but mortals didnât drop like vamps, they usually went into a swoony kind of reel.
Pressing his fingers along her neck, he found the subclavian nerve below her clavicle and increased pressure. Just a second or two⦠Sleep took her quickly. She relaxed in his arms.
He dropped the woman noiselessly at his feet. He glanced to the vanâthe mortal man hugged the rear fender, delirious. Blood ran from his mouth.
The vampiress was gone.
Vail leaped over the sprawled
The trio approached, the manâs arm around his girlfriendâs waist, and the other arm draped across Lyricâs shoulders.
âNice,â Vail said to them as they walked by, leading him toward the end of the parking lot where the streetlight flickered and a dented black van sat parked in the corner.
Chain-link fencing surrounded the parking lot, bent up here and there to admit a person or a stray cat through the overgrown weeds that probably never saw a mowerâs blade. Security lights beamed over the entire lot, but here, the van shadowed their encounter.
Lyric was already cozying up to the man by the time Vail rounded the back of the van. The sight of her running her hands up the manâs arms and whispering in his ear increased Vailâs heartbeats. But for thelife of Herne, he wasnât sure if it was arousal orâno, couldnât be jealousy.
The mortal woman threaded her arms about his shoulders and tugged him around toward the front of the van. She breathed whiskey onto his face. âYouâre sexy,â she tried, enunciating carefully as drunks often did when they thought they could conceal their inebriation.
âAnd I love redheads,â he replied, allowing her to kiss the corner of his mouth sloppily. Mortals. No attraction whatsoever.
Keeping an eye on Lyric, he nudged his nose along the womanâs jaw, following the rapid pulse that did not call to him. It was just a heartbeat.
He bent closer to her skin, drawing in the acrid scent of whiskey, yet beneath that something deeper lingered. Life. It gushed and throbbed. So unique how mortal blood took on the scents and taint of the things they consumed and put on their bodies, which was why it did not attract him. Ichor remained pure, no matter what the sidhe had consumed.
Remembering his captive, Vail glanced aside, pushing curls of red hair away to better see. His ice princess hadnât bitten her mark yet; she was prolonging the tease, working the mortal to a sexual frenzy. Spiced with adrenaline, it must make the blood hotter, perhaps even tastier.
And yet, it was just a tease. Vail maintained the staunch insistence ichor was the only sustenance for him. And it was. But a weird part of him, something he didnât want to examine too closely, suddenly tiltedhis head down to inhale the scent of mortal blood. It didnât smell awful. Actually, it smelled appealing, whiskey and all.
What was that about?
The woman read his subtle exploration incorrectly, and palmed his cock through his leather pants. That both pissed him off and pushed him over the edge heâd been toeing since kissing Lyric earlier. The vampiress had gotten under his skin, and he had wanted to get under, into and all over her skinâuntil sheâd touched her blood to his mouth.
Heâd never take vampire blood.
Moans slipped from Lyricâs mouth now, her mark matching the sensual tones. Scent of jasmine and cherries distracted Vail from the mortal womanâs whiskey perfume. She kissed the edge of his mouth, but he didnât want her sloppy attempt at intimacy.
âSwoon for me,â he whispered, penetrating her mind with persuasion. You feel so good. Better than youâve ever felt .
âKiss me back,â she murmured. âDonât you want me?â
The persuasion was not working. Why couldnât he utilize the thrall in the mortal realm? Was it akin to the power Hawkes insisted he claim?
He considered dusting her, but mortals didnât drop like vamps, they usually went into a swoony kind of reel.
Pressing his fingers along her neck, he found the subclavian nerve below her clavicle and increased pressure. Just a second or two⦠Sleep took her quickly. She relaxed in his arms.
He dropped the woman noiselessly at his feet. He glanced to the vanâthe mortal man hugged the rear fender, delirious. Blood ran from his mouth.
The vampiress was gone.
Vail leaped over the sprawled
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