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Authors: Amanda Sidhe
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over her eyes. Her voice hissed in a way that crossed the angry breath of a snake with the sound of a sword slicing through silk, a combination that could entrance a human like a cobra’s eyes mesmerizing its prey. The emotion that washed through her was not her old rage. That monster had been slain and turned to dust. No. This was just good old pissed-to-her-socks fury. “What?!”
Caden stepped back involuntarily. His focus fixed on her fangs, which she no longer hid with the careful curve of her lips. With his hands raised, palms toward her, he seemed to both try to calm her and prepare to defend himself if she should attack.
“You knew Ripper was going to attack me?” Rage paced like a lioness, circling him. “You sent him? Leaving me like a fool at the altar was not enough for you? You had to add injury to insult?”
Dropping his hands to his side, Caden’s expression darkened as though hurt and defeated. “I would have hoped you knew me better than that.”
“I thought I knew you before you dumped me, jackass.” Now she made no attempt to hide her fangs before him at all. Usually before a human she held her lips very carefully to keep her teeth concealed.
“Only I didn’t dump you.” Caden slumped down and sat on the mattress. He didn’t watch her anymore, as if he would make no attempt to stop her if she attacked him. “Not willingly, anyway.”
“You called me,” she reminded him. “You were with some tramp. I could hear her in the background. You said—”
“I was with a vampire, Regina,” Caden cut her off. “Under her influence.” His eyes flicked up to peg hers. “You know what that means better than I do, I’m sure.”
Under the influence of vampire magic, a human could be made to do or say anything. It took practice and control and even then it was normally just used for hunting or preventing the knowledge of vampires from spreading. She’d done the very thing to him herself just hours ago. Was it possible that Caden told the truth? “What exactly happened that day?”
Caden rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face and hair hard with his hands as if thinking about it bothered him and he needed to gear up for it. “Of course, I didn’t realize it then, but the night before I ran into a group of vampires. I guess they’d been watching us that evening until you went back to your place. I stayed out a while longer, strolling on the river walk. The leader, Ripper as you called him, appeared before me.”
Crossing her arms, Rage shivered. Ripper had been watching her the night before he’d rebirthed her? After what she’d just seen in his soul, the thought of him stalking her for more than one night was disturbing. Vampires were predators of opportunity. They didn’t target individuals in the way Ripper had done with her, at least not normally.
Caden continued. “He asked me about you. About us. About the wedding.” He shook his head and squeezed his eyes closed. There was more he was not telling and she could guess what it was. There were a number of small scars dotting his nude chest, back and arms. Fang marks. A number of them must have fed from him, weakening him further to the vampire’s control. Finally, he said, “Ripper said he was going to kill you. They left me for dead a few days later. I went looking for you as soon as I was released from the hospital. When I couldn’t find you anywhere…”
And she’d blamed him. She’d hated him all this time and it had been all Ripper’s doing. Rage glanced down at her feet, guilt slithering through her.
Caden rose and crossed to her, the chain attached to his collar pulling tight as he reached for her hand. He brought it to his mouth and gave her one soft kiss. “I never stopped loving you, Regina. I dedicated my life to avenging you.”
Caden’s lips spread warmth across her pale skin. Heat traveled from his touch into her blood where it seemed to seep throughout her system. Her lips parted as she
Caden stepped back involuntarily. His focus fixed on her fangs, which she no longer hid with the careful curve of her lips. With his hands raised, palms toward her, he seemed to both try to calm her and prepare to defend himself if she should attack.
“You knew Ripper was going to attack me?” Rage paced like a lioness, circling him. “You sent him? Leaving me like a fool at the altar was not enough for you? You had to add injury to insult?”
Dropping his hands to his side, Caden’s expression darkened as though hurt and defeated. “I would have hoped you knew me better than that.”
“I thought I knew you before you dumped me, jackass.” Now she made no attempt to hide her fangs before him at all. Usually before a human she held her lips very carefully to keep her teeth concealed.
“Only I didn’t dump you.” Caden slumped down and sat on the mattress. He didn’t watch her anymore, as if he would make no attempt to stop her if she attacked him. “Not willingly, anyway.”
“You called me,” she reminded him. “You were with some tramp. I could hear her in the background. You said—”
“I was with a vampire, Regina,” Caden cut her off. “Under her influence.” His eyes flicked up to peg hers. “You know what that means better than I do, I’m sure.”
Under the influence of vampire magic, a human could be made to do or say anything. It took practice and control and even then it was normally just used for hunting or preventing the knowledge of vampires from spreading. She’d done the very thing to him herself just hours ago. Was it possible that Caden told the truth? “What exactly happened that day?”
Caden rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face and hair hard with his hands as if thinking about it bothered him and he needed to gear up for it. “Of course, I didn’t realize it then, but the night before I ran into a group of vampires. I guess they’d been watching us that evening until you went back to your place. I stayed out a while longer, strolling on the river walk. The leader, Ripper as you called him, appeared before me.”
Crossing her arms, Rage shivered. Ripper had been watching her the night before he’d rebirthed her? After what she’d just seen in his soul, the thought of him stalking her for more than one night was disturbing. Vampires were predators of opportunity. They didn’t target individuals in the way Ripper had done with her, at least not normally.
Caden continued. “He asked me about you. About us. About the wedding.” He shook his head and squeezed his eyes closed. There was more he was not telling and she could guess what it was. There were a number of small scars dotting his nude chest, back and arms. Fang marks. A number of them must have fed from him, weakening him further to the vampire’s control. Finally, he said, “Ripper said he was going to kill you. They left me for dead a few days later. I went looking for you as soon as I was released from the hospital. When I couldn’t find you anywhere…”
And she’d blamed him. She’d hated him all this time and it had been all Ripper’s doing. Rage glanced down at her feet, guilt slithering through her.
Caden rose and crossed to her, the chain attached to his collar pulling tight as he reached for her hand. He brought it to his mouth and gave her one soft kiss. “I never stopped loving you, Regina. I dedicated my life to avenging you.”
Caden’s lips spread warmth across her pale skin. Heat traveled from his touch into her blood where it seemed to seep throughout her system. Her lips parted as she
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