Page 73 of Thirst
The lair was stirring around me—doors opening, low voices sifting through the stone, the soft movements of bodies waking. Background noise, the familiar routine.
I sent a text, arranging to meet one of my regulars in the thralls’ quarters. Unlike most of the castle vampires, I didn’t bring thralls back to my apartment—that was my private space, open only to a few close friends.
My next message was to Nyx’s guard, who assured me that she was better, that she’d eaten a couple of good meals and was moving around.
The thrall greeted me with a smile and a body-hugging red dress, the practiced welcome of a woman who knew the routine. With a muttered hello, I backed her to a wall, pushed her long black hair to one side and sank my fangs into her soft skin. She shivered in pleasure and let her head fall to the side.
Each suck flooded me with heat. My dick hardened, the predator in me craving the other half of the blood-sex equation. I pushed my hips against her, driven by an ancient, primal instinct.
Her breath hitched. She widened her thighs, asking for more. My hand moved over her body, cupping a firm breast, pinching her nipple into hardness.
“More,” she rasped.
My hand went to her hem. But as I started to draw up her skirt, I flashed on Nyx, hollow-eyed and shivering in that musty, airless cell.
And I couldn’t do it.
I moved my hand back to her waist and finished feeding.
“Cain?” she whimpered as I licked her neck clean, healing the small wounds.
“Sorry, love.” I patted her ass. “Not tonight. I’ll drop a bonus in your account, though—all right?”
I stalked back to my apartment in a piss-poor mood. First Paris, now tonight. Nyx was in my head, fucking with my instincts—my very self.
The last thing I wanted was to find Rio slouched against my door, contemplating the purple laces on his scuffed boots. The eighteen-year-old was Talon’s project—I think he saw something of himself in this New York City street kid. Me, I figured Rio had seen an opportunity and jumped on it. And hey, all respect to him; I admired his hustle. Didn’t mean I wanted to babysit him, though.
“What?” I demanded gruffly.
“Lieutenant.” He uncoiled his skinny body from the door. “Got a sec?”
I grunted, hoping he’d get the hint and take his problem elsewhere. I touched my hand to the biorec pad and pulled the door open.
“It’s about Nyx,” he added.
My head snapped toward him. Nyx had scared the crap out of me last night—raving about doors and wolves, out of her head with silver poisoning, then losing consciousness—but by the time I’d left this morning, she’d been sleeping all right, her fever broken. And the guard was under orders to let me know immediately if she relapsed again.
“What about her? She okay?”
“She’s fine,” he said. “That’s not why I’m here.”
I lifted my brows. “Go on.”
“Well, I was the one who delivered the meals you ordered for her.”
“And?”
“I want to keep visiting her, that’s?—”
“No,” I interrupted. “You can take her meals, and that’s it.”
“But Eden said…” He gulped at the look I turned on him.
“Go on,” I prompted softly. “What did Eden say?”
“You know.” Shoving his hands in his jeans pockets, he rocked back and forth on his toes. “That you…like her.”
“I like a lot of people.”
