Her blood.
I can smell her goddamn blood.
My teeth feel like they’re growing, my body coiling like a snake ready to strike, the thirst inside me bursting through the dark well I kept it buried under.
I make a move for her, feeling only the need to slash and bite and feed.
But Wolf’s grip is strong and he wraps an arm around my waist, holding me against him. “There’s the bloodlust,” he says. “I was wondering when it might show up.”
“I see,” Amethyst says, raising a perfectly micro-bladed brow. “I trust you have her under control then, because I haven’t been bitten by one of your trophies yet, and I’m not about to start.”
Her words knock some sense into me.
They temper the frenzy in my gut, the ravenous hunger.
I don’t like being referred to as a trophy.
And if she hasn’t been bitten…does that mean she’s not a vampire?
“If you’re wondering, Amethyst is just a human. One we’re very lucky to have in the house,” Wolf explains. “Unfortunately, it means you’ll have to get through your bloodlust first before you can properly get acquainted.”
“You look like a vampire,” I manage to say, my heart calming, and I relax into Wolf’s hold on me.
“So I’ve been told,” she says with a light laugh. “But my skin is a touch too dark. Sun damage, you know. Probably should wear SPF more often but…” She shrugs. Then eyes me up and down. “I can’t believe they have you wearing a nightgown. Let me guess, it’s from the 1800s or some bullshit?”
Wolf’s turn to shrug. “You know how archaic Solon is. He’s actually out right now…”
He trails off so I have no idea what he’s about to say, but Amethyst does. Her eyes widen briefly. “Oh. Is that so?” She glances at a flashy watch on her wrist. “I’m going to go help him. I don’t trust his taste sometimes. I mean, look at her. When’s the last time we had someone that looked like that in this place?”
“You better hurry,” Wolf says. “Lots to do tonight.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she says, heading for the door. She looks at me over her shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Lenore. I’ll see you later.”
Then she’s gone.
It’s only after a few seconds have passed that Wolf lets go of me.
“Well, that could have been a disaster,” he muses.
“Why, because you thought I’d eat her?” I ask as I turn to face him, shuddering at the words leaving my mouth.
“You said it, not me,” he says, running a hand through his hair.
“And you’re the full-fledged vampire here,” I tell him. “How come you had so much restraint?”
“Because Amethyst lives here. You get used to her … it’s not so hard to stop viewing some people as prey.”
“She lives here,” I repeat. “Absolon hates humans. This must drive him…”
“Batty?”
“I was going to say mad.”
He laughs. “Not all humans. Amethyst is pretty special, and they get along very well.”
Something like jealousy pokes hot and cold in my gut. Ugh. Why the hell am I feeling jealous over their relationship, of which I know nothing about. Oh god, am I getting possessive over him? Isn’t that a vampire thing?
I shake the feeling away. “So how is it that she lives here? She obviously knows you’re all vampires.”