Finally, after several long moments, some of the harsh tension drained from him. He raked his fingers through his sleek black hair and blew out a breath.
“Have you ever wondered why vampires often kill their victims?”
“Uh…because they’re fallen supernaturals and they’re hungry?”
He shook his head. “There’s a bond. A deep, unbreakable bond formed when a vampire drinks from another person. It’s an addiction.”
“So you’re an addict, and I pushed you off the wagon,” I concluded. I didn’t love the sound of that, but it definitely explained why he’d been avoiding me.
“No.” He shook his head, his wild, spicy scent filling the small closet and making my mouth water. “You’re the addict. Or you will be. If that ever happens again.”
I blinked. Uh, that was not where I thought this was going.
Chewing on my lip, I thought of the way his porcelain teeth had felt as they slid into my vein and shuddered with arousal and a touch of fear.
“Okay, sure, it was kinda hot,” I admitted, in the understatement of the century. “But I’m not addicted to you.”
“You don’t crave it?” His pupils slid into predatory slits, the vampire side of him rising closer to the surface.
I shook my head, although I was suddenly having a hard time swallowing. Or breathing.
“You will,” he said, his voice husky. “You’ll need me. You’ll come to me to get your fix, and nothing will ever be enough. The more I drink, the stronger the bond will become. Eventually, you won’t be able to stand being apart from me.”
I laughed. “And? That sounds like an average Tuesday.”
He looked startled, jerking his head back as his eyes widened.
Cocking my head, I squinted at him in disbelief. “You really don’t get it, do you? You—the four of you—are pieces of me. I already want you around all the time.”
“This is different,” he insisted stubbornly, and irritation spiked in my veins. “It’s—it’s the way I feel when I’m around you. It’s that primal draw, the insatiable desire. It’s consuming. I want to spare you from that.”
“Spare me? Yes, please, spare me.” Annoyance was building into fury. He wasn’t listening to me. “You know what, I don’t think your motives are so goddamn pure. You’re not doing this to protect me from shit. This is about you. I think you liked drinking from me, and I think you hate yourself for liking it.”
“Piper, come on.” His features hardened, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze anymore. “I care about you, and I don’t want you to suffer like I suffer, that’s all.”
I ground my teeth together. “You have no idea what I suffer, Kai.”
But he was about to. This bullshit had gone on long enough, and I was sick of him acting like his rejection of me was for my damn benefit.
I cast my gaze around the small room, spotting a small knife on one of the supply shelves. Anger making me reckless and impulsive, I snatched it up and held it to my wrist.
Kai’s eyes widened, his body going completely still.
“What… what are you doing?”
“What’s the matter?” I taunted, frustration and pain raging through me. “Afraid of a little blood?”
“Piper, don’t—”
But I di
dn’t listen. I didn’t even give him a chance to finish. I just pressed the blade down against the soft flesh of my wrist and pulled, ripping my vein open. Pain flared, and I suppressed a gasp as blood trickled onto the floor in a steady stream.
“Look at all that lovely blood, just going to waste.” I shook my head, breathing hard. “What a shame.”
“Piper!” Kai’s voice was a ragged shout, his expression contorted with too many emotions to identify. “Jesus, what the fuck? You cut too deep, you’re going to bleed out!”
“And it’s all going to be on the floor. Too bad.” I wasn’t lightheaded yet, but I knew I would be soon. He was right. I had cut deep. This was possibly one of the most bone-headed moves I’d ever made, but I was desperate to get some reaction out of this ice-cold man. “And what will you do then? Lap it up like a puppy?”