Beckham tensed. “Why?”
“Because you were supposed to get me and then you weren’t there. Penny didn’t know where you were either. I was just curious.”
“There are some things best left unsaid.”
That drew her attention. Her eyes darted to his. “What does that mean?”
“I must eat.”
“You were eating?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Oh.”
Beckham reached for her, tugged her off the bed, and deposited her on her feet. “I must eat and eat regularly. It is a necessity. Before I could go a week sometimes two where I didn’t need to eat anything unless I wanted to regain strength. Now I must eat.”
“Why?” she asked in confusion.
He clenched his jaw and then released it. “If I do not, then I could not be around you as I am. There would be nothing but blood lust. Even eating as I do, I want you. To taste your blood and drain your life force and take from you all you will give me and then more that you won’t.”
She trembled at the dark words and the force with which he delivered them. This was her predator. The one who could destroy her with the flick of his hand. And yet he had spent so much time actively trying to keep her fragile body alive.
“I don’t believe you would do it,” she told him with her chin tilted up.
“Believe me. I would.” His fangs flashed. “I desire you even as we stand here. I can feel your blood pumping through your veins. I can scent you. I want nothing more than a taste. But I won’t stop at a taste. Especially not after I saw you take down Everett.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Oh yeah? You liked that I was able to hold my own?”
He pulled all of her hair off her face and knotted it in his hand. He tugged her head gently to the side and trailed his lips down her throat. “I enjoyed watching you stand your ground. You are not quite the delicate flower I first met.” Then he moved. Infinitely faster than a human. Before she could even blink, he had her body laid out on the bed, her neck bared, and he was straddling her hips. Then he came down on her as if he was about to devour her. “Do not think that the same moves would work on a vampire. It is best to allow me to protect you instead of constantly putting yourself in the face of danger.”
Her core heated despite his harsh words. She knew that getting turned on probably wasn’t the right reaction, but her body didn’t seem to care. Nor did she. He was on top of her. So close to biting her. She ground her hips in circles against him, begging for whatever he had to offer.
“Little One, look what you do to me,” he groaned, releasing her gently.
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded.
“I threatened to kill you and you beg for more. What manner of creature are you?”
“One who is not afraid of the monster lurking under the surface. One who desires the monster and the man equally. I’m not ashamed to admit it,” she said huskily.
“This monster chose to work with Harrington. I chose to work with him. For nearly fifteen years.”
Reyna swallowed. “So? You changed your mind.”
“He kidnapped and tortured you. Do you think that’s the worst I’ve done?”
“I don’t care what you’ve done.”
Though she was curious. How could she not be? Especially when Penelope had thrown out the epithet about all the other women and how she would be dead soon.
“I can see it in your eyes.” He rolled off of her and stood in front of the bed. He seemed to need the space to think.
“What you see in my eyes is the unknown,” she told him, following him off of the bed. She refused to give him that space. “It’s you telling me that you’re this horrible monster, other people saying that you’re a scary motherfucker, and even Penelope saying that I’m just like all the other girls and will be dead soon. It’s hearing over and over again that I should fear you, but I don’t.”
They met stubborn stare for an even more stubborn stare. Beckham would not win this. She wanted answers. And she’d wait however long it took. He must have seen it in her face. He released a breath and looked away.
“I was what was called a lord when I met Harrington,” Beckham said.
“Washington used that term. Sounds antiquated.”
“Yes. Well, the name has been passed down for many generations. Vampires are kind of stuck in our ways,” he said wryly. “The term lord is reserved for the most powerful vampire rulers. They traditionally have a court. Though by the time I was a lord, it had evolved into an army.” He gauged her reaction as if to see if he should continue. “There are only two ways to become a lord—rise up in the ranks and eventually unseat the ruler or raise an army big enough and lethal enough to take down the current lord’s ruling and all of their minions.”