Vampire Bait

I take the corner of the tape between my thumb and index finger and slowly pull it off. My body stills in excitement as her sweet lips come into view.

There’s another presence in the room. The awareness of danger is tingling through my body in warning, but I can’t stop myself. Not when these thick luscious lips are almost free.

I should be more careful. The Brotherhood are always hunting.

But right now, focusing on anything other than seeing this virgin beauty’s mouth is beyond my ability.

I pull off the rest of the tape and suck in a breath when I see how sexy her plump pink lips are.

“Watch out!” she cries as I drop the tape to the floor.

Before I can turn, an arrow comes whooshing through the air and sinks into my shoulder.

I shake off the pain at first, but then the venom starts surging through my body and I drop to my knees. The pain is excruciating and I barely have the energy to turn around as another arrow comes flying at me.

Chapter Three

Roderic

I grunt as I pluck the incoming arrow out of the air. The tip of the wood has a sticky purple substance on it. Vampire venom. It comes from a rare flower that only grows in the Himalayas and is deadly to my kind.

The arrow that’s planted in the back of my shoulder is searing like lava as the venom makes its way into my veins. Every inch that it travels is pure agony, but I can’t give up. Not now that I’ve finally found something worth living for.

I reach up and take her hand. The feel of her soft skin is helping me fight through the pain.

“Are you okay?” she asks, looking worried. Her blue eyes flitter to the arrow sticking out of my back and then back to me.

Another arrow comes whooshing past me and sinks into the old wooden floor between us. That’s when I see the movement in the vaulted ceiling.

I fight through the pain and launch the arrow in my hand back at him.

He’s fast and rolls out of the way a split-second before the arrow sinks into the thick oak beam with a thud.

My whole arm is burning as I grab the second arrow out of the floor and throw it at him as he leaps from beam to beam. The venom searing its way through my veins is making my arm heavy and it throws my aim off. The arrow flies past his head and sinks into the mural on the ceiling.

The bounty hunter flees through the vaulted ceiling, running along the beams, and swinging on a chandelier. When he reaches the far side of the banquet hall, he jumps down onto the floor and disappears through a doorway.

He’s probably waiting until the venom does its work. He’d rather take me out the easy way rather than face me. Coward.

I should pull the arrow out, but my only concern right now is her. She’s tied up and it’s killing me to see her like this.

“Put your hands out,” I say in a shaky voice. The venom is moving faster than I thought it would.

She offers me her hands and I rip the tape off them. I move to the rope as she rubs her wrists. The thought of her pure innocent skin being tarnished by that fucker fills me with rage. I start to get all twitchy and with my jaw clenched, I rip the thick rope in half.

My girl hurries away from the beam and looks around the vast room. It’s dark with only the light of the moon coming in through the high windows and I know she probably can’t see a thing.

Vampire eyes are made for the darkness and I can see everything, but I’m only staring at her.

She’s stunning up close and I can’t seem to focus on anything else. I’m completely taken with her. I’ve never been so tempted in my entire life.

I don’t know how I survived all these years without her. It seems impossible to me now that I know she exists.

“Where do we go?” she asks with her voice racing in panic. “What do we do?”

“We don’t go anywhere,” I answer. I want to lock every door and window in this castle and keep her trapped with me forever. I glance down at the shredded rope, knowing that there’s nothing I won’t do to keep her here. I’ll tie her back up if I have to. I’ll lock her in the tower all day just so I can be with her all night. I’m a selfish monster and I know that I must have her at all costs.

“But he’s going to come back,” she says, looking around into the darkness.

“I hope he does. He owes me his life for what he’s done to you.”