Begrudged: Born of Darkness (Book 2) by R. B. Fields

Begrudged: Born of Darkness (Book 2) by R. B. Fields

Author:R. B. Fields [Fields, R. B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pygmalion Publishing
Published: 2021-03-02T05:00:00+00:00


14

Claire

His eyes are closed, but even if he tried to force them open, he’d barely be able to see me — one of his eyes is caked shut with dried blood. About as useful as his hands, tied tightly above his head. His toes barely scrape the bottom of the bathtub where I’ve strung him up.

I shove at his ribs, and he swings, back and forth, back and forth.

This appears to wake him. One dilated pupil fixes on me in the wan light from the candle. It might be romantic in another circumstance — if he didn’t smell so much like shit.

“Let me go,” he says. “I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

I almost laugh. What is it with humans, thinking they can talk their way out of any scenario? And trying to convince a vampire, no less. It’s like a cow trying to moo its way out of the slaughterhouse.

“Shut up,” I say, and though my words are forceful, they purr from my throat. It is a treat to be able to use such language. When I was alive, women had much different expectations. Now, those rules no longer apply. Not man’s laws. Not man’s codes.

All that matters to me, to any of us, is something far greater.

He closes his mouth, pressing his lips into a bloodless line, but I can still see the blood there, pulsing, pooling near the corner of his lower lip — a break in the skin. Ah, lovely. I watch a drop of perfect ruby well and trickle down over his jaw. He immediately opens his mouth, trying to catch it on his tongue, trying to keep it from me, but he’s too late — he shudders as I lick the blood from his chin, from his lip. Sweet.

“I’ll do anything you want,” he says, his breath warm against my cheek as I finish. His words are not a purr, not even a whisper — a croak of desperation. It disgusts me.

I right myself. “I’m sure you will.” I stare, waiting for him to look upon my face. It is not often that I get to be seen like this. My long red hair used to be glorious, a mane of auburn that glowed orange in the sun, and now it is glorious once more — at least to human eyes.

Did they already talk to Claude? Did he mention me? But I doubt it. Claude, like most of his caliber, will say nothing unless asked directly, and sometimes he’ll keep quiet even then. And Markula and his hive don’t know to ask about me. I’m the last vampire Markula would ever connect to Narimi. That’s why I chose Mikael, too. They are the crud I would have scraped from the bottom of my shoes; once I would have called them Devils.

But sometimes you need a Devil to finally find God.

This man swinging from the ceiling is not a Devil or a God … he’s a pawn. He just needs to stay alive long enough to help me.



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