Kingly Bitten by Lexi C. Foss
Jace
Calina’s hissrolled through my mind on repeat, the sound one I wanted to replicate as I drove deep inside her.
Mmm, I’d meant what I said about hoping she didn’t cooperate. Not because I wanted to truly harm her, but because I desired to teach her a lesson in authority.
The pretty little researcher considered herself my equal, and while I admired her tenacity, she was most decidedly not on my level.
But she could be.
It’d been a long time since I’d considered the prospect of a progeny. However, Calina’s spirit called to mine, her presence an alluring intoxication that I wanted to drown within.
She was strong. Tenacious. Stubborn. And most importantly, strategic.
In one conversation, I could discern all those qualities because she had presented herself as an open book. Not because she was naïve, but because she knew it was her best chance at survival.
And she’d tried to play me, maneuvering around the discussion like a clever champion.
My lips curled in amusement.
I wanted to indulge her and enjoy another round. But time was not on our side.
So I left Calina tied to the chair and went in search of Damien to give him an update on the server farm.
“Consider wisely,” I’d told her before leaving the room. “I’ll want a coherent response when I return.”
I hadn’t bothered to heal the wound on her breast. It would close on its own, something her intriguing genetics would hasten along.
Besides, I rather liked leaving my mark above her erect nipple. It was almost as though I’d claimed her as mine.
One bite to the neck. One to the tit. Perhaps my next sampling would be from her creamy thigh.
Yes, indeed, I mused, picturing the image clearly in my head.
“Are you drunk?” a deep voice demanded, giving me pause. “Or has old age impacted your eyesight?”
I glanced over my shoulder to find Ryder leaning against the wall with an arched eyebrow. “Am I meant to acknowledge you and bow?” I asked, avoiding his statement about my preoccupied state.
Because apparently I’d walked right by him without noticing.
I supposed that meant I no longer considered him a threat. Or perhaps my focus on more pleasurable avenues had distracted me from the lethal surroundings.
“It’s my understanding that formalities at least require a greeting of some kind.”
“I see,” I replied. “Then, hello, Ryder. What a lovely surprise. What brings you to Damien’s floor?”
His black eyes glimmered with deadly intent. “He mentioned prisoners and interrogation in his latest report. I think he meant to keep me apprised, but I took it as an invitation.”
“We can’t kill them,” I said immediately, aware of Ryder’s penchant for slaughtering first and asking questions later. That was how Lilith’s head had ended up in a freezer. “They’re proof of Lilith using immortals for her research.”
“And we need three of them to accomplish that proof because…?”
“One captive was Lilith’s lead researcher at the bunker. She’s useful to us alive, and we need the other two doctors—who she seems to fancy as friends—to use as leverage to encourage her cooperation.”
“And the little lycan pup my mate is falling in love with downstairs?” he pressed.
“A bargaining chip that makes the two doctors chatty,” Damien drawled as he joined us in the hallway. “Or it was one until James overheard that comment with his lycan hearing.” He gestured his chin toward the door he’d just come through. “Not soundproof. Which is interesting, considering Silvano’s former use of these quarters. But I digress.” He looked at me. “How’d it go with Dr. C.?”
“She’s currently evaluating her options.” I couldn’t help my amused tone, something both males caught on to immediately.
“And those options include?” Damien asked.
“A server farm,” I replied, effectively changing the topic away from my little game of verbal chess with Calina. “She claims that all her files were updated to it daily, and she can help us track the source as well.”
“Or she can use our resources to send a message to the intended recipient of those files.”
“Yes,” I conceded. “But she sent that person shit files for a reason. She also broke protocol. As a result, I don’t see her being very eager to reconnect with Lilith’s former partner. Assuming she had one, I mean. That still remains unclear.”
“Did she mention anyone of interest?” Ryder asked.
“Not yet,” I admitted. “But I’ll see if any photos jog her memory.” Or, more accurately, I would see if she visually reacted to any photos. Because something told me a little bite wasn’t enough to convince her to cooperate. And that was fine. I could do a lot worse and still make her enjoy at least part of it.
“All right, so these researchers have been experimenting on lycans and vampires for a century, some longer than that, and our solution is to keep them alive for show-and-tell later,” Ryder summarized.
“So you did read my notes,” Damien replied. “Good to know.”
“Are you going to let the alliance members eat them after their testimonies?” Ryder asked, ignoring his new sovereign’s side commentary. “Am I going to be stuck playing father to this pup for eternity? Because my mate won’t let anyone kill him now. She’s in love. And I’m not breaking her heart.”
He pulled a device from his pocket and brought up a video of a pretty white wolf curled around a tiny ball of fur.
Damien grinned and clapped Ryder on the shoulder. “Congrats. You just became a dad. Want a hug?”
“No.”
“Good.” Damien dropped his hand and looked at me. “Tell me about the server farm.”
“I can’t. Calina hasn’t agreed to help us yet.”
His eyebrows rose. “Then why the fuck are you standing out here?”
I arched a brow, not at all appreciating his disrespectful tone.
He cleared his throat. “Sorry, King. Just excited by the prospect of playing in a server farm.”
“Stop calling me King and I’ll forgive you.”
“But it has such a good ring to it,” Ryder interjected, his tone deadpan.
I didn’t bother to acknowledge the side commentary. “I’m giving Calina a few minutes to assess her options. In the interim, I intended to share the information with you so you can work with James or Gretchen to corroborate her claim.”
“All right,” Damien murmured. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“And I’ll help,” Ryder offered.
“No,” I said immediately.
Ryder gaped at me. “Excuse me?” He actually sounded shocked, like no one had denied him before.
“When we need you to kill someone, we’ll call you,” I promised him. “But right now, these researchers need to remain alive and healthy. And frankly, I don’t trust you to handle that.”
“Frankly, I don’t give a shit,” he retorted.
“Ryder.” I stepped into his path before he could head in Calina’s direction. “These researchers might have information that will lead us to Cam. I will not jeopardize that.”
“I still don’t see how this ancient vampire is the key to solving all our problems,” Ryder replied, his tone less cutting. “But I’ll play along for Izzy.”
Saying the female’s name softened him a bit. As Damien’s maker, Ryder was very familiar with Izzy because she was Damien’s sister.
And she also happened to be Cam’s Erosita.
Her existence proved he was still alive, because his immortality was tied to her life. If he died, she’d die with him. Yet the human female hadn’t aged a day in over a thousand years.
“Willow wants to know the pup’s name and if he’s ever been in his human form. Find out for me and I’ll go back downstairs.” Ryder spoke with a bored tone, but I caught the glimmer in his dark eyes. The old vampire was smitten.
“Love looks good on you,” I said softly.
“And a crown would look good on you,” he returned. “King Jace.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Our bonding session had clearly reached an end point.
Without another word, I headed back down the hall toward Calina and her alluring scent.
Time for round two.
Your move, sweetheart.
