“I don’t usually like to play with my food, but for you, I may make an exception.” Hades’ lips brushed her neck and she threw her head back in ecstasy.
Ava couldn’t fight the truth—part of her wanted him to sink his fangs into her. She wanted to feel the razor’s edge, the pressure as her blood burst, the warmth of his tongue. She craved the metallic scent mixed with the feeling of blissful force.
She knew the thoughts weren’t hers, yet...
They were.
A vampire’s thrall could entice a mortal, that much was true. It could even make the experience pleasant, as if being eaten alive was nothing more than a walk in the park. They were designed to be appealing, from their beauty to their charm. But they couldn’t fill the mind with thoughts that didn’t exist.
Ava knew, somewhere deep down, it was what she wanted. She desired the serenity of absolute bliss she’d felt all those years ago when she gave herself to the mark. She wanted to feel like nothing else mattered. She couldn’t help the faint moan that escaped her throat.
A flash of black and an angry string of curses broke the paralyzing hold. Ava expected to hit the ground, but instead she felt steady arms beneath her, cradling her. Feeling crept its way back into her muscles.
The thrall’s waves slowly worked their way out and she feebly attempted to reach inside her bra, feeling for her other stake, but her fingers would not move.
She could hear the sounds of a fight behind her, Mal’s voice over the din and the grotesque sounds of a dying vampire. She looked across the expanse of the parking lot as her rescuer tightened their hold around her exposed arms and underneath her bare, chilled legs. Hades was gone.
Her head throbbed and she looked up to see glowing emerald eyes.
What the hell is Cas doing here?
“Take it easy, no sudden movements.” His voice was soft and warm, like a fireplace in the dead of winter.
She wanted to nestle into it, and something about that thought both disturbed and angered her. But it also felt...right. She hated that feeling most of all.
She struggled in his arms like a writhing kitten.
“Close your eyes, Ava.” His voice was decadent like chocolate cake.
“Don’t tell me what to do... I’m perfectly...” She found it hard to breathe and her body went limp, her muscles sore, her mind exhausted.
“Shhh...” She found it hard to fight the silky lullaby, allowing herself to fall further into darkness.
Chapter Nine
The sound of voices danced around the darkness.
“What the hell were you thinking, Cassius?” The voice sounded familiar even though Ava had not heard it in seven years. It was the disembodied voice from the night of the party. The one who had begged Cassius to leave.
“Taking on Octavius like that? It was suicide. He could have killed you right there.” The voice sounded worried.
“What was I supposed to do, Taj? I couldn’t let him kill her—or worse. I don’t even want to think...” Cas’s voice was shaky. Afraid, even.
“They wouldn’t even be here if you had done something about it already.” Taj sounded weary. “You walked right into their fucking hands.” Taj finished.
Ava tried to move her limbs; they felt like dead weight but she managed.
“She’s trying to wake up,” a female voice cut in. It was sweet, tinkling like bells.
“Wonderful,” Taj huffed.
“Come on Tajiri, let's give them some privacy. It's been a long night.” The female voice was soothing.
Silence embraced the room once more.
Ava’s eyes fluttered furiously as her vision cleared. She forced herself up on her arms, although her head throbbed with a splitting headache. She took in the room, which was decorated all in teals and dark blues; it looked crisp. Her vision caught on an isolated figure who sat at the edge of a rather large bed, his elbows resting on his knees, head hung low, golden strands of hair shielding his face.
Ava threw the covers off and his head turned. His green eyes were not so full of light as they usually were, and he looked oddly pale, for a vampire.
“What the hell happened, Cas? Where am I?” Her voice came out panicked.
“You’re safe. At my...residence.” His voice still carried that refined, cool air that was undeniably beautiful.
Ava put her hand to her head. Perhaps the thrall was still working its way out.
“You actually have a house? Not a dungeon or a castle?” Ava noticed he was dressed rather...differently.
He wore a simple, black fitted t-shirt, which accentuated his lean, pale arms, and light blue ripped jeans. She also noticed he was barefoot.
It was a huge change from his usual attire; he looked almost mortal. He could have passed as a college student, if not for the supernatural good looks. A faint memory of seeing him at Chester U, all those years ago, bubbled to the surface but Ava pushed it down.
Cassius smirked. “It’s not my house really. It belongs to my friends, Tajiri and Jasmine.” Ava walked around the room, taking in the knick-knacks. She settled on the dresser, which boasted the highest tech speaker alarm clock she’d ever seen.
“So not only are you an old, creepy stalker, you’re also a freeloader. Good to know.” Ava continued to walk around the room, avoiding him on purpose. Something about him in ripped jeans, barefoot in his bedroom, felt all sorts of intimate, and the realization made Ava feel...
She didn’t want to think about how it made her feel. So she refused to look at him.
“What were you thinking going up against Octavius Boracelli?” His voice dropped an octave. Ava could have sworn she heard a note of pain in it. “I wasn’t ‘going up’ against anyone. It was a straightforward mission—lure the vamp, get some answers. Mal was supposed to be there when I got him outside.”
She looked out the window and noticed they were surrounded by a forest. He’d taken her to the woods, most likely by the lake. They had to be at least an hour from her house.
“Why do you insist on putting yourself in danger?” He sighed in exasperation.
“I wasn’t in any danger, Cas. I had that vamp. I was ready to take him until...”
Where had Mal been all that time anyway?
She could see his reflection in the windowpane as Cas came up behind her.
“Until Octavius Boracelli got a whiff of you.” He stopped at a safe distance and she sighed.
“Octavius Boracell I…he’s a master vampire, isn’t he?” Ava stared at the reflection of her neck in the window, the memories of last night flashing back in vivid detail.
His fangs poised just above her neck. How badly she’d wanted to feel them pierce her skin.
“Yes.” Cassius’s eyes sparkled in the window’s reflection.
“I knew it. His thrall...” Ava started, unable to finish.
“You don’t have to talk about it. I’m just glad I got there in time.”
It was almost like the mention of another vamp’s thrall put Cassius on edge. He had no real claim to her, he hadn’t taken her as his vampiress and he certainly didn’t want to kill her, that much she knew, but she’d never thought of Cassius as possessive. He just didn’t seem the type.
But there was something in the way he had held her last night, in the way his eyes begged her to spare him the details... Something about his words felt heavy against her heart, so she moved out of his reach.