How incredibly bizarre. Names were for supernaturals, not humans.
That wasn’t to say I didn’t have a secret one.
Because I did.
I just wasn’t supposed to go by anything other than my number.
My university roommate, Rae, had given me the nickname over a decade ago, telling me we needed a way to communicate. It served as a defiance. I couldn’t remember now why that was important, the memory fading before I could grasp it. That disappointed me because somehow I knew that was a day I didn’t want to forget.
“Are you flirting with death, sweetheart?” Ryder asked me, his eyebrow arching.
His dark eyes held a note of amusement in them that didn’t match the threat of his hand around my throat. Perhaps this entertained him—my weakness and impending death. Typical vampire.
It made me want to defy him, not by withholding my name but by giving one, to show him I’d been living in a world of defiance for years. That his oppression meant shit to me. That I would overcome this, even if it required my death.
“Willow,” I mouthed at him, the lack of air making it impossible to add sound.
His gaze dropped to my lips. “Say that again.”
“Willow,” I repeated, then gasped violently as he loosened his grip on my throat.
“One more time,” he demanded.
“Willow.” It came out on a rasp, my lungs burning as much-needed oxygen poured down my abused airway.
“Willow,” he said as if tasting the name. “Yes, I like that.”
He drew his thumb across the pulse point of my neck, his body solid and hard against mine.
“What will I do with you?” he mused, his gaze dropping to where my breasts met his chest. His pupils flared, as did his nostrils as he inhaled my scent.
I swallowed, my throat raw. It had seemed like a rhetorical question, so I remained silent while he considered me.
“You intrigue me, pet,” he finally said after a beat. “I suggest you continue to do so. It’s the only reason you’re still alive.” His dark eyes met mine once more, holding for a long second. Then he took a slow step backward, his hands falling to his sides.
I didn’t know what to say. How to react. Where to even look. So I just continued to stare into his fathomless eyes, those dark, hypnotic orbs giving nothing away.
Age and experience poured off him in waves.
This vampire was old.
Lethal.
A royal.
And he claimed that I intrigued him.
What the hell was I supposed to do with that information?
He didn’t break my stare, his lips curling into a cruel grin. “Try to attack me again and you won’t enjoy the consequences.”
With a final look that promised punishment should I disobey, he turned for the stairs once more.
“Come, little Willow,” he called back to me when I didn’t immediately follow. “And leave the hammer. I have much more efficient weapons upstairs.”
I gaped after him. Was that a threat or an invitation?
Only one way to find out…
4
Ryder
A hammer. My lips twitched. Not the most inventive solution. However, it was nice to know that my new pet had a fighting spirit. We’d explore more of that side of her later.
Her footsteps were quiet behind me. Hesitant.
She probably thought I intended to bite her.
A fair expectation, one I would absolutely be taking her up on at some point, but not today. She was only recently recovered, and I wanted to ensure she had her strength before we truly played.
I led her to the kitchen, then pointed to a pair of stools framing my kitchen island. “Sit.”
She didn’t argue, just slid up onto the leather seat and folded her arms across her bare stomach. Nudity didn’t seem to bother her at all, something I suspected was a result of her upbringing.
A gentleman would probably offer her a shirt.
As I skipped etiquette school, I didn’t see the point. If she wanted to prance around my house naked, I wasn’t about to stop her. Plus, she had nice tits, which I could see now over the island.
Beautiful sight.
She could sit there all day like that, and I’d be a very happy man.
Besides, it’d been a while since I entertained a woman in my home. Let alone one as stunning as Willow. It shocked the hell out of me that society had wasted her looks on the breeding camp. She had “harem” written all over her with those long legs and fuck-me eyes.
But I imagined many humans were built like her nowadays with all the specialized breeding Lilith had put into place.
So robotic and boring. Although, I supposed it was efficient. They created Willow, and for that, I could be temporarily pleased with the system.
I went to my fridge to find some bread, deli meat, and cheese. With Damien’s recent visit, I had some fresh groceries from Silvano Region. He lived just inside the nearest city, making him a decent connection to current society when I wanted an indulgence.
While I had pretty much everything I needed in storage, I sometimes craved something a little different. And Damien knew my appetite well.
Willow watched while I assembled two sandwiches—one for her, one for me. Her eyes grew round as I moved, her shock coming to a head as I slid a plate across the island to her.
“You don’t like turkey?” I guessed.
“Wh-what?” She shook herself. “I… I mean, I think, yes.” She frowned at the food as if it were foreign to her.
“Do they not give you sandwiches at the university?” I wondered out loud, unclear of what was customary for the human diet these days.
“Um, no,” she said, lifting the bread to examine the contents.
I picked up my sandwich and took a bite while she watched. Then I asked, “What do they feed you?”
“Vegetables. Protein.” She set the bread back on top, then picked up the food like I did, and brought it to her nose for a sniff test.
I smirked. “Worried?”
“N-no,” she stammered softly before taking a nibble out of the crust. Her brow furrowed while she chewed. “What nutrient is this?”
“Bread.”
“Bread,” she repeated. “Like a carb?”
“Yup.” I enjoyed another mouthful of my creation while she set hers down on the plate.
“We’re not allowed to eat carbs,” she said, confusion evident in her voice. “They’re not nutritional for our body chemistry.”
I just stared at her. “Seriously? You’re going to argue with me over a sandwich?”
“I, no, I’m just… I don’t understand. Is this a test?”
“Yes,” I drawled. “It’s a test of my patience. Now eat the fucking sandwich, Willow.” “Not nutritional for our body chemistry”? What kind of bullshit is that?
No wonder she was so thin. Society had fucking starved her.
She tentatively ate another bite, her eyes on me the whole time as if she were afraid I might punish her for disobeying.
Where the hell did my fighter go? I preferred the chick with the hammer, not this breakable little doe. Had I choked it out of her? Because that would be disappointing.
Her nose scrunched as she continued to eat, her distaste showing.