A Taste for Blood by Erin Lark Read Free Book Online

the evening was with Zee. I smiled.
    This is going to be one hell of a day.
    Crossing my arms behind my back, I stared at the door, at the space above it. I listened to Kassy shift nervously on the bed, likely to see whatever it was I’d been looking at. Licking my lips, I resisted the urge to glance back at her. In the time it took for the door to open, I’d gone from the protective creator of a newborn vampire to the Dom she’d known the night before.
    I swallowed and dropped my gaze just long enough to give Zee a single head-to-toe glance. When our eyes met, she turned away to close the door. Per her usual, she wore a black silken robe. I didn’t have to imagine what little she had on underneath. I’d seen it all before and chances were, I was about to see it again.
    Damn tease.
    When she faced me again, I’d almost forgotten about Kassy being in the same room. If a succubus were to ever find its way into the coven, it would’ve been Zee. Red hair fell to her shoulders, causing her green contacts to stand out even more. Pulling her hair back, she lowered her head in submission, leaving her neck clearly visible.
    The best kind of greeting if there ever was one.
    When I didn’t move, she spoke. “Alex, I didn’t expect to see you in the middle of the day.” She turned towards the bed and froze. “And with a visitor, too.”
    “I’m just here to watch,” I assured her, leaning with my back against the wall.
    “Pity. We used to have so much fun together.”
    Kassy’s gaze flew up at me, her posture rigid.
    “Not like that, Kassy. I promise.”
    “Oh, so this is the one you’ve been drinking behind my back, isn’t it?”
    I smirked. “Only a little.”
    “And no wonder!” Zee tossed me a devilish grin. Damn that woman and her smile! “When did you turn her?”
    I cleared my throat. “Last evening, so go easy on her, will you?”
    “No promises there.” Adjusting the tie around her waist, Zee padded towards the bed, gently caressing Kassy’s chin with a fingernail. “Oh, you’ll be a fun one, won’t you?” Then to me she said, “What did you do to her, Alex? Poor thing’s tense as hell.”
    I did my best not to laugh when Zee rubbed Kassy’s shoulders as if to make her point. “She isn’t used to having this kind of control.”
    “So control her.” Zee’s eyes lit up. “That is one of your better skills, you know? Controlling women.”
    I sighed and joined them on the bed, keeping to the side farthest from Zee. “Kassy, relax. Zee knows what she’s doing, and if I feel you’re going too far, I’ll stop you.”
    Kassy nodded, albeit with a little less enthusiasm than I’d like. Then again, if I had to choose, I’d take shy and hesitant over ravenous any day. At least with Kassy I’d still have some say over what she did.
    But can the same be said for me?
    I bit my tongue.
    Taking the chain from Kassy’s collar in my hand, I let it hang between us. Zee pulled the robe farther away from her neck so Kassy could see the faint bite marks other vampires had left behind. The marks were dull and barely visible. As often as Zee entertained our kind, the scars were permanent.
    Kassy rubbed her own neck as if to remember the bite I’d given her last evening. I squeezed her hand.
    “I know you’re hungry,” I said, stroking her hair. “What’s stopping you?”
    “I…”Kassy looked between us. “I don’t know where to bite.”
    Zee smiled and directed Kassy to sit in the middle of the bed. “Is that all?”
    Kassy laid back on a handful of pillows as she took in Zee’s form. When she’d finished her assessment, she looked just as confused as before. “But she’s so…beautiful. What if I—”
    “Leave marks?” Zee untied her robe and let it fall onto the bed. “Love, that’s all I am—one big mark. It’s my choice.” She pointed to the scars on her neck, wrists and even her breasts. “They’re my badges of honour. My right to be here, under the protection of your kind.