Blood Price by Kit Tunstall Read Free Book Online

her hands above her head, handcuffed to a headboard of a strange bed. There were some differences, of course—like the gag in her mouth and her complete lack of clothing. Sometime after bringing her here, he had stripped her bare. She writhed with a combination of humiliation and excitement at the thought.
    She lifted her head to examine the room, deciding not to let him know how intimidating it was to be naked before him. From the furnishings in the room, such as the white carpet, gilt-edged mirror on the wall and dark-cherry furniture, she determined they were in a three or four-star hotel room. One thing her visual search didn’t reveal was Atar’s presence. Where was he? She craned her neck in an awkward angle and saw him sitting in the corner in a straight-back chair. His gaze didn’t waver from hers. His colorless eyes managed to smolder with anger and repressed desire. She shivered as they raked her from head to foot. She tried to speak, not knowing what she would say but the gag muffled her words, making them unintelligible.
    Her attempt to talk received a reaction. He rose from the chair and walked toward her. He had the air of a hunter and she knew she was his prey. The thought inspired more desire than terror and she briefly wondered if Illiana was taking over again. She frowned when realizing her mother wouldn’t have any attraction to Atar. It was purely her own urges driving her. She met that realization with mingled relief and dread. If she was the one who felt this way, there was no one to rein her in and no one to blame.
    He stopped when he reached the bed, standing over her with a grim expression. His first words were a shock. “Why did you have to make this complicated, Nikia?”
    Her eyes widened and she tried to speak again, to refute his claim. If she had known Illiana was so close to regaining control, she might have surrendered the first time he captured her. Since she hadn’t known, why would she have? She settled for glaring at him.
    “This was supposed to be easy.” His hand settled on her shoulder, rubbing in gentle circles that were a distinct contrast to his almost-angry tone. “How did you get in my mind?” He frowned. “No one has ever been able to do that, not even my mother.”
    She tried to shrug, to indicate she didn’t know. It hadn’t been that difficult but she didn’t think he would appreciate hearing that, especially if he was impervious to mind-control from others, usually.
    His voice lowered. “I should be outraged at the violation, and I am, but that’s not what bothers me most.” His hand slipped lower and his fingertips grazed the top of one of her breasts. “What angers me more than anything is that you seduced me into unconsciousness, left me in a state of frustration and stole my blood.” His voice had risen as he delivered the statement and it took on an icy tinge when he said, “Now, it’s your turn to be teased and frustrated.”
    She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to protest, not sure what she would say if he removed the gag. Should she apologize or would he take that as pandering? In truth, she owed him an apology for leaving him unconscious and taking some of his blood but what right did he have to just take her against her will—then or now? Anger fired her blood and she struggled against the handcuffs, squirming and arching her back in an attempt to gain enough leverage to free herself. To her surprise, the slats of the bed creaked, although the cuffs didn’t budge. She was about to try again with even more force, if she could muster it but froze when Atar’s hand settled on her breast. He held her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pinching lightly. Nikia gasped when he pulled. Tingles radiated through her, causing her stomach to quiver and her nipples to harden.
    He chuckled. “You might hate admitting it but you aren’t immune to my touch.” He tugged once more before gentling his hold, to lightly roll the nipple between his