A Wicked Night (Creatures of Darkness 2): A Coraline Conwell Novel (7 page)

Her curiosity of this man grew with his statement. “I just realized I don’t even know your name.”

He smiled, and her knees literally went weak from the beauty of it.

He held out his hand. “Name’s Devon. And I’d love to offer some advice in the art of exacting your own revenge.”

As soon as Cora heard Mace drive away, Knox turned hungry eyes on her.

Still standing in the kitchen’s threshold, she glanced at Meeka.

The little kitten abandoned her half-eaten dish as if an order had been issued and moved to her side. Then, in the space of a heartbeat, she expanded into her sabertooth form, looking fierce and chuffing at Knox in warning.

Knox halted his approach. A corner of his mouth lifted, forming a lopsided grin. “You going to have your
pussy
-cat attack me again?”

She disregarded the crude undertone. “If I have to.”

His eyes tightened ever-so-slightly, yet he managed to keep the smile relaxed. “We had a bargain. I spare Mace, and you do whatever I want.”

“A bargain struck under duress,” she accused, holding a steady gaze. She squared her shoulder and straightened her spine. “You can’t expect me to just allow you to do what
ever
you want to me. I won’t be coerced—”

“So ready to back out of our deal? Shame.” He sighed and gave her his profile. “Poor Mason. Won’t even see it coming.”

“You wouldn’t hurt Mace.” Of that, she was almost completely sure. Ninety-five percent, at least “That’s how you tricked me in the first place.”

“You heard the way he threatened me just now? A thing like that isn’t taken lightly by my kind. It’s my right to defend myself against a potential attack.”

Seventy-five percent. “He’d wipe the floor with you.”

“Is that what happened earlier? I don’t quite remember it going down that way.” With an esoteric smile, he added, “Just so that you’re aware, most vampire clans function on a hierarchy, predominantly constructed around age, although there are those few exceptions. We’re not one of them.”

“And I suppose you rank higher than Mace?” Her tone was heavily drenched in sarcasm, but her left hand began to tremble. To hide it, she placed that hand on Meeka’s large fuzzy head.

“In more ways than one,” Knox replied suggestively.

Cora rolled her eyes, but something told her Knox spoke the truth—regarding the outranking part, anyway.

Sixty-five percent.

That would explain why Mace minimized the gravity of some of Knox’s behavior. And why Trent sided with Knox more often than Mace when it came to her. On the other hand, that could just have been because of their stupid vampy laws concerning their bond—in essence, Mace and Knox were supposed to, ugh, share her. And there didn’t seem to be much she could do about it.

In any case, if Knox outranked Mace, then that meant he was also older than him, which subsequently, and unfortunately, meant he was stronger, too.

Forty-five percent and dropping…

“So, get on with it,” she said. “What do you want?”

His grin slipped, replaced by an expression she couldn’t decipher. Not quite menacing, but in no way reassuring. “Control.”

“Huh?”

“Cede control to me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“How to explain?” A thoughtful finger tapped his jaw. “A witch who didn’t know she was a witch bonding Mace? Sure, I could be persuaded to believe that was accidental. He is the sort of dolt that kind of thing would happen to. But a Conwell witch bonding
me
?” He paused and speared her with a significant look that seemed to hold more meaning for him than it did her.

She canted her head, waiting for a more intelligible explanation.

“Specifics aside, there are only a few reasons for a witch to bond more than one vampire, and in this case, only one appeals to my keen common sense.” He turned sardonic. “Coincidence doesn’t even make the list.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes again. There was no use arguing with him on this matter. His mind was made up. And she had a feeling his mind was closed to alternatives, reinforced by metal and filled with cement. Lots and lots of cement.

“Get to the point,” she demanded.

A muscle ticked in his jaw, but then his gaze turned quizzical and his voice softened as though he were talking only to himself. “I figured you’d be just like Sadira.” He studied her for a long moment, as if debating his next words. “And seeing her again, or rather hearing her venomous tongue…” Confusion seeped over him.

As he labored for words, he actually appeared unsure for first time since she’d met him. It unsettled her. An angry unpredictable Knox she was used to, but a befuddled, vulnerable Knox?

In the next instant, as though realizing his misstep, he reverted to his icy demeanor.

“But you,”—he shook his head—“are a very good actress, I think. A viper in the guise of a beautiful lass, no?”

“You’re the one who bites. Not me.”

As if she’d inadvertently reminded him of that fact, his heated gaze raked her body and his fangs visibly lengthened.

She couldn’t help the flush that followed.

“Indeed. But when you strike, I’ve no doubt it will gouge all the same.” He paused again, his lids hooded. “Doesn’t matter. You are what you are, unless you can prove otherwise.”

“Prove?” she scoffed. “So in your sick world,
I
have to prove myself to
you
?”

“If you have no intention of using Mace or me as your pawns, then you shouldn’t mind relinquishing full control to me.” His lips twitched. “Whenever I want.”

She swallowed. It wasn’t difficult to discern what Knox
wanted
, well, for the most part. He wanted access to her blood.

But…what else? What more?

Honestly, she’d be relieved if her blood was all he was interested in. Especially when their
agreement
offered so much more. It offered everything.

At least she knew he wasn’t going to kill her. If that was his plan, he’d had plenty of time to carry it out before now.

So, that was something. Wasn’t it?

Surprisingly, Knox showed a bit of patience as she visibly warred with this decision. But it wasn’t really a decision at all, was it? In reality, he was allowing her to come to terms. No way would Knox ever let her back out. He held all the cards. To keep Mace safe, she’d have to fold.

Her shoulders slumped. “I’ll give you control.”

His grin was downright sinister. He indicated Meeka with a tilt of his head. “Send the beasty away. Wouldn’t want any interruptions like last time.”

She stiffened. He wanted her to banish her only protection. He wanted her vulnerable. Prey to his predator.

She reminded herself that he’d promised not to kill her. But, oh, weren’t there worse things than death? Hadn’t she experienced them first hand?

Reluctantly, she ordered Meeka upstairs, hoping to at least keep her close at hand.

Knox shook his head. He crossed to open the front door and pointed into the darkness that had settled outside. The feline grunted in objection, but stalked through the living room toward him. Meeka and Knox exchanged sneers as her big paws stepped through the threshold.

With a careless flick of his wrist, the door closed. The ominous
thunk
reverberated through the room.

“Turn around,” Knox said to her, almost toneless.

It took her mind a second to kick her body into action. It made her hackles rise to do so, but she gave him her back.

“Hands on the wall.”

Her fingers clutched into tight fists before she lifted her arms and flattened her palms against the wall. She caught the sound of him moving through the room—not towards her. Then the fluttering sound of something soft, fabric maybe, made her want to whirl around to see what he was doing. But when he approached, she just wanted to vanish. Her heart picked up speed with every step that brought him closer. Soon the heat of him was boring into her back.

Her muscles tensed.

A dark-colored material fell over her eyes and was tied behind her head, blinding her.

“Knox?” Her voice shook. She reached to remove the blindfold.

“Ah-ah,” he chided in a roughened timbre. “Hands.”

Trembling, she resumed her position. Even though she couldn’t see, her eyes smashed shut. “I don’t think I—”

“No speaking.”

“I can’t do this,” she protested, yet remained still.

He whispered in her ear, so close her skin took on his temperature. “Do you think I’m going to fuck you?”

She shuddered. “I—”

“I recalled telling you not to speak.” His roughened tone had dropped several octaves, yet he didn’t sound threatening. It would have been better if he did. “Answer only with a shake of your head. Open your mouth again, and I’ll find something to fill it with.”

She swallowed, clamping her teeth together. Had he been smiling when he’d said that? Anticipating? How far was he expecting to go with this charade? Was this his way of humiliating her? Vengeance for having been bonded and imprisoned?

“Now I asked you a question, my sweet frightened Coraline. Do you think I’m going to fuck you?”

She nodded, cringing at the same time.

“As much as I’d like to, I’m not as depraved as you think I am. Well, for the most part. Although, if you happen to come while I’m feeding from you? Well, I can hardly be held responsible for that, now can I?”

She nodded vehemently.

He chuckled, a deep husky sound that traveled over the flesh at her neck. She couldn’t keep her shiver at bay, or her breaths from shallowing. She knew what to expect when his fangs pierced her, and was loathed to admit it would be exquisite. Her lower half clenched, her knees knocking together.

One sharp fang grazed a short path along her neck, but did not pierce skin. His lips feathered over her pulse point. Her blood rushed wildly.

Against her skin, he muttered. “You are mine, Coraline.”

She shook her head, wanting to verbalize her rejection with a big fat no!

“That wasn’t a question.”

Strong hands caught her by the waist and tugged so that her hips jutted out slightly. Her backside met the masculine curve of his body. Her hands remained on the wall, but clenched into fists.

He nuzzled her neck once more. “Deny it all you want, won’t change the facts.”

Her head hadn’t stopped shaking as he spoke, but she froze when both points of his fangs touched the skin at her collar. She sucked in a breath, bracing herself. The darkness of the blindfold meant she could only focus on the slow, measured caresses of his hands at her waist and the feel of his teeth on her neck. Before she realized it, warmth permeated over her entire body, crashing toward her lower region. Why was her body responding when her mind rejected?

Knox rumbled an approving sound, letting her know he could tell how strongly she was reacting. And he hadn’t even bitten her yet!

Conditioned response
, she reasoned. That’s all it was.

“Ah, that scent. It tortured me for a week. Clung to me like a summer moss. Drove me mad.” He stilled, and she sensed a change in him. “As I’m sure was your intention.”

She shook her head again, adamantly refuting his allegation.

One of his hands shot up and fisted the hair at her nape, halting her movements, yet not hurting. “Just keep on denying it,
cher
.” He forced her head to the side, opening her neck to him, and then sank his fangs deep.

She cried out from the sudden and intense ecstasy that blasted through her.

——

Mace ground his teeth together, wanting to bash his fist into something. He settled for pressing the gas harder.
His hands are on my woman and there’s nothing I can do about it!

Not without breaking age-old laws.

He consoled himself with the knowledge that the wave of pleasure he was gleaning off Cora was inspired only by Knox taking sustenance from her. At least that’s what he told himself. Any of the alternatives were unthinkable.

The more distance he put between himself and Cora, the dimmer their connection became, until he could scarcely tell what she was feeling at all.

It was a mixed blessing.