Page 13 of Fangbanger

I shrug. My life isn’t that exciting.

His pupils expand by a fraction. “We will kill him together.”

It’s possible the vampire is more stubborn than I am. “Fine.”

“And then you remove this hellish spell.” He rolls his shoulders and shakes his head, like a dog shaking off cold water. “I want you out of my head.”

“Charming. I don’t particularly want you in mine either.”

He glowers at me. “We will track him down as soon as possible.”

I shake my head. “I’m stronger here. The house has spells I can activate to contain him when he attacks. It can withstand a siege between the wards and the defenses.” I don’t care to reveal the full extent of my weakness to Marcus, but I suspect he realizes since he nearly snapped my neck.

He nods tightly. “He has been hunting me, as I hunt him. The bond will draw him to us soon.”

“What bond?” I narrow my eyes, certain he is tricking me. Karina found this old spell in a book in her aunt’s library. The warnings were dire, and I’m not entirely sure where it came from. I’m even less sure of how to remove it. But it didn’t say anything about a bond.

The skin around his eyes tightens. “The spell, I mean. He will sense it, like he senses me. He will come to investigate. He will think it’s a mate bond.”

My lips part. “No.” I can barely keep the horror from my voice. “Then he would think I’m⁠—”

“My greatest weakness,” Marcus confirms. He shifts forward. “You’d know all about that, slayer, wouldn’t you?”

“I’ve never killed a vampire’s mate just to get to them. I’m not cruel.” I shift on the chair, feeling all too exposed under his gaze, confronted with the kills I’ve made. “I do my research,” I add firmly. “I only kill evil creatures. Vampires that kill humans or other supernaturals unnecessarily. I make it quick.”

Marcus watches me with eerie stillness before he nods. “Then you know that a breakable mate paints a target on her back.” His tone makes me shiver. His gaze skates over my face before it shutters. “Bonded, we cannot feed from anyone else. My brother will assume that killing you means my death.”

I suppress a shudder. This is worse than I anticipated. “Does it feel like a mate bond to you?”

His lip curls, showing a hint of fang. He never seems to put them away, which is odd, since vampires only fang out when feeding, fighting, or fucking. “Yes.” His attention dips to my body. “It feels very much like a mate bond.” His voice is husky now. With irritation, I suspect.

“Don’t fucking bite me.” I have no desire to be savaged or turned.

“Don’t look so horrified. Humans have wanted it before, slayer. Many find me attractive.”

“Can’t imagine why.” I force myself to take a sip of tea.

He is devilishly attractive, from his heartbreaking eyes and his pouty mouth to the breadth of his chest and the sinew of his arms. Be honest, Leah, he’s the most attractive male specimen you’ve ever seen.

His lip curls. “You have nothing to worry about with me.” His words are cool and certain, and they make something violent rise in my chest.

I shove it away. “Fine. We lay in wait. We kill him. What do we do until then?”

He slices me a look. “I will fortify the house. You will do whatever you do in your free time.” His eyes narrow. “Though you should consider bathing. I can smell you from here.”

I make a small, strangled sound. “I don’t trust you.”

His smile is a baring of teeth. “How convenient that we finally agree on something.”

My teeth grind together before I unclench my jaw. “I don’t want you stealing my kill. Or escaping while I sleep and leaving me to fight your brother alone.”

The myths about vampires being comatose while the sun is up are not true. The very old vampires can withstand a cloudy day with enough layers of clothing, and they might be sluggish during daytime, but they are far from powerless. Keeping him close is a risk, but I don’t think he’ll kill me. Not when he needs me to remove the spell.

His eyes narrow. “What do you suggest?”

He’s going to hate this. I probably will too. But I can guarantee he’ll hate it more.

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