Page 63 of Dhampira

“Bite me and I’ll snap your fucking fangs off!” Vander shouted. Sweat dripped off him as he hurried to the grass and dumped Lorcan onto his feet. Black eyes glittering, Lorcan took another swing. Vander spun away, moving gracefully for such a big man. As Lorcan’s fist sailed through empty air, Vander hooked a foot behind Lorcan’s ankle and knocked him to the ground.

Lorcan landed on his back and Vander pounced, falling on top of him and pinning Lorcan’s thighs beneath one of his. In one swift motion, he tore open Lorcan’s jacket and buried his fangs in Lorcan’s neck.

Lorcan jolted. He clawed at Vander, his fingers digging into Vander’s biceps. A second later, his groan echoed around the garden, and he clutched at Vander like he meant to drag him closer. But not to fight him.

No, this was…different.

My throat went dry, visions of my first night at the Drakhold rushing me. Lorcan and Vander had argued at the fountain, their bodies close. Like now.

The tension left Vander’s body by inches, until he eased into Lorcan like someone sinking into a warm bath. Lorcan’s hair spilled over the grass, and his eyelids fluttered. He slid a hand up Vander’s arm to his nape, holding the larger man against him like he feared he might leave.

But from where I stood, there was little chance of that. Vander’s jacket had ridden up, exposing the curves of his buttocks. The round muscle flexed under its tight covering of leather as he rolled his hips against Lorcan’s. Positioned as they were, Vander’s manhood was right over…was against…

Fire scalded my cheeks. My heart leaped and skipped, beating against the prison of my ribs. Embarrassment flooded me. Because it was wrong to intrude on something so private. And yet, I couldn’t stop watching. Instead, some deep compulsion kept my gaze locked on the men. The garden around us was a marvel. Pure magic, if I had to guess. But the spectacle unfolding on the grass held my attention like a drumbeat.

The men were a study in contrasts—Lorcan dark and pale, Vander russet-haired and tan. Lorcan was lean with whipcord strength and mesmerizing reflexes. Vander was brute force. But he wasn’t brutal now. On the contrary, he was gentle, one large hand smoothing over Lorcan’s hip and squeezing. He pulled Lorcan’s groin more firmly against his.

The men moaned together. Lorcan spread his legs, black leather parting around Vander’s hips. He hitched a thigh higher, a masculine whimper easing past his lips.

The sound broke the spell that had fallen over me. Face flaming, I looked around the garden. My gaze snagged on one of the little temples, and I started toward it. I took two steps when my foot caught on something hard. Pain shot up my toe, and I bit back a cry. But a sound must have leaked out because Vander jerked his head up. Lorcan roused beneath him and then both men locked eyes with me. Lorcan’s were white around his irises again, the bloodlust that had gripped him seemingly gone.

The three of us stared at one another, the steady cascade of the statue’s fountain like a shout in the sudden silence.

Ignoring my throbbing toe, I hooked a thumb toward the nearest temple. “I, um…I was going to explore.”

Vander shot to his feet. “Corinthe,” he said, crossing to me. He lifted a hand like he meant to reach for me. Appearing to think better of it, he lowered his arm. “Are you all right?”

“I think so,” I said. Over Vander’s shoulder, Lorcan sat up.

Vander spun and pointed at him. “Stay put.”

Irritation flashed over Lorcan’s face, but his tone was more fatigued than angry as he drew up a knee. He touched two fingers to his brow in a mock salute. “Yes, Captain.”

My fascination took another turn. Had Lorcan just teased Vander? Whatever they were to each other, they were more than prince and captain. And the animosity that always brewed between them was absent.

Vander’s features were tense as he turned back to me. This time, he took my hand. “Are you certain you’re all right?”

“Yes.” Curiosity drove my gaze as I looked between him and Lorcan, questions hovering on my lips. But where did I even begin? An awkward silence stretched, broken only by the sound of the fountain. “You don’t hate each other?” I blurted.

Lorcan looked at Vander, obviously waiting for the larger man to answer.

Vander cleared his throat. “Ah…no. No, we don’t hate each other.”

Well. That was one question answered. But why did they act like enemies?

“You should sit down,” Vander told me in a firm tone. His expression was just as firm. Apparently we weren’t going to discuss what I’d just witnessed. Fine. I had other questions.

“What is this place?” When Vander hesitated, I snatched my fingers from his. “I’ll have the truth, Sir Vander. All of it.”

His brows drew together. “I have no intention of lying to you.”

“I find that difficult to believe. You’ve lied to me from the moment you took me from Sausberg.”

His eyes darkened to pewter. “Would you have preferred I leave you on the auction block?”

Anger put a growl in my voice. “Those nobles were terrible people, but I highly doubt any of them would have forced a captive to eat his own fingers.”

“You’d be surprised,” Vander said, his growl matching mine.