The Eternal Kiss: Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire

dragon or a phoenix on his left.

“What are you doing here?” Moth was glad to hear that her voice was strong.

He raised an eyebrow, the one with the piercing. “I live here.” Jace must have seen the surprise on her face, because he shrugged. “Well, some of the time. I’m away at school mostly, but I spend whatever breaks I get back here in Ironbridge.”

Moth tested the handcuffs that bit into her wrists. The pain was intense, but she tugged at them again and had to swallow a cry of triumph as she felt something give. Not enough—not yet—but maybe soon. “I don’t know what you’re bothering with school for if you’re going into the family business with Daddy.” She kept her tone light, mocking, hoping to distract her captor.

He grinned, and this time it seemed more genuine. “You don’t know anything about me, but I know plenty about you.” He stood and grabbed something that had been lying on the floor by his feet. Before she could see what it was, he approached—still keeping his weapon trained on her—and held the mirror up in front of her.

He glanced down, tilting his head slightly, and gazed back at her. “Well, would you look at that? No reflection. Just like downstairs.”

Moth wanted to kick out at him so desperately she could taste it, but he stayed just out of reach. He threw the mirror down and grasped the crossbow in both hands, pointing it higher, this time at her forehead.

Taking a deep breath, Moth tried to catch his eye in just the right way. If she could snare him in her gaze, she might be able to weaken his will enough to get him to free her.

Jace shook his head. “Uh, uh, no you don’t little vampire.” He produced her sunglasses from the pocket of his jeans and slowly approached her from the side. “Stay right there like a good girl. I think you’ll look a lot better in these, when you can’t use those pretty eyes on me.”

Infuriating as it was, Moth could do nothing as he placed the shades awkwardly over her eyes. One side wasn’t sitting properly over her ear, but that was because she struggled despite the crossbow pointing at her head. Surely if he really wanted her dead, she’d already be a pile of ash. Moth tried to tell herself that. It helped.

And, bizarre as it sounded—even to herself—Jace Murdoch didn’t seem like such a bad guy. Well, if you didn’t count the fact that he’d shot her with a tranquilizer dart (or something like it) and then tied her up in the toughest silver she’d ever heard of. And if you ignored the fact that he was holding a crossbow with the razor-sharp bolt locked and loaded.

Right.

Moth bared her fangs and hissed as he backed away, always keeping her in his line of sight. What the hell; might as well go for the whole vampire-show, see if she could shake his confidence.

He assumed his position back in the chair, seeming unaffected by her fangs. She couldn’t help thinking that she probably looked sort of comical, tied up and helpless and wearing a pair of tacky oversized shades.

Confirming her suspicions, Jace grinned. “You look cute, you know that?”

“Screw yourself.”

“That’s no language for a lady.”

Moth shifted position on the hard floor, using the movement to disguise the fact that she’d pulled the chain linking the handcuffs apart a little further. She couldn’t see what she was doing, but she could feel it; every tug shot burning pain into her wrists. Even though she didn’t like taking human blood from a live donor (and she liked the taste even less) she was seriously tempted to bite this guy when she got free. Just to scar him as surely as she would have to bear the scars of silver burns for the rest of her very long life.

Jace said, “You’re not going to get out of those, you know.”

Moth smirked at him in what she hoped was an irritating way. “Why the hell would I want to escape when you’re such fascinating company?”

She watched him as he shifted the crossbow to his other hand while he checked his cell phone. “You waiting for Daddy to call?”

“Cute.” Jace narrowed his eyes. “What’s your name, little vampire?”

What would it hurt, to give him that? “Moth.”

He shook his head. “Your real name. Not your stupid vampire name.”

“That is my real name.” Now, anyway. Now and forever.

He smiled that nasty smile again; not the flash of genuine humor she’d seen earlier. “Whatever you say, Moth.”

“What do you care what I’m called? You’re going to kill me, anyway.”

“You’re already dead, as far as I’m concerned. You were the very moment you were bitten.”

Moth felt something like grief stir in her chest. “You don’t know that. Is that what your dad told you about us?” She swallowed. “Maybe you shouldn’t just take his word for everything, and go find out some of this stuff for yourself.”

“As soon as I’ve got my degree, I’ll be traveling with him. That’s the deal.”

“Hunting with him, don’t you mean?”

He shrugged. “So what? You’re a hunter—you’re all predators. Vamps, werewolves … All monsters kill whatever and whoever they can to survive.” He gave her a hard look. “Don’t tell me you’ve never killed a human.”

She was suddenly relieved he couldn’t see her eyes. Her mouth pulled into a tight line and she wished she were a better liar. “I don’t have to answer to you. You’re holding a freaking crossbow aimed at my heart.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” His lip curled. “You can’t even answer the question.”

“I don’t owe you anything. You attacked me and tied me up, and then threatened to turn me into dust. How do you even know how long ago I was turned? Have you thought about that?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Hasn’t Daddy told you? New vampires won’t just disintegrate into a convenient pile of ash. You’re going to end up with a lot of bodies that need to be disposed of. Have you got the stomach for that? How old are you, anyway? You’re just a kid …”

Jace stood, his face twisted with anger. The crossbow trembled in his hand. “Shut your mouth, bloodsucker.”

Moth felt sick, her arms hurt and her legs were heavy against the floor, but she was getting to him. Finally. She tested the cuffs one last time and then pulled, thankful that her silver-induced weakness didn’t stop her from breaking the bonds. The chain snapped, though that still left her wrists encased in the blessed metal. But so what? She could use her hands again, which was all that mattered.

Jace was much closer now. He seemed younger and less sure of himself. Moth licked her lips and shook her hair out of her eyes, dislodging the precariously perched sunglasses. They hit the ground just as Jace aimed the crossbow at her head. Moth was sure she could hear his heart beating, could almost taste his fear. The hunter’s son probably had a lot to prove to Daddy. The irony wasn’t lost on her.

She smiled at him, despite the fear that fluttered in her chest like a trapped bird. “You’re aiming at the wrong place. My heart’s a lot lower than that.”

She watched, with a curious mixture of anger and compassion, as he swallowed. She could see his throat work as he licked his lips. He was almost in reach of her legs. Almost …

“Nice setup you’ve got here.” Moth braced her palms against the floor. “Your dad must earn a lot of money dusting vamps, huh?”

A single bead of sweat trickled down Jace’s temple. She wondered what it would taste like, whether she would get the chance to taste him.

His foot moved forward—one more step—and it was enough.

Moth moved. She pushed her hands down and flipped her legs up, slamming her bound feet into his knee and hearing the satisfying crunch of bone.

Jace collapsed, howling with pain. The crossbow fell beside him and released its deadly bolt, whizzing past Moth’s ear and landing with a thunk just below the window as it buried itself in the aged plaster. Moth’s momentum had carried her on top of her would-be captor. Her legs were hopelessly bound with those thick chains, but she still managed to roll onto her knees and pin Jace to the ground.