"No. I am showing exactly how much power I have by not looking like nothing more than a hungry animal. I can feed anytime on any of them that step out of line. The others will make sure it doesn't go to waste." He led me back to our table, looking over my arm again to be sure I was fine.
"If that is what you wish." I rubbed where I had been gripped. The spot throbbed. "You make a valid point."
"Are you sure you are okay? I should have just ripped it off from the start. I shouldn’t have given him time to hurt you." His brows were furrowed.
I looked down and slid up the sleeve of my gown to my elbow, revealing a slight bruise. "It's fine. Just a bruise. I'm sure it's nothing worse. It'll heal in few days." I watched as the others cleaned up the man, who was still alive. Barely but alive. The gurgled sounds of his breathing echoed quietly through the nearly silenced room. "Will they kill him or let him go?"
"He's too far gone. He will be dispatched here quickly," he explained, his attentions clearly more focused on me. "He made his choice. Would you like some of my blood to heal quickly?"
I sighed, a little sad over the man's fate. But Kane was right. He had chosen. Not that I didn't appreciate the man's intent. But his execution of his intent was poor. I figured that if he was going to be brave enough to take action like he did, he should have been brave enough to at least let go when faced with those he accused.
To his question, I blinked. "Here? Have your blood here?"
His eyes flicked to mine. "Yes of course. If that is something you are okay with." Biting his thumb, he offered it to me.
Looking at him a moment, I didn’t respond. Instead, I looked around the room. Those who were left were practically buzzing with tension and curiosity. But I didn't know what they were saying. My mind was clouded with my own mental buzz.
I wanted to address them. Or at least for Kane to. To let them know it was all over, and they could relax. But could they? Kane said they knew why they were allowed to live in his city, and they were there voluntarily. But how could someone live happily when they knew this could be their fate at any moment.
But then again, I knew the man tried to poison me against Kane. Why? Now that I had no clue. I doubt anyone else would be so bold. Especially not now.
"Is it common for humans to drink from vampires?" I took his hand with both of mine and wrapped my lips around his wounded thumb, not waiting for his reply.
"No. It is not common." He ran his free hand through my hair. “But you look so amazing doing it.”
I pulled back, a chuckle escaping soft from my throat. Licking my lips, I looked up at him through my eyelashes. "You sure are all about the sex." I smirked.
I was leaning forward again to take more when the doors burst open. Wulfgar stormed in dragging a woman by her arm. He shoved her forward just inside, and she fell to her knees. “You wanted to see your king. Here he is.” His gravelly voice boomed through the room as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Tears stained her cheeks, and her hair was in tangles. She rested her hands on the wood floor in front of her a moment before lifting her head. She went to stand, but the raider held her.
She glared at Kane. "Monster! You monster! How could you kill him over trying to help save a life? A life you will just treat like a toy before you take for a meal and cast aside?"
Kane growled and leaned forward to kiss my cheek. He got up and walked to the woman who was sobbing before him. He tilted his chin at Wulfgar. “A gift?”
Wulfgar smirked with a huff, lifting the woman up onto her knees by the arm. “I found her rushing this way with a stake, cursing your name. I thought you may want to hear her out.” He chuckled and released the woman, taking a step back as she dropped back down to the floor.
Kneeling in front of her, Kane spoke with a low growl. "Maybe your man should have known his place. Maybe I can end your suffering for you as well. Would you like that? No? To cruel?" He smiled evilly, running a hand over the woman’s matted hair. She flinched as he went on, "Fine. Congratulations. I'll make a real example out of him."
Kane stood and walked back into the kitchen behind the bar and returns, dragging the almost dead man out, before throwing him onto a table in front of the woman. He didn’t even try to conceal all of the bites that speckled his skin from the ones that had cleaned up after Kane removed him from me.
He grabbed the mans severed arm and pushed it close to where it would have been. Then, he takes a dagger, cutting open his hand and pouring his own blood all over the two parts, fusing them back together. He drops some blood into the nearly dead man’s mouth and promptly snaps his neck.
There was a sickening crack that was all but covered up by the devastated wife’s screams. She fell all the way to the floor wailing before rising up and rushing over to her brutalized, dead husband.
Before she could scream at him further, he sighed. "There. He will live... As a vampire. You can gaze upon him for the rest of your mortal life knowing you saved him and damned him." He tossed a bloody napkin at the woman after
