The Beast I Am

Chapter 16

Rhazien's SUV wasn't in the parking lot or on the street. An observation that calmed my nerves just slightly. He was bound to interrogate the shit out of me, and I was still too angry to function around him for more than 5 minutes. The house was warm but empty; the lights dimmed and prepared for the few hours each cycle that everyone slept during. My boots came off in clumsy kicks as I stumbled through the door, aching to strip my failure off my skin.

I snatched the long cotton tee I had found stashed in the back of my closet during my earlier rampage. The scent slightly stale and woodsy. I took a few sheets of paper, one of the Court Ordained Pencils™, and my longwinded Clan histories book.

A quick check of the house had me scurrying to the kitchen, my shriek of delight almost slipping through clenched teeth. I poured my supplies onto the counter, the top shelf filled with at least a dozen tall fat bottles. I didn't want to question it as my lips wrapped around my chosen victim. Didn't want to savor it as it tingled my throat, healing the damage caused by my illness.

The warmth in my blood hummed and surged, the taste addictive and provocative. I tore the neck from my mouth, staring at the bottle, a decent pint now missing. My tongue instinctively brushing my teeth after any loose drops. "Fuck me... I hate how good that is..."

"Is that a request?"

My head jerked sharply up at Rhazien, my blood thundering with fresh vitae, flushing my skin.

Rhazien's gaze skipped over me, lingering unabashedly long on my legs, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth at the hem. I hated how his head tilted like that, like a predator. I could feel the flick of his deep blue as they settled on my face. His body filled the doorway, and he stank of smoke and sweat, his brown hair moused and curling at his ears. "I haven't seen that shirt for a long time..." This smile was too easy on him as he leaned, his chest too broad as he folded his arms over it. "Where'd you find it?"

I didn't think I could get any hotter, my grip on the glass tight– an anchor so I couldn't float away. "My closet."

Rhazien made a scoffing sound, "Figures." His blue eyes, like an ice cube down my arms, goosebumps trailing where he admired me.

I forced myself to turn away, grabbing a glass now that I was in company. Ignoring the grunt I heard as I opened the cabinet.

"I like it."

Despite the cold stone under my feet, I was too hot. "Why does it figure?" I turned back to him, preferring to have him in view than not, all of a sudden.

Rhazien's gaze flickered back up from my hips, his eyes rolling again, the look playful and foreign. This wasn't a mask I recognized... If it was one at all... He had discarded his tie and jacket at some point when he returned. The dress shirt was partially unbuttoned; the sleeves rolled to his elbow.

That's when I saw the thin black veins pulsing under his skin. This didn't feel like a mask because this was as intrinsic to Rhazien as it was to any one of us.

His Beast.

The carpet was rumpled in the hall; biting my tongue as I cursed myself for not thinking of checking the library.

"Your room is– was Luther's room." His words felt like a whisper on the back of my neck. "So– it figures he'd steal my favorite fucking shirt." He growled, stepping away from the doorway towards me.

Rhazien staggered, his hand catching on the island slyly– but I noticed it. The way his pupils pulsed.

He was high.

His Beast was obliterated in the driver's seat.

"You're wasted."

Rhazien's eyes flashed, his chin jerking like a raven, his tone a silk glove around my throat. "Awww... Are you disappointed my coping mechanism is different than yours?"