Bloodlust

Pretty Little Prey

— LIAM —

It had been a very long time since I felt angry and even longer since I felt threatened. Yet here I sat, slamming back ounces of bourbon to help contain my fury.

If I didn't fight to keep myself under control, I was afraid I would storm Venice's home.

I spent the whole night hunting in the forest to keep myself away from her house and to keep myself fed. My temper and instincts were more liable to overtake me if I was thirsty.

Footsteps sounded outside and I emptied the rest of my glass. Glancing at my watch, I realized it was ten o'clock.

I growled to myself in the anticipation I was about to put a human on his ass. I would enjoy doing as much, but there would be repercussions that I wouldn't.

The expected knock came and I slammed the glass down. I strode to the front door. Before I tore it open, a tasteful aroma filled my nose.

My hand stilled on the knob.

"Liam?" Venice called. She knocked again.

Sighing, I opened the door and looked down at her. Her eyes were all big and sweet, eager and hopeful.

"Good morning," she said. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but we need to talk."

I glanced warily behind her and her brows furrowed.

"I came alone," she added.

"Are you sure you want to be here?" I asked. My voice was unintentionally hard but she flinched slightly.

"I'm sure," she told me.

Nodding, I opened the door wider to let her in. Once I locked the door behind her, I followed her to the living room.

Her wide hips and plump bottom were clothed in skinny jeans while some band t-shirt covered her top. Well, most of it, at least.

A sliver of her pale midsection peeked out from the bottom. As she turned around, I realized I could see her belly button. My breath caught.

She looked beautiful and soft. I wanted to run my hands down her bare sides just to know how she felt.

My eyes traveled up toward her face, but I noticed something else along the way. Two hard points strained against the fabric of her shirt. Venice was not wearing a padded bra.

A collage of visuals flooded my mind as I imagined what her breasts must look like under her clothes. My mouth watered at the idea.

I shook my head to dispel the lewd thoughts. Her supple body spoke to mine in ways I had never felt before.

"Marvin refuses to tell me anything," she said. Our eyes connected and a bolt of heat seared through me. "Please, Liam. I need you to explain what is happening."

"So you trust me more than the man living under your roof?"

She swallowed and nodded. "I just want to understand. I don't know if I can trust him and Isaiah will always take his side."

"Do you feel safe with him?" I grit out.

The truth was that she should probably trust him over me. He was merely doing his job. I was a very dangerous creature that fed on the lifeblood of her kind.

But I wasn't just any vampire. I had lived among humans the majority of my life and had taken a vow to never feed from them again.

Hunters didn't care about that, though. I was still just another bloodsucker to them. They were all too happy to rid the earth of another parasite. They were always on the prowl.