The Last True Vampire(39)
Siobhan began to pace, the click of her stilettos echoing across the nearly empty room. “Who is the female?”
He chuckled. “Like I’d tell you.” Though Siobhan offered certain distractions that he appreciated, Ronan’s loyalty to Mikhail was unquestionable.
She rounded on him, her pupils flashing silver. “Why tell me anything then?”
“Don’t be a fool, Siobhan. His allies will be rewarded for their loyalty, and all you’ve managed to prove to him is that you’re a bigoted, power-hungry bitch who’d just as soon see him dead.”
“Such compliments, Ronan,” she said with a smirk. “You’re making me wet.”
It was spoken with her trademark sarcasm, but the heady scent of her desire thickened the air with a rich perfume. Ronan’s body responded in kind. There’d be time enough for sport later, though. Right now he needed something from her, and he wasn’t going to leave until he got it.
“I came here for the kodeks krovi. And you’re going to give it to me.”
Siobhan stared, eyes wide, before bursting out into a round of incredulous laughter, wind chimes in a hurricane that rang in Ronan’s ears. “The blood codex. You’re joking, right?”
Gods, he wished he were. Mikhail had all but proclaimed that he would never take Claire as his mate. Ronan suspected that it had more to do with her delicate human state than Mikhail’s desire to claim her as his. He could drink of her, but he could easily kill her if he wasn’t careful. And likewise, she could never drink of him, fortify her strength, if Mikhail suspected that the transition would kill her. Withholding himself from her, denying that base instinct, would send him into madness. He couldn’t rule, couldn’t resurrect the race to its former glory, unless he was fully mated to Claire. And Ronan was determined to find a way to make it happen.
“Do I look like I’m joking?” He was about to make a deal with the devil, and already Ronan could feel his soul slipping away before Mikhail would even have an opportunity to send it into oblivion. Siobhan was good for a toss when the mood struck, but the female was as deadly as a viper. This was no trifling thing Ronan did here tonight.
“You won’t reveal anything about Mikhail’s female, and you show up out of the blue, asking for a relic of vampire lore his own father put to record.…” A smile stretched across Siobhan’s full crimson lips. “Am I sensing trouble in paradise for your king?”
The female was not only heartless but also vicious. If she had even an inkling that Mikhail might be weak she wouldn’t waste a moment to take him down. “Hardly.”
“Is she a shifter? Werewolf? Perhaps a lowly white witch?” Siobhan clasped her hands together gleefully, reveling in the possibilities.
“She’s a female worthy of your admiration and fear, Siobhan. Take care.” Ronan didn’t doubt that Claire would make a fearsome vampire. She had the spirit, the survival instinct, and more than enough fight in her. He just had to convince Mikhail of it. “I came here tonight not only for the codex but to urge you to form your alliances carefully. Your coven is strong. You could serve Mikhail well.”
“What makes you think I’m interested in serving any male?” Siobhan seethed. “Let alone one who would take away my soul. You didn’t come here tonight to urge me to ally myself with Mikhail. You came here for the codex.” Her lips stretched into an indulgent smile. “And to fuck me.”
Ronan hiked a shoulder. He wouldn’t deny it. It had been one hell of a night and he was hoping she’d help him to take the edge off. “Give me the codex. You have no need of it.” Siobhan had a cache of vampire relics stashed away. Sort of ironic, since the female had no interest in being turned.#p#分页标题#e#
“No.” She flicked her wrist. “But you do. That makes it valuable to me.”
“So rather than give it to me because we’re friends, you’ll use the codex as leverage?”
“Friends?” Her voice was a seductive purr that vibrated down Ronan’s spine. “Is that all that we are?”
A corner of his mouth tugged into a reluctant smile. “We’re very, very good friends.”
Siobhan crossed the room toward him and Ronan swore her hips had a magical quality that could hypnotize anyone who dared to watch them sway. She ran her nose along his throat, inhaling deeply. “Swear your fealty to me, Ronan, and I’ll give you the codex.”
She palmed his cock again and the bastard was already hard as stone. If his dick could swear fealty, it would be as good as hers. “I can’t do that. I’m sworn to Mikhail and no one else.”