Bloodlust Read Free Page B

of me. Fire, ash, you were gone.”
    “A parlor trick I’d planned well ahead of time for just such an occasion. That, along with a sliver of mental influence helped me to cloud minds and escape. It was all smoke and mirrors, Jillian.”
    I’d known Matthias had a love of magic. He’d even been friends with Houdini himself once upon a time. It was a possibility to me that it had all been a trick, but with each day that had passed since it seemed less and less likely.
    He’d drank my blood—the same blood that killed every other vampire who’d tasted it.
    I moistened my dry lips with the tip of my tongue and flicked a nervous glance at Noah, who stood with his arms crossed and a worried expression on his face. My attention returned to the former vampire king. “So my blood doesn’t kill all vampires.”
    “No.”
    “You proved once and for all that the ritual—your brother’s ritual—worked.”
    “In part.”
    While vampires had the potential for immortality, they were still vulnerable and could be killed by a wooden stake or silver blade through their hearts, by decapitation, by fire.
    In their search for true and inarguable immortality, a secret group had formed called the Amarantos Society. They believed that the blood of an infant female dhampyr imbued a vampire with that immortality.
    Thirty years ago, Matthias’s brother, Kristoff, murdered his own daughter and forced Matthias to drink her blood alongside him.
    Just thinking about it made me feel physically ill.
    “You wanted to talk to me.” I tried very hard not to let my voice tremble. I failed, but at least I tried.
    He nodded, his gaze traveling over my face and down my tank top and short black skirt. I felt chilled even though it was warm in the bar with all the human bodies milling around generating an unpleasant sticky heat. When his gaze returned to mine, I fought the urge to look away. Matthias appeared to be no more than thirty, a handsome man with dark blond hair that fell nearly to his shoulders, but I knew he was at least four hundred years old.
    Vampires, especially those as old and powerful as Matthias, could easily manipulate a human’s mind. I knew this firsthand because he’d once manipulated mine.
    “Where is my daughter?” he asked after a moment.
    Just before Matthias faked his death, he’d asked me to take care of his baby daughter, who’d been born in the research compound where Declan and his father lived.
    “She’s safe.”
    “Where is she?” he asked again, sharper. “Tell me.”
    “Jill doesn’t know.” Declan’s voice made me jump. He’d entered the club despite his earlier protests. I could see he’d already attracted the wary glances of others around us in the bar. His gaze narrowed on Matthias. “And this is not a discussion to have in public.”
    Matthias eyed Declan, as if sizing up the dhampyr. “I disagree.”
    “Your daughter is in good hands. You have nothing to be concerned about.”
    “But you won’t tell me where she is, will you?”
    “No, I won’t. Not now.”
    Matthias’s attention shifted to me and I could see his frustration. “Jillian would tell me.”
    “Don’t be so sure. She doesn’t know you very well and I’m sure she doesn’t trust you.”
    “You’re sure about that, are you?” Matthias’s strained expression now showed a trace of amusement. “I’ll assume she hasn’t told you much about the time we spent together alone in my chambers.”
    Declan’s jaw tightened. “The subject hasn’t come up.”
    “I can still feel her body against mine, see her bare skin flush with desire. She has a tattoo on her left hip—a small Japanese symbol for strength, isn’t it?” He glanced at me. “Do you remember that, Jillian?”
    “Go to hell.” My face was hot with anger and embarrassment.
    “Hell, heaven . . . sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.” A smile played at his lips.
    “Enough.” Declan’s voice was harsh, although Matthias’s words hadn’t