Page 94 of A Betrothal So Bloody

“Do it—before I give you no other choice but to drain her dry. Slowly. Is that what you would prefer?”

No other choice. The way he says it makes my nerves stand on end. I know vampire lords have a strong influence, but I have never heard of them being able to strictly force their creations to do their bidding. The self-assured look on Alessandro’s face paints a clear picture—he can and he will.

“Decide,” Alessandro says, quieter.

Dante’s expression doesn’t change—he regards Alessandro defiantly, crushing me to his chest. “I won’t hurt her.”

“Then you’ve damned her. I did warn you.” Alessandro idly strokes a ring on his finger as he strides toward us, his expression nothing short of infernal in its unyielding demand. He stands just three feet before us, glowering down at Dante with an unreadable intensity. “Feed.”

Dante tenses strangely, and he gives his head a small shake, blinking hard. Then slowly—very slowly—he turns his attention down to me in his arms.

“Father…” Nico’s voice is raspy from disuse, his eyes wide, almost pleading.

Clémence stands perfectly still, expression unreadable. She makes no move to attack, as though she knows this is over.

“Dante,” I whisper as his grip begins to stiffen.

I twist in his grasp to look at him. All the familiarity in his expression is simply… gone. Nothing remains of the man I know. I don’t know why or how—it’s like he’s possessed. Dante’s gaze drops to my neck and his eyes blanch to a milky, starving white. At once, his closeness is no longer a protection but a threat.

I try to tear free, but a quick, effortless adjustment of his grip has me at his mercy. He seizes my neck, lowering his mouth toward my skin. I catch a glimpse of his teeth and panic floods me like ice.

“No!” I rasp, fighting madly. “Stop! Dante, this isn’t you!” My fingers claw at his hands. I cannot reach my weapons. “Please. Please, don’t!”

As I cry his name again, I swear I catch the smallest flicker of hesitation. But his grip renews, unrelenting, and his fangs will be upon me in seconds.

How cruel, that I should die like this when I just began to feel alive.

Although hysteria threatens to keep me locked in its grip, I force myself to look at him. I think of how gently he kissed me just minutes before, cradling me like I was the only thing worth having at all.

Just before he’s too close for me to see, I manage to cup his face in one cold, quavering hand. I can’t possibly overpower him, but I’m not trying to. It’s a touch meant to comfort—because Dante is still in there somewhere. He has to be, and he’ll hate himself for what’s about to happen.

“Dante,” I sob. My voice strangles with terror as I feel his fangs notch against my skin, pulse hammering beneath. “Dante. It’s okay. You’re not alone. I’m here—I’m here. You’ll be alright.”

I weep for him. Another person he cares for, drained at his hands because of the monster standing before us.

Dante’s grip is painfully crushing, his breath steaming behind my ear, my heartbeat deafening as a wardrum.

And then something shifts.

It’s faint, indescribable. The pressure on my neck vanishes with Dante’s fangs pressing on my throat—just shy of breaking skin. With a deep-seated groan, he pulls away as though he’s moving a mountain through sheer force. He still holds me, but he can’t seem to look at me, eyes squeezed shut—as though that might break his control.

“I—won’t,” Dante gasps.

Even in my dizzy state, I catch the shock on Alessandro’s face. For a moment, it’s like he forgets how to speak, brow furrowed as he looks between us.

“Take her, Dante. Now.”

Dante’s arms twitch tighter, and he snaps his head toward me. I flinch, more tears spilling down my cheeks and blurring my vision of him. But his eyes don’t blanch this time, and he’s almost weeping as he forces his face back toward the ground, away from my exposed throat.

“No!” Dante rasps out. “No.”

Alessandro makes a soft noise, his jaw feathering. The silence that hangs is heavy, suddenly uncertain.

“Come now,” Alessandro says, his voice eerily calm in the wake of our joined, stifled sobs. I force myself to look at him, finding an odd sort of intrigue painting his features. “She can’t possibly be worth your suffering. She’s not a person, she’s food.”

“Perhaps she can join the Family instead,” Nico says quietly. “Wouldn’t a slayer be a worthwhile addition? Imagine infiltrating the Order with one of our own. Eliminating them once and for all.”

Even Alessandro seems surprised that he has spoken so much. He frowns, considering the option while I reel at the prospect. I won’t allow it. I’ll plunge my dagger into my heart before I let this vampire lord turn me, claim me. I nearly scream in protest, but there is no need. Like a firm parent, Alessandro sighs and shakes his head.