Page 28

“No. Nope. Absolutely not. What the hell? You want to microchip me like a pet?” I pace toward the window, then spin around and glare at them.

“Adam,” Anna starts calmly, but Tristan gestures, and she falls silent. I switch my glare to him.

“We spoke about this,” he says, his voice low and measured. “Before you signed the contract, I told you that security measures would need to be taken. I’m the regent, Adam, and you make me vulnerable.”

Fuck. Fuck. I’m being totally screwed over by the things I don’t know. How can I respond to that when I don’t have all the goddamned facts?

“I didn’t think you’d want to do this. I’m a human being, not—not cattle you can brand.”

He doesn’t move, and his expression doesn’t change, but somehow he suddenly seems… predatory. I thought vampires only needed to hide their fangs to fit in with humans, but it’s possible I was wrong and they’re hiding a whole lot more. My mouth goes dry, and my heartbeat picks up.

Tristan’s mouth curves upward into a smile, but it’s the scariest fucking smile I’ve ever seen. I take a step backward.

“You forget,” he murmurs, “to us, humans are cattle.”

The table is between me and the door to the hallway. I might be able to get to the doors to his office, but he’s closer to them than I am. I’m basically trapped.

Unless I break the window behind me.

I inch back another step, my gaze still locked on his face. I’m scared to look away.

“We’re getting off track,” Pierce interrupts, his tone soothing. “Adam, we understand that these measures seem invasive to you, but ultimately they’re for your protection.”

Part of me wants to erupt into hysterical giggles—protection? I’ve never felt more threatened than I do right now—but I still can’t take my eyes off Tristan. Pierce is a vampire too, and Anna’s deadly in her own way, but Tristan’s the one who poses the danger to me. I want so badly to run, but my feet are glued to the floor. I feel like a little kid again, staring at the wardrobe door, convinced that if I move, a monster will leap out and get me.

And then Tristan relaxes back in his seat, the thick, oppressive tension in the room dissipating. The invisible band around my chest releases, and I take a deep breath. My heart rate begins to slow.

What. The. Fuck.

“Sit down,” Tristan orders. “Let’s see if we can reach a satisfactory compromise.”

I hesitate, because a second ago I would have sworn he was about to kill me. My gaze slides to Anna. Her face is tense but she nods, and after another moment I return to my seat beside her. The table is nearly four feet wide, so that’s a decent barrier between me and the vampires.

I hope.

“Anna?” Tristan raises a brow at her.

She clears her throat. “I know this feels invasive,” she echoes what Pierce said, “and the tracking chip isn’t my preferred option. It would allow us to find you if you were taken, but we don’t want you to be taken at all. We don’t want anyone to have the opportunity to harm you. That’s why I’d rather someone be with you.”

I grit my teeth, try to think of a reply that won’t piss off anyone—including me—and decide to change tack. “What’s the likelihood of someone trying to take me? Is this a precaution, or have Tristan’s feeders been threatened in the past?”

Immediately, I know I’ve made a mistake. The atmosphere changes from wary to oppressive. It’s not like before—I don’t feel personally threatened—but it’s still freaking scary. I shift my attention to Tristan, who’s watching me with narrowed eyes.

Fuck. What did I say?

“Wow, your parents really did shelter you,” Anna says uncomfortably. “Although… how old are you again?”

For a split second, I consider lying to make myself younger. “Twenty-eight,” I admit. There’s too much chance of being caught out in a lie.

She purses her lips as though she’s doing mental calculations. “You would have been seventeen. I suppose I can understand your family trying to keep it from you.” She glances at Tristan, then adds, “The answer to your question is yes.”

It takes me a minute to remember what my question was: Have Tristan’s feeders been threatened in the past? I might not be the smartest person on the planet, but even I can read between the lines here. Eleven years ago, something bad happened to Tristan’s feeder. So bad that it’s assumed everyone in the feeder-slash-vampire community would know about it. Maybe I should consider exercising the exit clause in my contract.

All three of them are watching me. I need to say something. “When I was seventeen? I… I think I remember there was something going on. Mum and Dad were kind of edgy for a while. But I never heard the details at the time, and I’ve been mostly living with humans since, so…”

Tristan’s gaze is laser-focused on me, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t believe a word I said, but he doesn’t call me out.

“It was a terrible time,” Pierce murmurs. “So many executions, and poor Benjamin…”