"Yeah?"
Maintaining a grip on the stake, she crouched and eased toward him. "What's it like?"
When he looked at the stake in her hand and growled, she carefully set the stake on the floor and showed him her empty palms. She wasn't stupid though; she made sure the weapon was within reach. She also had an Aegis-modified squirt gun filled with holy water in her jacket pocket, as well as several blades stashed on her body. But he'd know that. His roving hands had long since learned the location of every one of her weapon hiding places. The memories made her body tingle and her mouth go dry.
"It's weird," he said gruffly. "I thought I'd feel like a beast. But I don't feel any different." He frowned. "No, that's not true. I feel stronger. And more...feral."
"Feral?"
He nodded. "It's like I'm a mass of instincts. Everything is magnified, from my senses, to my desires. I don't know how to control them." He pegged her with a stare so scorching she drew a harsh breath. "I've always tried to be gentle with you. But right now..." He threw his head back against the wall, and his throat worked on a hard swallow. "Damn, the things I want to do to you."
She didn't have to guess. His fangs had elongated into sharp, wicked daggers, and between his legs, his erection was a thick rod punching against the fly of his pants. Liquid heat flooded her body, a completely inappropriate response, given what he was and where they were. But that dark part of her was enthralled with this new Kaden. Curious.
Cautiously, she reached for him. The moment her fingers touched his knee, he went taut, his head snapped forward, and once again she was in the crosshairs of his laser gaze.
Startled, she drew her hand away, but lightning-fast, he caught her wrist. For a breathless heartbeat, terror turned the air in her lungs to cement.
The stake was out of reach.
"I warned you," he growled. "I need...I hunger..." His fingers tightened, digging into her skin.
Common sense and self-preservation kicked in. He wasn't the only one with powerful instincts. Andrea threw a punch, nailing him in the jaw with her free hand. He didn't even flinch. She swung again, but this time, he palmed her fist, stopping her throw as if she'd slammed her knuckles into a brick wall.
"Wow," she breathed. "You're really fast now."
"I wasn't exactly a slouch before." His voice was a husky purr that rumbled through every part of her body.
She snorted. "Becoming undead certainly hasn't done anything for your ego."
A slow, cocky smile turned up the corners of his mouth. Good Lord, were they really bantering? In this incredibly fucked-up situation? He seemed to realize the incongruity of it all as well, and he sobered, releasing her as if she were a burning coal.
"Get away from me." He shoved at her, knocking her off balance and sending her sprawling. Instantly, he was on his knees beside her, his hands on her shoulders. "Oh, shit. Andy, I'm sorry."
She allowed him to help her sit up, but he didn't remove his hands. Neither of them moved a single muscle. Even the air went still with the uncertain tension hanging in the cell. Gradually, she became aware of the fact that Kaden's entire body was trembling, and once more, his gaze was fixed on her throat.
Something touched her hand. The stake. He pressed it into her palm even as he lowered his head toward her neck. Her heart slammed into her rib cage and her stomach clenched, but she remained motionless, focusing all her energy on simply breathing, because that, at least, was still in her control.
"Don't let me do it," he rasped, but his lips were grazing her suddenly sensitive skin.
He closed her fingers around the stake. His teeth scratched her throat, tiny, erotic pricks of pain.
His masculine need rolled off him in waves, and her traitorous body answered, going wet and molten hot. In the past, she'd always responded to him quickly, often from nothing more than a lustful look. But this was different. It was as though she was flame and he was fuel, and there was nothing she could do but let it all burn out of control.
That's how they get you. Vampires are very sexual beings, they ooze sex appeal and are magnetic and irresistible to humans. They're spiders that weave sensual webs to capture the careless fly.
The familiar words of Aegis leaders rang through her head, and though she knew she should fight, she couldn't.
"Please," he whispered brokenly. He lifted her hand, placing the point of the stake over his heart. "I can't control...myself. Don't want to hurt you." His mouth was at her jugular.
Andrea's entire body quivered, and a sob caught in her throat. What he was asking her to do...oh, God.
A shudder tore through Kaden's body. "Andrea...fuck."
His fangs pierced her skin. Her stake pierced his. They both gasped. Neither had gone deep, but there was no doubt they could both kill.