won’t put yourself in danger like this anymore. Do we understand each other?”
She huffed angrily. “If you think that simply because I submit to you in the marriage bed, I shall allow you to curb my freedom, let me make one thing clear, signore ! I am not your property!”
Her cheeks were aflame, and her lips trembled.
“Ah, my dear wife, that’s where you’re wrong! You’re my responsibility now. You might have fooled your father, but don’t think you can play the same games with me. I’ve found you out! I’ve seen your so-called laboratory!”
She shrieked, her eyes widening in shock.
“Oh yes! I know what you’re up to and I’m telling you it’ll stop this instant!”
“You can’t do this!” she cried out. “My work! My research!”
“Research?! Do you have any idea what you’re getting into?”
“But I have to continue. I’m at a breakthrough. I’m certain I can make my machine work. Don’t you see? With it I can detect vampires.”
He glared at her, grunting low and dark.
“You might not believe it, but they exist. And I can make others aware of the danger they present. Venice will be safer for it!”
“There’ll be a bloodbath if you continue!” Because once he and his friends were exposed, they would be forced to defend themselves. It meant killing those humans who attacked them. Venice wouldn’t be safer.
“No, you don’t understand! Please, Nico, you have to let me continue,” she begged.
“No!”
She raised her chin and set her jaw. “If you don’t, you won’t be welcome in my bed any longer.”
At her threat, his mood darkened even further. She was going to deny him her body? The beast inside him growled, roaring its disapproval. “Careful with your threats!”
“I mean it!” she bit out. “Either you let me continue with my work, or you’ll be banned from my chamber!”
Furious at her mutinous behavior, he gripped her shoulders and pressed her against the headboard. “If I let you continue, you’ll be putting me in danger. Is that what you want? To hurt your husband?”
“How would that hurt you? By not having a submissive wife? Yes, surely that will hurt your ego!” she mocked.
Nico felt his fangs lengthen. “You might as well paint a target on my chest! Because everybody will know what I am.” He stared right at her and allowed his fangs to descend fully, opening his mouth in the process so she could get a good look at them.
Slowly, her eyes widened, and her breath rushed from her lungs. Her pulse instantly tripled, and she tried to escape from his grip. But he was infinitely stronger than she and didn’t release her from his hold.
“Yes, look at me! I am what you seek. I am a vampire, the very creature you wish to expose with your machine. I shall destroy your machine, but what happens to you is up to you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut for an instant, then opened them again. “Oh God, oh no! Please don’t kill me!”
Fear surged through her. How could this have happened? How was it possible that her husband was a vampire? Nico, the man who’d so passionately made love to her for the last two days and nights. Her short moments of bliss were at an end. Not only that: her life would end tonight. He would bite her and drain her.
Frantically, she shook her head, trying to wake up from this nightmare. Against all odds, she hoped that she was dreaming, even though she knew she wasn’t.
“Please have mercy!”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Mercy? Why? You were going to sell the machine to my enemies so that they could eradicate my friends and me.”
“Who? What enemies? I wasn’t going to sell the machine.”
He gave a bitter laugh, ignoring her question. “Why do you hate vampires so much? What have they done to you?”
“They hurt people.”
“How would you know that? Has any of them hurt you?”
She glanced to his hands that clamped around her upper arms, holding her in a vice grip. “I saw one of them feeding from
She huffed angrily. “If you think that simply because I submit to you in the marriage bed, I shall allow you to curb my freedom, let me make one thing clear, signore ! I am not your property!”
Her cheeks were aflame, and her lips trembled.
“Ah, my dear wife, that’s where you’re wrong! You’re my responsibility now. You might have fooled your father, but don’t think you can play the same games with me. I’ve found you out! I’ve seen your so-called laboratory!”
She shrieked, her eyes widening in shock.
“Oh yes! I know what you’re up to and I’m telling you it’ll stop this instant!”
“You can’t do this!” she cried out. “My work! My research!”
“Research?! Do you have any idea what you’re getting into?”
“But I have to continue. I’m at a breakthrough. I’m certain I can make my machine work. Don’t you see? With it I can detect vampires.”
He glared at her, grunting low and dark.
“You might not believe it, but they exist. And I can make others aware of the danger they present. Venice will be safer for it!”
“There’ll be a bloodbath if you continue!” Because once he and his friends were exposed, they would be forced to defend themselves. It meant killing those humans who attacked them. Venice wouldn’t be safer.
“No, you don’t understand! Please, Nico, you have to let me continue,” she begged.
“No!”
She raised her chin and set her jaw. “If you don’t, you won’t be welcome in my bed any longer.”
At her threat, his mood darkened even further. She was going to deny him her body? The beast inside him growled, roaring its disapproval. “Careful with your threats!”
“I mean it!” she bit out. “Either you let me continue with my work, or you’ll be banned from my chamber!”
Furious at her mutinous behavior, he gripped her shoulders and pressed her against the headboard. “If I let you continue, you’ll be putting me in danger. Is that what you want? To hurt your husband?”
“How would that hurt you? By not having a submissive wife? Yes, surely that will hurt your ego!” she mocked.
Nico felt his fangs lengthen. “You might as well paint a target on my chest! Because everybody will know what I am.” He stared right at her and allowed his fangs to descend fully, opening his mouth in the process so she could get a good look at them.
Slowly, her eyes widened, and her breath rushed from her lungs. Her pulse instantly tripled, and she tried to escape from his grip. But he was infinitely stronger than she and didn’t release her from his hold.
“Yes, look at me! I am what you seek. I am a vampire, the very creature you wish to expose with your machine. I shall destroy your machine, but what happens to you is up to you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut for an instant, then opened them again. “Oh God, oh no! Please don’t kill me!”
Fear surged through her. How could this have happened? How was it possible that her husband was a vampire? Nico, the man who’d so passionately made love to her for the last two days and nights. Her short moments of bliss were at an end. Not only that: her life would end tonight. He would bite her and drain her.
Frantically, she shook her head, trying to wake up from this nightmare. Against all odds, she hoped that she was dreaming, even though she knew she wasn’t.
“Please have mercy!”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Mercy? Why? You were going to sell the machine to my enemies so that they could eradicate my friends and me.”
“Who? What enemies? I wasn’t going to sell the machine.”
He gave a bitter laugh, ignoring her question. “Why do you hate vampires so much? What have they done to you?”
“They hurt people.”
“How would you know that? Has any of them hurt you?”
She glanced to his hands that clamped around her upper arms, holding her in a vice grip. “I saw one of them feeding from
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