Blood Debt: A Reverse Harem Vampire Romance (Kingdom of Blood Book 1) Callie Rose (recommended reading TXT) đ
- Author: Callie Rose
Book online «Blood Debt: A Reverse Harem Vampire Romance (Kingdom of Blood Book 1) Callie Rose (recommended reading TXT) đ». Author Callie Rose
What is it with this guy?
He looks so out of place here. He doesnât even talk like a vampire. It doesnât make any sense, but itâs none of my business. If I start wondering about vampire backstories, Iâm going to make a mess of my entire mission, now and for the rest of my life. I canât afford to give a shit.
On the other hand, Iâve never seen a vampire like him before. If the nest has started a suburban outreach program or something, I should probably know about it. At least thatâs the excuse Iâm making for what Iâm about to do.
âHow did you end up like this?â I ask him, cursing myself inwardly for my curiosity.
âLike a terrible dancer?â He chuckles as he steps on my toes again.
âNo. A vampire. Youâre⊠unexpected.â
He flashes me a grin, then gestures toward the high table with a look that borders on hero worship.
âBastian,â he tells me, then quickly amends, âIâm sorry, Prince Bastian. Itâs so weird to use titles and things like that, isnât it? I didnât even call my doctor âdoctorâ when I was human, I called him Paul. Anyway, BastianâPrince Bastian, dammit, I swear Iâll get it right one of these daysâhe saved my life.â
My heart sinks. I feel like I know where this is going. Connor got wrapped up in some kind of criminal activity, got pressured by a gangâprobably one run by vampiresâand made a deal with another vampire to get out of it. Thatâs always how these things go.
âI was hit by a car,â he says quietly, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I look up at him, startled. That wasnât what I was expecting at all.
âA⊠a car?â
He nods somberly. âYup. Downtown Baltimore, one rainy night, I was walking home from work. You know how the sidewalk sort of just disappears sometimes? I wasnât paying attention, and I stepped off a little awkwardly. Would have gotten away with nothing worse than a twisted ankle if that car hadnât come flying around the corner. I didnât even see the headlights until it was right on top of me. Crushed my chest.â
He shudders at the memory, and I rub his shoulder comfortingly for a second before I catch myself. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Heâs too damn pure to be a vampire, the confusing bastard. He sighs heavily and shoots me a grateful smile.
âIt was a hit and run with no witnesses. Nobody to call an ambulance. And honestly, even if someone had called nine-one-one, I wouldâve been long gone before the ambulance got there. I knew I was dying. I was drowning in my own blood, and my heart couldnât seem to find a rhythm. Kind of like my feet.â
Thereâs that self-deprecating grin again. How can he joke about this?
âAfter the initial burst of pain, I couldnât feel anything,â he continues. âCouldnât hear anything. Darkness was creeping in around my vision. Just as the world shrank down to two little pinpoint dots, I tasted blood in my mouth. I thought it was mine, at first. But the more I tasted, the stronger I felt.â
He twirls me around, out of sync with the rest of the dancers, but doesnât drop me or step on my toes. He beams, thrilled at his success. I smile at him encouragingly and tell myself itâs just the part Iâm playing. I have to be nice to him, because thatâs what blood tributes are supposed to do. Theyâre here to serve the vampires.
âIt was really freaking weird too.â Connor shakes his head, his nose scrunching up a little. âYou ever popped a rib out of place? I never had, not until then. Even then, it was less of a pop and more of a crush. But when the bones grew backâor came back together, I guess. Grew again? I donât know exactly how it works. Anyway, it hurt like hell but in a satisfying kind of way, like popping a joint into place.â
I donât try to fight the shudder that creeps down my spine. It seems like an appropriate reaction for the role Iâm supposed to be playing anyway. I have to imagine an average human would be a bit grossed out by his story, so thereâs no reason to hide that I am too.
He smiles at me apologetically. âSorry. Not the nicest thing to imagine, right? I wonât even mention the nastier stuff. Anyway, the point is, I drank a bunch of Bastianâs blood and re-inflated like a cartoon character. I had to spit out a few teeth afterward, but somehow I wasnât missing any. See?â
He grins wide, proving to me that his mouth is, in fact, intact.
âI see.â
He chuckles, and the sound washes over me like warm waves on a beach. âSo obviously I canât just go home or back to work after that. Bastian took me to a little coffee house on the corner and explained everything to me. Since I worked outside in a nurseryâand since the place I was living was full of windows and roommatesâit was safer for me to come here and live in the palace.â
âSo⊠he kidnapped you?â I ask. Itâs not the most polite question, but I donât care. Honestly, Iâm partially trying to goad him into telling me how he really feels about all this. Heâs too damn cheerful.
Connorâs eyes widen, and he looks truly shocked. âWhat? No! Bastian would never do something like that. He gave me a choice, but letâs be honestâIâve never been good at lying or skulking around keeping secrets. I would have gotten myself killed, either by telling the wrong person about all this or by forgetting about the whole canât-go-out-in-sunlight problem and stepping outside for coffee or something. This is way better for me. Bastian really, truly saved my life.â
I give him a skeptical look. âYou really think youâd forget about the sun problem?â
He nods earnestly. âOh, yeah. Iâve forgotten things you wouldnât believe.
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