I sighed and gave him a so what?look. I’d seen it all before—there were plenty of acts like his down in Sucker Town in the blood-houses, performed by desperate, eager blood-pets. I’d also seen himbefore, when he’d still been human. Yep, the vamp doing his own version of a sucker lap-dance in my living room had not long graduated from being a blood-pet himself; he’d only had his fangs for just over a month. No wonder Hannah was able to lead him round like a bloodhound on a leash.

I pursed my lips at Hannah. ‘If he’s supposed to be auditioning for the Chippenfangs, you’ve come to the wrong place.’

She trailed her fingers over his well-defined bicep, her orange nails bright against his pale skin. ‘The Chippenfangs don’t even come close to Darius here.’ She gave me a conspiratorial smirk. ‘Believe me, I know.’

‘Great! Well, I’m sure we could swap sexual conquest stories all night, Hannah, but to be honest, I find it all a bit uninspiring. ’ I looked pointedly at the grinning vampire, who was now flexing the burgeoning part of his anatomy so the diamanté mouth just covering it was yawning its own wide grin. ‘So forget the show and get on with it.’

She chuckled, the sound low and husky. ‘Uninspiring is not a word I would use for Darius—satisfying, inventive, enduring, maybe, but—’ She opened her eyes wide as if an idea had just popped into her head. ‘Why don’t I give you a taster? The proof is in the eating—or in Darius’ case, in the drinking.’

Apprehension twisted like a sharp hook inside me. A drink sounded like exactly what I needed. Trouble was, alcohol wasn’t going to slake that need, or going to be much help with what was coming next. I wanted to physically shove them out of my home, maybe even do something impossible, like stun the pair of them, or magic them far, far away. But my total lack of ability at castingspells meant it sowasn’t going to happen. Instead, I carefully poured the vodka into the glass and, willing my hand not to shake, I lifted it in salute. ‘Knock yourselves out, why don’t you,’ I said, and took a composed sip, the icy alcohol a welcome burn down my throat.

Hannah smiled like a sweet shop owner who knows the kid’s got her nose pressed against the window and all she has to do is open the door. She stepped in front of Darius, then slowly shimmied back against him, sliding her hands behind to caress his hips. He dropped his coat, excitement dilating his pupils. Wrapping his arm round her waist he moulded her body to his, then pushed her head back to expose the length of her throat. I stared transfixed, my own cravings rising inside me, knowing they were deliberately taunting me, but unable to force myself to look away. They smiled, twin expressions of triumph. The vamp kept his eyes on mine as he licked a wet line along her bare shoulder and up the side of her neck to the lobe of her ear. He set her skull earring swinging with his tongue, then sucked it into his mouth. She sighed deeply and dug her nails into his thighs. His nostrils flared as he scented her and his eyes turned opaque with greed. With a quiet growl that had heat pooling in my own belly, he lowered his mouth to her pulse.

I held my breath, lust curdling like acid in my stomach, my grip on the bottle dissipating the chill, watching, waiting, for him to bite.

He struck, his fangs piercing her flesh, and she moaned and went limp in his arms. A trickle of blood leaked from between his lips where he fed. Mesmerised, I followed its course as it trailed over the ridge of her collar bone and snaked down between the mounds of her corseted breasts, which bloomed red with the heat of a venom-induced blood flush. He lifted her up and held her dangling, fast little pants coming between her parted lips as his bite brought her trembling and shaking to orgasm.

Then she was walking towards me, an inviting smile on her black-painted lips, the venom-bite already swelling at her throat. I blinked, confused, but as she reached me the scent of liquorice and sweet copper invaded my senses and I could think of nothing other than what I wanted. My mouth watered and I swallowed painfully, hunger cramping my stomach, lust tightening my nipples and slicking damp wet heat between my legs. I licked my dry lips before I could stop myself.

‘Such a long time, Genevieve, since you’ve had a taste.’ She touched her fingers to the bite at her throat, gasping a little as she pressed the tender skin and clear fluid seeped from the pinprick fang marks. I swayed towards her, drawn by the sight. ‘Why should you deny yourself when all you want is here for the taking?’ she murmured.

My heart thudded in my chest, deep echoing beats that thundered in my ears. A distant part of me knew what she was doing, offering me what I craved, tempting me, but I didn’t care. She was right. It had been too long.

She held her hand out to me, encouraging, enticing, her fingers so close to my mouth that all I needed to do was touch my tongue to the venom glistening on her fingertips—

I closed my eyes for a brief moment.

I was not going to do this.

I grabbed her wrist.

I was not going to give in to her, toit .

I held her hand where it was—

Was I?

I shoved her hand away. ‘Not biting, Hannah,’ I said and jerked my head at the scantily clad vamp grinning over her shoulder. ‘So take your fang-pet and get the fuck out.’

She pursed her lips, then nodded as if coming to a decision. ‘That’s what I like about you, Genevieve, you don‘t allow what’s in your blood to distract you from what’s important.’ She reached back and stroked her fingers down Darius’ smooth, muscled chest. ‘It’s something else we share.’

I clenched my hands to stop from reaching for her, not sure if I wanted to smash my fist into her face, sink my teeth into her neck, or offer my own throat to her fang-pet. ‘What. Do. You. Want?’ I said, struggling to keep my voice even.

‘To do you a favour of course.’ She smiled. ‘As a friend.’

‘I told you, we are notfriends. So why would you think I want another of your favours?’

‘The last one worked out well enough, didn’t it.’ It was a statement, not a question. ‘If not for me, you wouldn’t be here, Genevieve. You would no longer be master of your own destiny. Instead, you would be blood-bonded to a vampire, your blood and your body and your magic his to use as he willed.’

Okaaay, now that was stretching things. A lot.

The Mr October mess might have ended up with the vamp whose blood-bond I’d taken dead, and nothing left but scattered ashes, but other than the ‘drinking her blood’ favour—and how much help that had actually been was still debatable—Hannah hadn’t had much to do with it. Still, it wasn’t worth the argument; she was just warming up her sales pitch, after all. We both knew that.

‘Just get on with it,’ I said, resigned. ‘Then go.’

She leaned closer. ‘You’ve got 3V, Genevieve. Everyone’s talking about it—the vamps, the witches, the blood-pets—and those that didn’t see you get bitten last month heard about it. And without a regular shot of venom—’ She pulled a sympathetic face. ‘There’s the constant headache, the hot flushes followed by agonising stomach pains, the incessant need to scratch, the heavy labouring of your heart, the extreme fatigue ...’

She sounded like one of the hard-hitting infomercials for HOPE.

‘... and that’s not even the worst, is it?’ She pointed at my new pets swimming lazily in their goldfish bowl, her face screwing up in disgust. ‘I mean, ew!Leeches! Then what’s going to happen when the cravings get too much for you? When you suffer a stroke or a heart attack? You’re sidhe, your body won’t die, it’ll recover eventually, but the cravings will shatter your mind and send you insane. Is that truly what you want?’

Did she reallyexpect me to answer that?