Evading (Regent Vampire Lords Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

female vamps fed from male humans. It was the way for them. Except her. Giselle couldn’t stomach the thought of touching a male in that way because that would lead to sex, so she’d either nourish herself from a willing female at one of Dev’s clubs or use the bagged crap.
    Her belly constricted now just thinking of Mike’s taste—having it on her tongue and running through her veins again. It was Eden. God, her mouth watered.
    “I’m good.” Her voice sounded thready, wobbly. He smirked and she ignored him, taking another sip.
    “Why aren’t you with your detective now?”
    Her retort was hot and fast. “He’s not mine.”
    “Yeah, he is,” he taunted knowingly. “Have you fucked him yet?”
    No, but God how I want to. “Jesus, Ren. Invasive, much? Asshat.”
    Ren threw a few pieces of fruit in his mouth and chewed, watching her closely. “You know, I never took you for being a runner, a quitter. Guess I had you pegged wrong all along.”
    Her anger spiked. Lightning fast. Giselle wanted a good verbal sparring. Could use it about now. That she knew. That was the skin she comfortably fit into. It was like a tailored glove, molding to her ragged edges perfectly instead of this lovey-dovey shit she was trying to muddle through.
    Opening her mouth to verbally assault her friend, her mentor, she caught a gleam in his eye and clamped it shut before she could spear him with a caustic word. “I know exactly what you’re doing.” And she almost fell for it, dammit.
    “Elle…”
    “Just stop already. I don’t need another lecture from you.”
    Ren was very perceptive. Too perceptive. It’s almost like he knew…
    “Well, it’s your lucky day, then. I’m all fresh out of giving fucks about what you want. You’re going to listen to me even if I have to sit on you.”
    She laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”
    Pulling up a seat next to her, he removed the death grip she had on her liquor-filled tumbler, taking her hand in his. “Why are you fighting this, Elle? As much as that human gets on my last fucking nerve sometimes, he’s a good male. And I think he’s good for you.”
    I think so too .
    “Why do you think that?”
    “Because he actually makes you feel . And you haven’t done that in a very, very long time, baby girl.”
    She eyed him, trying to drum up hostility she didn’t really feel anymore. “Where’s your vestment?” But sarcasm still stood at the ready. It always would.
    “At the dry cleaners,” he deadpanned evenly.
    Sighing heavily and not quite up for confession yet, she hedged. “He makes me feel a lot of things.” She meant it acerbically, her tone acidic, but realized after she said the words, they could be taken multiple ways. But Ren would take it the way it was meant. She was confused, torn. A war raged inside.
    Ren was the only person Giselle could ever open up to, but it took years before she could trust him. Before she could trust anyone, for that matter. Even Dev. But she could never talk to Dev the way she could Ren. He was a true friend in every sense of the word. He’d saved her ass—and her life—on many occasions, including from Xavier.
    “I just…I don’t know if I can let someone in that way, Ren. I don’t even know if I’m capable.”
    “That’s a fucking bullshit cop-out and you know it. The way I see it, you’re intentionally sabotaging this, hoping he’ll just bail so you can have someone besides yourself to blame this failure on.” She bristled. He was hitting far too close to the truth. “Here me out, tiger. You are not that same emotionally scarred young woman who stood in front of Dev and me, not begging for your life, but the lives of so many other females you knew could be saved if you’d only succeeded at killing that preying sick fucker, Siobhan.”
    Her shame-filled gaze dropped, but Ren hooked a finger under her chin and lifted to connect their eyes again.
    “I never told you this—I didn’t want you to think I felt sorry for