The dagger flew true, embedding itself deep into his chest. A raw curse exploded from the prince as he reached up, grabbing the handle. He tore it out and threw it with enough force that the tip pierced the tile. The handle vibrated.

Oh crap.

Bending down, I reached for the thorn stake. My fingers brushed the smooth length a second before a hand curled around a knot of my hair. The prince yanked me to the side and pushed with enough force that I skidded across the kitchen floor. A burn of pain radiated down my hip.

Drake caught my booted foot and lifted it so high that my back hit the floor. Material ripped as he tore several inches of my pant leg. He gripped the thorn stake and threw it across the room. It hit the wall near the fridge and fell to the floor. He dropped my leg. “You are not stabbing me with that.”

Dammit.

I flipped over and leaped to my feet. Standing up, I grabbed the coffee cup off the counter and threw it at him. He dodged it easily. Ceramic and coffee exploded onto the wall.

“Really?” He laughed.

Diving for the stake, I screamed in frustration when his arms encircled my waist. My nails dug into him as he dragged me out of the kitchen. I kicked my legs out, catching the black metal lamp. It fell to the floor, the white shade caving in.

“Why are you even fighting me, Ivy? You know you cannot win.”

Bull. Shit.

I let myself go limp. Drake wasn’t expecting that move, and his arms loosened a bit, so I slammed my foot down on his and thrust my elbow back into his stomach.

“By the old gods, you are testing my patience.” He dragged me to the right and wrapped his arm around my chest, pinning my arms.

Then I was flying.

I hit the couch and landed face-first in the back cushions. For a moment I was stunned, and then I flipped onto my back. I started to swing my legs, but Drake was there, standing over me and then on me. A heavy hand wrapped around my throat.

Thrashing, I kicked out and beat my fists on his arms. I lifted my hips to throw him, but his weight was too heavy and there was no moving him. The heaviness caused pressure to clamp down on my chest. I went wild, my panicked instinct taking over. I went for his eyes with my nails, but he kept his head back.

Then Drake pressed down, and I felt what I hadn’t felt when we’d been on the couch and I thought I’d been making out with Ren, seconds from taking it to the next level. A different kind of terror filled every cell as he lowered his mouth toward mine, stopping just shy of our lips meeting. “I like it when you fight back.”

I immediately stopped. “Gross,” I spat.

“Shame,” he murmured. “But there will be time later.”

Forcing myself to go still, I tried to suck in air as I stared up at the prince. He looked like Ren. He sounded like him with the exception of the speech pattern, but this wasn’t Ren causing me pain, slowly cutting off my airway. It wasn’t Ren turning my insides out, terrifying and infuriating me.

It just looked like him.

It was the cruelest kind of evil wrapped in the most familiar beauty.

His gaze moved over my face as he reached between us with his other hand. He gripped the front of my shirt, and for a heart-stopping moment, I had no idea what he was going to do. Then his fingers wrapped around my chain. He yanked. My body jerked, and then he was holding the necklace—my tiger’s eye with the clover enclosed.

My eyes widened.

“I’m going to enjoy this far more than you’ll ever know.”

Drake lowered his mouth to mine, and I clamped my lips shut. “So difficult,” he said, grasping my chin. His fingers dug into my cheeks, forcing my jaw open. The winter mint taste filled my mouth, but he didn’t try to kiss me.

He inhaled.

My entire body jerked as an icy burn traveled down my throat and exploded in my gut. He was feeding—oh God, he was feeding. With each breath he took, the precious commodity was stolen from me. The feeding was draining, stealing away my energy. A heavy weight settled in my stomach, barb-tipped and razor sharp. It tore through me, and distantly I recalled Val saying it could be pleasant, better than sex. I called bullshit

on that, because it felt like he was sucking out every ounce of my being.

Darkness crept in, crowding out all light and sound, and then it was more than just energy he was stealing. I fought to stay aware in my body. Too much was at stake, but the burn was everywhere, and I was shrinking away from it, pulling myself back. My hands slipped off his arms, and pieces of my will vanished, crumbling away until my body went lax, my arms falling to my sides. I saw the inky blackness filling the veins in my hand, spreading outward.

And then I saw nothing.

Chapter Twenty-One

Waking up was like dragging myself out of quicksand. Every time I thought I’d reached the surface, I was sucked back down until I was finally able to pry my heavy eyelids open. Bright light greeted me, an intense warm sunlight.

Was I dead?

I turned my head to the left and saw a large window. Gauzy white curtains were held back by sashes. I quickly deduced that I was, in fact, still alive.

And I was on a bed.

A large bed.

Jerking upright, I gasped as a rush of dizziness nearly dragged me back under. My throat ached, as did several other places. My hip felt like it needed a replacement. I squeezed my eyes shut, counting slowly as everything that had gone down with the prince resurfaced.

He’d been masquerading as Ren.

He’d fed on me.

I opened my eyes and looked at my right hand. The veins there were more prominent and a darker blue, but the black was gone, along with most of the poison. The sluggishness would linger for several hours. That I knew from personal experience.