"What are you doing?" Denise gasped.
He ignored her, focused on the pulsating vein that called to him. A quick slide of his fangs into the lad's neck produced the flow of rich, nurturing blood. Spade waited before swallowing, allowing his mouth to fill from the pumping of the pulse under his lips instead of sucking, forming a seal to prevent any of those red drops from escaping.
Denise stared at him, uncertainty clear on her features. Spade glared at her, hoping she wouldn't do something foolish, like scream. She didn't, but her hand came to her mouth as if she was fighting one back.
The gnawing hunger in him eased after his fourth swallow. He drew back, catching the spare leaking drops with his tongue before closing the holes by cutting his thumb on a fang and holding it over them. In seconds, his blood healed the punctures, causing them to vanish from sight.
"You delivered the food and left. Nothing else happened," Spade said, pressing a twenty into the lad's palm.
He nodded, that artificial smile returning to his face as the memory of what happened evaporated under the power in Spade's gaze. "Have a good evening, sir," he said.
"Thanks so much. I'll ring when she's done with the food."
Spade closed the door. Denise was still staring at him. "You bit him. You didn't even...you just bit him."
He shrugged. "You weren't the only one hungry."
"But..." She still seemed at a loss for words.
"You lived with Cat and Crispin for over a month; did you never see him feed?"
"He never did it in front of me!" Denise exclaimed, like he'd suggested something preposterous.
Spade rolled his eyes. "You'll have to get used to it, because I've no intention of starving."
Denise looked down at the cooling food on the tray. "I think I lost my appetite," she muttered.
He bit back what would have been an annoyed reply. No need to snipe at her when she'd had a truly horrible day.
"Make yourself comfortable in the bed. I'll sleep in the chair," he said, pulling off his shirt.
He was undoing his trousers when Denise's expression stopped him. Right, humans and their silly modesty. It had been a long time since he'd been around average mortals. The ones he associated with were all familiar with a vampire's lifestyle and habits. He'd have to remember what was appropriate and what wasn't.
"I dragged you into this," she said stubbornly. "I'm taking the chair."
He almost rolled his eyes again. As if he'd allow a woman to stuff herself in a chair while he was stretched out in bed. "No."
"I'd feel better if - "
"I wouldn't," he cut her off. "And I'll remind you again that since I'm helping you, the least you could do is not argue with me over every little thing."
Frustration and defiance competed on her features, but she clamped her mouth shut. Good on you, darling. Perhaps this won't be such a burden after all.
"Sleep well, Denise."
Chapter Four
She awoke to the sounds of an English accent. For a moment she was confused. Had she left the TV on? Then the events of the previous, nightmarish day came back to her. Paul, murdered. She, branded by a demon. The owner of the accent, a vampire who wanted nothing to do with her, but who was her family's only hope.
"Ah, you're awake," Spade said, closing his cell with a click. "Ordered you breakfast, considering you didn't touch your food last night." His mouth curled in a grin. "You'll be pleased to know you slept through my breakfast. Perhaps now you'll be able to keep your appetite."
"You eat the room service employees every time?" Denise asked, shocked.
"Of course. But don't fret on their behalf. I always tip well."
A sharp pain in her stomach brought her attention to the cart with the covered dishes and the mouthwatering scent wafting from it. Suddenly ravenous, Denise flung the covers back and went to the cart, flipping off the top of the container closest to her. Pancakes. She picked one up and stuffed it into her mouth, closing her eyes in rapture. So good.
It was gone too soon. She grabbed another one, too hungry to bother with syrup or silverware, and popped it in her mouth. Mmmm. Delicious. More.
She'd just finished the third pancake when she noticed Spade watching her. He glanced at her now-empty plate, then at the untouched silverware, and back to her.
Denise felt a flush heat her face. What was wrong with her? It hadn't been that long since she'd eaten.
"I, uh, was really hungry," she stammered.
His mouth quirked. "It would seem so."
As if to accentuate the point, another pain jabbed her in the stomach, followed by a rumbling, audible gurgle. Denise forced herself to arrange the napkin neatly on her lap, pick up her silverware, and cut the contents of the next container - country fried steak and eggs, her favorite! - into small pieces before taking her next bite. By that time, the rumble in her stomach had increased to almost a roar. Spade continued to watch her, that half smile still curling his mouth.
"Always enjoy seeing a woman with a healthy appetite," he said, amusement clear in his tone.
Denise quit the pretense and speared two chunks of fried steak at once, chewing them while giving Spade a glare that dared him to comment. So she was a little too hungry at the moment to eat like a bird, who cared? Maybe it had been longer than she realized since the last time she'd eaten.
"Do you have a plan for how we're going to start looking for Nathanial?" she asked after she'd finished all the steak and eggs. Would it look too piggish to move on to the next shiny container? Screw it. Who knew when they'd break for another meal?
"I do," Spade replied. "We'll start with my line. Though I don't have any blokes named Nathanial in it, who's to say your ancestor didn't change his name? You do remember what he looks like from what Raum showed you, yes?"
Denise shuddered. "Yes." As if she could forget all the horrible images Raum had forced onto her mind.
"Good. I'll hold an assembly and you can pick through my people's property. See if you recognize any of them."
"You know, it's really rude how you keep referring to humans as property. I'm human, too, remember?"
Something glinted in his gaze. "I remember it well. Which is why I'll be introducing you to my line as my newest piece of property."
Her jaw dropped. "Oh no, you won't."
He waved an elegant hand. "You don't want Crispin or Cat to find out what you're up to, so this is best disguise. I don't date humans; that's common knowledge. But I do have other uses for them, and no one would question a vampire traveling with his property. We seldom go anywhere without one or two of them along, in fact."