Free The Ruby Kiss by Helen Scott Taylor

king.”
    “It’s time for her to understand the realities of this life she’s inherited.” Twister’s jaw set. “Your nightstalker friend has fangs, Ruby. If he bites you, he’ll form a blood bond that stakes his claim over you. We have to hope it’s strong enough to deter Kade from challenging him for you.”
    Ruby stared at Nightshade. “Fangs? He can’t mean . . .”
    “I wanted to tell you in my own time.” Nightshade’s chin jutted out defiantly. “I’m a
vampiric
fairy.”

----
Chapter Four
    Ruby stiffened where she sat on Nightshade’s lap. Images from vampire movies raced through her mind: vicious, undead creatures that slept in coffins and emerged at dusk to drain the lifeblood from innocent victims. But, as fast as the thoughts entered her head, she dismissed them. Nightshade was a warm and vital male—kind, honorable, and very much alive. The amount of food he’d consumed from her larder proved he didn’t survive on blood.
    “I would never hurt you, Ruby,” he said, lines of tension scoring his face. His thigh muscles tightened beneath her, and the protective arm he held around her waist loosened as if he expected her to jump off his lap in horror. “Taking blood is little more than an occasional pleasure.”
    She slipped her fingers into the warm curve of his palm, remembering how he’d spoken affectionately of his baby brother. “I get it. You’re just a big softie.”
    His eyebrows shot up. She wasn’t sure being called a softie pleased him, but his tense body relaxed. He turned hard eyes on Twister and scowled. “You had no right to speak thus.”
    Twister cut his hand through the air. “There’s more at stake here than your delicate sensibilities, stalker. Get over it. I’ll have someone take you to a room to get the first bite in place. How many times will you need before—?”
    “No!” Ruby did jump from Nightshade’s lap then. Not out of fear but anger. Twister might be a king, but she wouldn’t let him bully her into anything. “When did I agree to this?”
    A muscle twitched in Twister’s jaw. “You like the vampire. What’s the problem with being bonded to him?”
    Ruby tugged the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “When I see this Aila, I plan to ask her how to get rid of my affliction. I don’t want the responsibility of this magical power. It’s brought me nothing but heartache. Getting tangled up with the supernatural world got my mother killed. I want to go home and forget all this weirdness. I won’t let you bully me into a magical bond with Nightshade, even if I do like him.”
    Behind her, Nightshade’s breath hissed out. Guilt burned Ruby’s chest. She’d wanted to explain to him in private how she felt, but the Unseelie king’s presumption hadn’t given her the chance. This was the second time she’d rejected him.
    She turned to Nightshade. The last thing she’d wanted to do was hurt him, so the coldness of his expression stung. “Please don’t take what I said personally. I’m really grateful you were here for me tonight, Nightshade. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”
    Inclining his head, he acknowledged her thanks. “Please accept my help in recompense for your previous hospitality,” he replied, formally, as if they were strangers. Then he stood, snapping his wings against his back.
    She reached for him, hating the distance he’d put between them. “Nightshade.”
    He raised his palms and backed away. “I need some air.” He glanced at Devin. “Coming, djinn?”
    Devin grunted and clambered to his feet as though he’d aged a few decades since he took a seat. He rested a hand on Nightshade’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper something. They were obviously close friends, which led Ruby to wonder: Had Nightshade’s occasional pleasures included biting Mr. Eye Candy? A flicker of something suspiciously like jealousy made her swallow hard.
    “Nightshade,” she said when he reached the door. “Please give me a