All Chapters of A TASTE OF TEMPTATION: Vampire King And His Hybrid Bride: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Jason clenched his teeth while I tossed a few crunchy French fries into my mouth and rotated my head wildly along with the beat of the blasting music. I was listening to rock songs now.Vampires had sensitive ears, and Jason was their god, so he was even more sensitive and less tolerant to loud sounds. But I needed to blow off some steam. For my benefit, surely he could endure it for a few hours. There were worse things in the world than loud music.But I admitted that I was pushing his buttons to see what made him tick and how far I could go. With Asshole, it’d always been him controlling the situation. That was why I’d ended up in a cell twice.I needed to understand Jason. A man’s true colors would only be revealed under stress and unpleasant situations, though for me, this situation was fantastic.I had my freedom back, though I wasn’t completely out of the woods. I got two large, delicious burgers for my big mouth, and the vampire even got me a pickle on the side.But it didn’t t

Before I pried open an eye, I thought I was riding a wild horse through a vast, open field, the wind whipping against my face, making me feel weightless and free. The dream felt so real, as if I were soaring, the ground a distant memory beneath the pounding hooves. But as my heavy eyelids reluctantly parted, the vivid illusion faded, and reality anchored me. I was not riding a horse. Instead, I was nestled against Jason’s chest, his arms gripping me firmly, securing me as he moved with supernatural speed, his powerful strides turning the world into a blur around us.The river ahead loomed wide and fast, glistening in the twilight, its waters reflecting the bruised hues of the sky. Jason’s vampiric strength was almost unreal, his pace unrelenting as he leapt from one uneven surface to another, as if gravity bent to his will. And I... I was an awkward passenger, cradled like a fragile thing, because he knew—he knew I couldn’t have clung to him on my own, not in my current state. My musc

Being an outcast from the shifter community was the least of my concerns.As negative thoughts and fears reeled in me, I started to cry, my quiet sobs in sync with the rising and falling of Jason’s chest, before exhaustion dragged me under.I finally fell asleep with my nose buried against the vampire’s broad chest.Intense light simmering outside the cave woke me. I pried open my eyes, realizing it was already high noon. I peeked at my companion, who seemed to be in a coma. That was what heat and sun could do to a vampire.Sunlight was a vampire’s biggest foe. It drained their strength. Intense, direct sunlight could burn a less powerful vampire to ash in an instant. Even a very powerful vampire grew weak under the direct sun, but he might survive a couple of hours before he perished.That was one of the reasons that Jason insisted on getting on the road near twilight, when he was stronger. It’d be my duty to guard him during the daytime.I gave the shimmering sunlight outside anothe

“Oh, I know how to handle you just fine,” he said, and the familiar sneer crossed his face, full of arrogance, sharpened like a blade aimed at my pride. It was his mask, the one he wore each time he sensed his vulnerability creeping too close to the surface, as if it would kill him to show any semblance of softness. The sneering vampire was back in full force, his contempt practically tangible, swirling between us like a thick mist. And yet, for all his biting remarks and perpetual irritation, I knew something he refused to admit. When danger loomed, he was the first to leap into its maw, his body instinctively positioned in front of mine, acting as an unyielding shield. A strange form of protection, silent and stubborn. Despite his protests, his actions spoke louder than any harsh words he threw at me. There was no room for doubt anymore.So, I chose to let his sneer roll off me, like water sliding down the side of a well-worn rock. I could pretend, just for fun, that it was

His eyes turned to polished ebony, his gaze steeled with the kind of deadly focus that sent a chill through my spine. Every ounce of his being shifted into that of a predator in full battle mode, his aura thick with menace and purpose. There was no room to falter now; trembling would only slow us down. Besides, I had long since learned that fear could be as deadly as any weapon if you let it sink its claws into you.“Let’s soldier on,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. The smell of iron, dust, and fear filled the air, pressing down on me. “I really don’t like those arrows. They hurt worse than fire.” The words were barely out of my mouth when a ghostly memory seized me, a flash of searing pain as I remembered an arrow embedding itself deep in my shoulder. I shivered despite myself. The wound had burned like molten metal, worse than anything I’d experienced before, and the memory was as vivid as if it had happened minutes ago.Jason’s eyes flared with rage, a