Page 42 of Bitten By Desire (Crooked Point #1)

Tuesday

Callum took a step back from me. And another. He looked just like he had at the train station. Like he was about to say goodbye to me.

“Callum…”

“I’m not changing you, Emma.”

“But you already bit my neck. You even bit my finger ten years ago. It didn’t hurt. I liked when you did it. I’m not squeamish around blood or anything.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Of course it’s that simple. I love you. And you love me. I’m going to be eighty some day and I don’t want you to look at me like I’m ancient. I want you to look at me the way you do right now. Like you think I’m the most beautiful woman in the room.”

“I’ll still think that.”

“You won’t. I’ll have wrinkles. And saggy boobs.”

His smile finally returned. “I’m sure your boobs will still be perfect.”

“No.” I grabbed them. “They’ll be so saggy.”

He laughed and grabbed my hands to lower them.

I leaned closer to him. God, I loved the sound of his laughter. I realized I hadn’t heard nearly enough of it.

“We’re not going down this road, Emma. I’m not changing you. I don’t want anything about you to change. ”

“So you want me to die?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“I know. You just said you wanted to freaking marry me. That you wanted forever with me. So let’s have forever.”

“You don’t understand what you’d be giving up.”

I think I did. I’d be giving up my love of cheese.

And wine I guess. And pastries. But apparently I was going to really love the taste of blood.

Probably more than I loved cheese, wine, and pastries.

And I’d have a lifetime of him. I’d be immortal.

We’d literally live happily ever after always. “I do understand,” I said.

“No. You don’t. And I’m not doing it.”

Why did he always make love hurt so bad? “If you changed me, you wouldn’t have to worry about slipping up. You wouldn’t be able to hurt me at all. We’d be equals.”

“Emma, I’m not going to hurt you. I spent these years apart ensuring that I wouldn’t.”

“You’ve only been drinking animal blood exclusively for two years. That’s not very long.” And I’d just given him a taste of my blood. That had probably been a mistake. What if he suddenly couldn’t resist after his first taste of human blood in years?

“Trust me, it feels like a long time.”

I laughed. “That’s exactly my point. It feels long. Which means…you might slip. So change me.”

Callum shook his head.

“Sir William Evans, change me.”

“It’s a discussion for a different day.”

That wasn’t a yes. But it also wasn’t a no. I didn’t want to wait until another day though. This town was dangerous. “I almost got slaughtered by a werecat earlier this evening.”

“And whose fault is that?” There was humor in his eyes again.

I shoved his shoulder.

“Next time, you should listen to me.”

I thought about when he’d first tried to hire me.

When he’d said he didn’t like repeating himself.

Right before he’d pressed me against his desk.

My eyes gravitated to his bed. To the handcuffs on one of his bedposts.

I wandered over and lifted one of the cuffs.

“If I don’t listen, are you going to punish me? ”

He lowered his eyebrows. “Those are for me.”

Oh my. Zoey had wondered if they were for his flings or for him.

I never really entertained the thought that he’d want to be tied up though.

But I could probably get down with that.

Him completely at my mercy? I hadn’t really gotten a chance to fully see him before.

“Okay, bad boy. It’s time to teach you a lesson. ”

He lifted the cuff out of my hand. “I don’t think so, baby.”

“But…”

“If anyone is being tied down it’s you .”

Okay, yeah, I liked the sound of that even better. I put my hands out for him to cuff.

He dropped the cuffs instead of putting them around my wrists. “That’s not really what they’re for though.”

“Then what are they for?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I chain myself to my bed when I have really bad cravings. ”

“Oh.” That’s what the handcuffs were for? I stared at his bed. This was the system he had mentioned earlier. He chained himself here when he wanted me .

“See? And you thought you were ready to be like me? You’re disgusted by the whole concept.”

“I’m not disgusted.” I turned back to him. “I’m surprised. I thought that was a sex thing.”

“I just told you I wasn’t having sex with anyone else.”

“I know…I just…when I was first here, Zoey went on and on about handcuffs being sexy. I just figured you chained people to your bed and…you know…”

“Well, I can certainly use it on you if you want.” There was suddenly something more intense about his gaze.

And I couldn’t help but think…if I was tied up…

what would happen if he needed to be? I swallowed hard.

I trusted him. I wasn’t scared or else I wouldn’t be standing alone with him in his bedroom.

And the idea of being completely exposed to him sounded pretty good to me.

I remembered feeling that way with him once.

When he snapped pictures of me ten years ago. I kind of wanted to do that all again.

But first… “Bennett and his friends lock themselves in their vaults when they turn. But the watch helps them.” Kind of.

I pictured Bennett’s huge paw hitting the watch out of Titan’s hand.

They needed to work on that. But if the watch was taken away, they wouldn’t get the chance. “You don’t need it. They do.”

“They’re thieves, Emma.”

“I don’t think they use it for that.”

“Did you ask them? ”

I honestly hadn’t thought to. And Callum was probably right.

Of course they used it for their shenanigans too.

But that wasn’t important. Saving lives was.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that they really need it.

To help them not hurt people. You chain yourself to the bed.

They don’t have that control before they change.

They need the watch. I know you used it for bad things, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to. ”

“You’re incredibly na?ve.” He reached out and touched the side of my face. “Something that would go away if you lived for hundreds of years too.”

He was changing the subject. Trying to distract me. I wanted him to change me. But I also didn’t want anyone else to get hurt at my expense. “Please just let them keep it.”

“I promised myself I wouldn’t let anyone else use it for evil.”

“They think you’re a monster. And you think they’re monsters. But can’t you all just see that none of you are bad?”

“I’m not the one hurting anyone.”

“But you have. Dozens of people.”

Callum just stared at me.

“A hundred people.”

He didn’t reply.

“ Hundreds of people?” My voice came out all squeaky and weird. I quickly shook my head. “Don’t answer that. I no longer want to know. But, Callum, you did bad things with that watch. Bennett and his friends are trying to prevent bad things from happening ever again.”

“That watch controls people’s minds, Emma. No one should have that much power. ”

“So why do you want it back?”

“I told you. To protect it from getting into the wrong hands.”

I sighed. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “I made a deal with them. They’re keeping it. End of story.”

“That’s definitely not the end of the story. What kind of deal did you make?” He looked down at my palm, like he was worried I’d taken another blood oath.

I felt silly admitting that I would have done that again. So I kept my mouth shut.

“What kind of deal, Emma?”

“They were going to come kill you tonight.”

Callum laughed. “I’d like to see them try. They would have ended up in one of my freezers instead.”

“Callum!”

“I was only kidding.” But there was nothing about the expression on his face that said he was joking.

“No one’s killing anyone. That’s why I made the deal. They’re not going to hurt you. And in exchange, they get to keep the pocket watch.”

“But they never would have been able to hurt me. I’m faster and stronger than them.”

“Well I didn’t know that!”

“You didn’t ask.”

I threw my hands up in the air. “Why do you all want to kill each other?!”

“Because I don’t want those assholes to hurt you.”

I shook my head. “They won’t.”

“You don’t know that. They don’t know how to control themselves. They’re animals. ”

“Only when they change. Which is why they need the watch. This isn’t a debate, Callum. I already decided.”

“And what makes you think that the devil bargains?”

“You’re not the devil. You’re a nice vampire. Who apparently never learned how to share in the 18 th century.”

“Get on the bed. Now.”

“What?”

“You heard me, Emma. Center of the bed. Now.”