Page 40 of Sweeter than Honey

“Wait, wait,” I tell her. Holding her in one arm, I reach over to my wrist with the other and turn on its flashlight function. It’s not much, but now she should be able to see a little.

She holds onto me like a liferaft. “I’m…I’m sorry…” she gasps. “When I was little I got…stuck in an elevator and I just don’t…I just…”

“Shh,” I tell her. “It’s all right. Someone will come, we’ll be out of here soon.”

But even as I say the words, I doubt them. It’s the middle of the night. The morning staff won’t be here for another few hours. The night staff will be finishing up, but security is thin and Tuesdays are our quietest time of the week. It could be a long time before anyone comes looking for us.

I can feel Lily shaking in my arms, and I curse myself again for not feeding recently. If I had more blood in my veins, I could easily openthe doors to the elevators. But right now, I’m powerless.

At just the thought of blood, I feel my fangs elongate. I don’t have any more willpower to stop them from crossing over my bottom lips. I’m using all of it holding back the overwhelming urge that arises inside of me with Lily pressed up so closely, her scent filling the elevator car.

She sees my fangs and her eyes widen, her irises contracting. She’s so scared that she forgets to call me by my last name. “Re-Renata…”

“It’s ok,” I say to her, my voice thick. “I won’t hurt you. It’s just an instinct.”

“You…you said you weren’t strong enough to open the doors because you haven’t drank any blood lately…”

A heavy stab of guilt pierces my chest. “Yes.”

She looks up at me, her eyes shining eagerly. “You should drink fromme,” she says breathlessly. Her cheeks are stained with tears. “It would make you strong…and…and I have O negative blood…”

My lip twitches at the thought. I can’t do such a thing. It would be completely unprofessional and inappropriate. “Absolutelynot.”

But I can feel the red glow behind my eyes. Lily sees it, and she bites her lip. The gesture makes me ache in more than one place.

A protective feeling washes over me, like the one I experienced on the holding floor when I was sure she was going to die. I didn’t hesitate before giving her my blood. I’m responsible for Lily, for her safety. If I could give her my own blood, is this so different? I know I shouldn’t…but every frightened beat of her heart weakens my resolve.

“Please,” she whispers. She has such perfect lips. How did I not notice her perfect lips before? So pink, and so gracefully bowed. “Please, Renata, I have to get out of here.”

And with those words, all reason is gone. I let the crimson spill into my eyes, and the fangs creep lower down along my chin. I take down the wall that stops her scent from filling my nostrils, that holds back the tender song of her heart from drawing me closer.

I pull her by the waist, pressing her against me. And I lock my eyes onto her’s. It’s a spell I’ve cast a hundred thousand times. A glamour charm that will lull her into a pleasant state. It will make the bite a transcendent experience for her. Each vampire’s spell is different, andI’m particularly proud of mine. It’s quick and seamless, with a tantalizing finish. I feel her shiver pleasurably in my arms, and her eyes soften. Her heartbeat pounds strongly, but there’s no scent of panic in the air. Only warm desire.

Because thereisdesire in her eyes, even if I didn’t let myself see it before. It’s much more difficult to charm someone who wasn’t already willing to be charmed.

Her desire sparks a matching one in me. Without hesitating, I pick her up in my arms and lay her down on the plush bench behind us. I carefully arrange her head on a pillow so she’ll be comfortable. I push the hair from her eyes.

I bend down over her, but she presses her palm into my chest.

“Wait,” she whispers. “Not my neck. Is there another place…”

Of course. She doesn’t want a mark to show. “Your wrist?” I suggest.

She shakes her head. “It’s the summer…I wear short sleeves…”

“Then…” My head spins at the very thought. “There is a spot…that’s more hidden…”

She nods eagerly. “Where?”

“Your thigh,” I tell her, showing her with my gaze what I’m implying.

“Oh…” she gasps. With my heightened senses, I can smell the hormones emanating from her pores like a floral perfume. “Yes…I mean, if you think that would be best…”

“Whatever you desire,” I say. I hadn’t meant to say ‘desire,’ and the word hangs heavily in the air between us. Her lips tremble.

“Yes, you can bite me there,” she breathes.

“If at any point you want me to stop…”