Page 94 of The Vampire Curse

“I did?”

He lifts my chin with a knuckle until I’m looking into those midnight blue depths. “It is a good thing. Life is change, and when you cease to grow and change, you die.”

He releases me, but this time, I don't look away. I hold my breath.

“I think we both needed it. Now we can continue to change for the better… perhaps we can even grow together.” Alaric stands and holds out his hand to me. I take it and let him pull me up. “Sometimes, you need to lose yourself to find out who you really are. Do not be afraid of that, embrace it.”

We stroll through the garden, back toward the manor.

“Do you want the final mark before we leave?” The question is so unexpected that I nearly trip over my own feet as I come to a stop.

My breath hitches and I squeeze my thighs together, thinking about what it would mean and the promise he made after the last time.

Yes.

“No. I’m not ready. I’m not—” I stammer. “You said I didn’t have to have the final mark… that the second would last a month. We still have three weeks.”

His hands slide over my shoulders, then glide up and down my arms as if trying to chase away a chill.

“You don’t have to explain,” he says. Then after a moment he adds, “I asked because my reason for seeking you out was to tell you we are to leave within the hour.”

I nod. “I will be ready.”

I have been ready for the last two days. My trunks are packed, and all I need are a few small items that will take less than five minutes to gather.

He suddenly looks exhausted. “Are you ready to play the game again? Everyone must believe you are fully marked. There is no room for failure.” Alaric’s gaze flicks toward the manor, toward his vampire guests. “We must play our parts better this time.”

“I understand.”

“No,” he says sharply. “Not only do you need to make the queen and the others believe it, but you must make me believe it as well.”

I nod.

He closes what little space there is between us, his hands roaming over me. Everywhere he touches leaves a trail of heat. The intensity is overwhelming, and I have to stop myself from moving back.

This is a test.

“We will make them all believe,” I say.

I place my hands on his chest and slide them around his neck as I rise up on my toes and kiss him. I don’t hold back. I don’t even need to try—I just stop resisting. As his mouth moves against mine, I moan. I forget for a second what this is until he smiles and breaks the kiss, pulling away.

“Good.” He pushes a lock of hair behind my ear. “You and I cannot fail.”

I nod again. My throat is dry, but not from fear. I am not afraid of the unknown anymore.

I might be uncertain about what I want and who I am, but I don’t need to be protected. I don’t need to be saved. I can do those things on my own.

Of course, going deeper into this shadow world of vampires is terrifying. I’d be a fool not to think so.

I take Alaric’s hand in mine. I know I can do this with him at my side.

“It is an impossible task, and if we are found out, you will be taken from me. They will kill you if you are lucky.” He’s trying to scare me into understanding, but I already do. “You will be prey to them.”

“They will think I am nothing more than a helpless human.”

He flicks my pocket with the dagger. A crooked smile forms on my lips.

“You are anything but.” One corner of Alaric’s mouth ticks up into a matching smirk. “Let them underestimate you… and let them live to regret it.”