Page 45 of The Vampire Debt

I stand in place flipping through the pages as though I’m reading. But all of my attention is on the sounds around me. Listening for him to return and catch him by surprise with a scratch of the blade.

My shoulders grow stiff, and the tea has cooled. I shift in place, growing uncomfortable.

I huff to myself. Who asks for tea and then doesn’t return in time to drink it before it gets cold? It feels like I have been waiting on him for hours at this point, and I am already a good portion through the book. I’m in danger of finishing it before he gets back.

“You didn’t even smile at that part,” Alaric’s silky voice whispers in my ear.

I spin, trying not to drop the book as I swipe at him.

Once again Alaric has managed to stop me with one hand staying my wrist only by his preternatural strength. He takes the book from me and closes it, then drops it on the chair, as he moves my arm to the side, stepping into me, until we are only a breath apart.

I swallow thickly as he stares down at me. His dark blue eyes are ringed with red. I should be afraid, but I don’t think he will bite. Not once in all the time we’ve spent together has he once tried to bite me.

He takes my chin in his free hand and then his mouth crashes down on mine. His hand moves around to the back of my head, keeping me locked in place. The kiss is hard, and I swear my already swollen lips will bruise. Anger sparks through me and I let out a growl of frustration.

His movements still for a second but he doesn’t pull away, but now there’s a hunger in his kiss, a desperation I’ve never known before, and it’s dragging me under… consuming me.

His tongue grazes my lip and I part willingly. I can’t get close enough to him. He tastes like brandy and something sweet. My fingers grip at the back of his shirt and I try to pull him closer… closer… heat builds in my veins.

The world slowly slips away and there is only him and me and this moment.

When my fingers find their way to the buttons of his shirt his movements slow. His hands snake down my arms until he’s gripping my wrists and halting my movements.

Then slowly, as if coming up for air, we part as if we were magnets drawn to each other but are being pulled apart by some outside force.

Alaric backs up a step then reaches around me, picking up the book. His tongue darts across his bottom lip in a quick movement, drawing my attention to his mouth once more. For a second I wonder if he’ll kiss me again, but as the seconds tick by he doesn’t.

“Goodnight, dear Clara,” he says gently. He dips his chin then turns and leaves me alone in his study.

I sink down to the floor, my weak knees no longer wanting to support my weight, and bite down hard on my bottom lip.

When I finally manage to slow my racing heart, I reach into my pocket and pull out Kitty’s letter, thinking of home, and of Xander. His kisses were sweet, but wholly unremarkable in comparison to Alaric’s.

I should feel horrified, but I don’t.

Closing my eyes, I take three deep breaths before opening them again. It’s not possible for a real kiss to have this effect. I am more convinced than ever now that Alaric is using his powers over me. Not compelling me, but something in a similar vein.

I am left feeling like I might be in trouble, far worse than I originally thought.

Chapter Twenty

Clara

Pathetic.For the past three days I have been claiming to be ill, to avoid Alaric.

The sky is gray from horizon to horizon. The rain coming and going at regular intervals until it’s impossible to tell what time of day it is without finding a clock. Of which there are exactly zero in this room.

The only way I’ve been able to know the time is when Mrs. Westfield or Elise stopped by with meals.

I am going stir crazy confined to this small place. It is beginning to feel a lot like a beautifully decorated prison cell of my own making.

Small… it’s absurd I consider my rooms to be small. But back home, I would never stay inside for long.

I pause in my pacing before the window and stare unseeing out the window at the gray, cloud covered sky. I press my fingertips to my mouth.

Demons and saints…

I remember the moment the kiss went from hard and punishing to something much different. It had lasted longer than any of the previous times and by the time one or both of us pulled away, I knew if he had asked for anything in this world I would have said yes.