Page 50 of The Vampire Debt

Like a coward, I leave her standing there as I retreat to my sanctuary.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Clara

He was rightwhen he said I didn’t even try with that second attempt. But I am tired. Tired of feeling guilty. And so, so, so tired of always fighting. I want to give in to something else, even with this man who has taken my life… I had wanted so much more than that simple kiss.

With every kiss, I feel as though I fall deeper under his spell. And though he might not be compelling me, he must be using some power of his to make me want him as I do.

I got close last night to drawing blood. Less than an inch… but I am nowhere near as skilled as I need to be, and I am afraid that if I wait much longer I will be truly and utterly lost to him in every way. There is no other explanation for wanting a vampire, a creature who ripped my family apart and took me from the man I meant to spend the rest of my life with.

The song of morning birds drift through my open window. A horse whinnies from out front, drawing me to the window. Mr. Devereaux mounts a large roan steed, pushing it into a run as soon as he’s seated and heads south. This could be the chance I’ve been waiting for.

If I stay here, I will die. I know that now. But if I run and he finds me, he might kill me.

Either way, I am a dead woman. The only difference is when and where. If I must die, then I want it to be on my terms, I want to be free.

And just like that, I breathe a little easier knowing I have decided my own fate.

I hurry across the room and throw open the armoire. Ignoring the section of dresses, I search the drawers. The first is stuffed with an assortment of corsets.Definitely not what I need.There are more drawers filled with all kinds of underthings. Also not what I’m looking for.

Then, in the bottom drawer, there are two bundles of clothing. I reach in and pull one out. A pair of fitted trousers and a shirt. I don’t waste a second removing the dress I spent all night huddled up in.

Donning the men’s clothes feels more like home, familiar and what I’m used to. Unlike my own, however, they fit me like a glove. As though someone had gone so far as to take my measurements before creating them.

At some point, Alaric had these made for me. As warmth seeps into my heart, I banish it. I must leave. I cannot be grateful to him now.

I slip the dagger into my boot, making sure it is hidden but still accessible. Then I stroll through the manor, as if today is just another day where I attempt to entertain myself. It is the perfect time to leave. He won’t realize I’m gone until it’s too late.

“Good morning, Miss,” Mr. Steward’s level voice stops me in my tracks as I reach the foyer.

I give him a strained smile. My heart picks up its pace. Not even out of the manor and I’ve been caught.

He clearly doesn’t approve of my outfit, a fact made clear by the slight curl to his lip. “Will you be wanting breakfast?”

I shake my head. “No, not today.”

After a pause, he says, “Very well.”

I turn and hurry outside before he can take up more of my time. The man makes me uneasy.

I make my way through the gardens and toward the forest in a wandering line, trying to appear as if I don’t have a destination by keeping a leisurely pace, though doing so kills me. I am acutely aware that every second that ticks by is another wasted.

I pause at the tree line, watching the shadows dance and play beneath the canopy. There are still several hours of daylight left. I should make it out of the forest and to a town before night falls if I hurry.

It will be a long journey.

I look back at the intimidating manor. What will Alaric do when he realizes I’m no longer here?

It doesn’t matter… Kitty needs me and every second I linger, is one more second I lose escaping this place.

Maybe together we can take the money I saved, leave, and find a place of our own without Father, somewhere the vampire will never find us.

And Father can learn to pay his own debts.

Once my feet touch the road and I am in the forest, I run. The temperature dips noticeably, sending a wave of chilled air over me.

It occurs to me that I don’t know the exact way home, I wasasleepfor much of it. But I know the general direction, and that will suffice for the time being until I hit the first town and can ask someone.