Page 11

Chapter 10

Rolf

R olf paced back and forth, his hands threaded through his hair, and breathed the cold air deep into his lungs.

He was swimming in dangerous waters, but something about her kept pulling him back into her undertow. Her eyes haunted him, needling their way deep into the caverns of his psyche. Looking at her, he could almost remember what had happened to him that night, long ago, when he had woken up covered in blood that wasn’t his.

And here she was, this strange, immortal creature, weaving stories about how her coven wouldn’t come looking for her, that she had been attacked by rogues on the road? No, he didn’t believe it. But then, when she had started telling him about this Colin , he had leaned in.

Her bright blue eyes had shone with an emotion he thought her kind incapable of feeling. It seized his heart.

She needed comfort, and he wanted to give it. And when he had shut her down and run out here because he couldn’t breathe? The light in her eyes had faded so fast, he couldn’t help but feel pulled under by her disappointment.

Hope .

That look in her eyes had been hope.

He shouldn’t care, though, because her very presence was the antithesis of everything he had fought to achieve. He hadn’t survived these past few decades by being an idiot. He had finally found a place he could call home, settle down, and live out his life. No more running or waking up fearful of events he couldn’t remember.

She needed to leave. She threatened everything he held dear.

Though the snow swirled and his entire porch was almost buried, the air around him was suddenly too tight, too hot for him to breathe. His heart thrashed inside his chest, trying to claw its way out. There was something oddly touching about her story, the way her voice became wistful and dreamy when she talked about her lover.

His hand found its way back to his collar, and his fingers dipped below the fabric to touch the scars on his shoulder. He laughed to himself, trying to brush off the seemingly small coincidences.

Surely, this vampire was messing with his head. They had certain powers, did they not? Perhaps she was inside his mind, reading his thoughts. And if she was, could she tell him what had happened all those years ago?

He perked up at the sound of a drawer closing.

Rolf pressed his ear against the door. Another drawer slid open, and Rolf stormed inside.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rolf barked, fury laced behind each punctuated syllable.

Adeline blanched like he was going to strike her, and he stopped advancing. What had happened to her to make her act like this? His rage flickered, but she recovered quickly, and her spine straightened. Her face turned to stone, and her eyes were clear—a sure sign that the juniper and garlic were moving through her body much quicker than he had anticipated.

She’s strong. And stubborn.

His eyes caught on a sleeve that was covered in brown stains as she pulled it from the drawer, and his fury bubbled inside his chest.

What right did she have?

She lifted her chin, holding up the arm of the coat, and said, “I was looking for wine. But found this instead.”

“You won’t find any wine in there,” he snapped.

Rolf strode across the room and grabbed Adeline’s wrist, yanking her upright and to the side. With his other hand, he slammed the drawers of the wardrobe closed. The wardrobe rocked backward from the force, and the doors crashed back into place.

Her eyes widened as he gripped her wrist harder.

Good, let her fear me. It’ll be easier for her to leave, then.

He pulled her close enough that their noses almost touched.

Rolf growled down at her, punctuating each word: “Leave. My. Things. Alone.”