A challenge. Ademand.
I swallow, pulse betraying me.
"I suppose that rests on which stories are worth believing," I say, tilting my head, searching his face.
His gaze lingers, waiting—expectingsomething.
I exhale slowly, letting my expression soften as I pivot.
“But there is something I’ve always wondered.”
His brow lifts slightly, but he doesn’t step back. "And what is that?"
I glance toward a nearby table where a golden-haired stranger sits bathed in lantern light, laughter tumbling effortlessly from her lips, all ease and beauty and light. She is the kind of woman men notice. The kind that draws attention without trying. Then, slowly, I return my gaze to him.
"It is said that vampires are drawn to a certain kind of woman." My voice lowers, laced with a challenge meant to get under his skin. “I wonder if there is truth in it.”
It is a subtle move, carefully placed—a shift meant to pull his focus elsewhere, to loosen the thread tightening around me.
But Casper does not so much as glance in her direction.
His eyes remain on mine, unflinching, and when he speaks, his voice is quiet but firm.
“That is not the kind of woman who holds my interest.”
Something in his tone unsettles me. My fingers tighten around my glass, but I lift my chin, forcing my voice to steady.
"Oh? And whom do you favor, then?"
He leans in, slow, deliberate.Hungry.
"One who does not cower behind a mask," he murmurs, his voice sliding through me."One unafraid to be seen."
Something inside mefractures.The words land too deep, sink too far. This is no idle talk. No careless reply. It’s recognition.
And—gods help me—I feelseen.
I force myself to keep a level tone despite the storm raging inside me."Well,"I say, cocking my head,"it seems I am not the woman you seek to steal away into the night, either."
He exhales a quiet laugh, shaking his head slightly.
"I do not think you are one to be stolen at all."
I arch a brow."And what makes you so certain?"
His gaze does not waver. It presses into me, heavy as a hand against my skin, a force I cannot shake.
"Because,"he murmurs, his voice dipping low."One such as you does not give herself so easily. You are not seeking something fleeting."
My body quivers, hot and cold all at once.
"Is that so?" My voice is more harsh than I planned, but I do not step away.
Without hesitation, he steps forward again.
The distance vanishes—erased,obliterated.For a moment, I think he might kiss me. His breath is warm against my lips, his presence suffocating, and when he speaks, it is scarcely a whisper—words meant for me,onlyme.
"Something raw," he murmurs."Something real."
