“Lailah, is it?”
His voice is soft, yet edged with something that makes my skin prickle.
Like he alreadyknowsme. Like he’s only confirming what he’s always known.
I tighten my jaw, fighting to regain control, to ground myself, but the chasm is still shrinking—or maybe it was never there at all. His gazesearches mine, dark and consuming, pulling apart every last thread of my resolve.He looks at me like I belong to him.
He leans in, just slightly. Barely an inch. But Ifeelit.
He brushes against my skin, charged and electric, and my body reacts before my mind can stop it.
Then—he hums.
A quiet, satisfied sound,approving.
It shakes something deep inside me.
My pulse is a frantic rhythm beneath my skin, each beat screaming at me to move, to breathe, todo something. But I just stand there. Overwhelmed.Undone.Shuddering as I try to hold myself together.
“I have to go.”
The words barely escape my lips, more breath than sound. But he hears them. Iknowhe does.
The faintest flicker of something crosses his face—something just out of reach, gone as quickly as it came. His stillness unsettles me.
I take a step back, my fingers curled into my palms.
Then another. And then, I turn.
As I walk toward Sera, I feel his eyes on me, burning into my back, his presence still lingering, almost suffocating, as I make my way across the room. I reach Sera, my heart still pounding, and without a word, she grabs my hand and twirls me around. Her carefree energy pulls me in instantly.
“Well, look at you,” she teases, her laughter light. I roll my eyes, trying to play it off.
“Shut up,” I mutter.
She giggles and twirls within my embrace, clearly amused.
“He looked like he tasted delicious,” she says, glancing over her shoulder with a sly smile.
I shake my head. “I think we’re more his taste than he is ours,” I reply, keeping my voice light. Sera pulls her brows together, processing my words. Then, her eyes widen as realization hits.
“He’s a vampire?”
I press a finger to my lips, shushing her. “Don’t say that out loud,”I warn, but she’s already slipped her arm through mine, her grin widening.
“Good for you.”
“Stop it,” I reply, trying to stay composed as the heat rises in my cheeks.
Sera grins, unbothered.
“I’d let any male, or vampire, who looks like that take a bite,” she says, her tone playful, but a little too serious for my liking.
I roll my eyes again, the flush in my cheeks deepening. As we walk toward the entrance of the tavern, I can’t help but feel her eyes on me.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it?” she asks, placing her arm around my shoulders.
I glance at her, not sure how to answer.
