“Don’t disappoint me.”
The heart that beat slowly in his chest seemed to tighten. He didn’t like the idea of disappointing the female. He had no idea why, but he didn’t question it. “I won’t.”
“Have the healer call me as soon as possible. If you cannot, then I expect to hear from you tomorrow. ”
“Of course.”
“You may go.”
He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket before heading back down the hall. He had a gypsy healer to find.
“You’re lovely when you sleep.”
Alice rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed. Cain was staring at her, but at least he wasn’t hovering six inches from her face. Thankfully the vampire never seemed to sleep, so she didn’t have to share the bed with him. Or if he did, he came to bed after she’d already crashed and was up before she woke. “You realize it’s slightly disturbing to know you watch me when I sleep, don’t you?”
“Of course not.” His eyes were soft as they ran across her body. “If I did, I wouldn’t think of doing it.”
She huffed a laugh. “That’s a lie. You do what you want. You’re a king, Cain. Kings aren’t known for subjugating their own needs for the benefit of others.”
Cain clucked his tongue at her. “I thought we’d moved past the hostile relationship.” Though he seemed to be teasing, she didn’t miss the note of longing in his voice.
Alice held his gaze and tried to figure out what it was the vampire wanted from her. Other than her blood, of course. They’d had many conversations, including the one in which he’d shared his history. And Alice would be lying if she said those conversations weren’t beginning to thaw her icy heart toward him. And damn if that didn’t annoy the hell out of her. How on earth could she sympathize with a vampire?
“You look conflicted.” He walked toward her and took a seat on the bed next to her. He left enough distance that they didn’t touch, and Alice wanted to kick herself for feeling a little bereft at the distance. When was the last time someone touched her out of affection and not in a perfunctory, business-like manner? A quick handshake or a brief touch on the shoulder from a colleague to get her attention. When was the last time she even went on a date? She couldn’t remember.
As if reading her mind, Cain lifted his hand and ran a thumb gently across her brow. “Why the look of frustration?” he asked softly.
Alice should have pulled away from his touch. She shouldn’t have leaned into it. What was wrong with her? He was the enemy. Right? There was no excuse for what he was doing to the innocent people lying unconscious in the large room. He was in collusion with the US government to create what she was certain was a super army. Why else would the government be interested in hybrid supernaturals? Perhaps she should just be honest with him. It’s not like she was going anywhere, and nothing she said would take away the value of her life to him. Cain wasn’t about to kill her. Unless he got his hand on another healer, of course. “I am conflicted. I want to hate you—not for what you are, but for what you’ve done, not just to Lizzy and Finn, but for all the evil you’ve inflicted on hundreds if not thousands of people over the course of your existence.”
Cain brushed her hair away from her face and tucked the chin-length bob behind her ear. “You want to hate me. Does that mean you don’t hate me?”
She sighed and threw her hands up before letting them drop helplessly beside her. “I don’t know what I feel. I’m human, and my humanity makes me appreciate life probably more than you do. I will die in fifty or so years. Everything in this life is fleeting for me. And because of that, it should be precious. For you, it’s endless. Nothing is precious because you have all the time in the world, so there’s no reason to appreciate the beauty before you or loathe the evil that might destroy that beauty. Maybe I shouldn’t hate you but pity you instead.”
His black eyes flashed with annoyance. “I don’t want your pity, Alice.”
“Then what do you want? Besides my blood?”
He leaned back, and she watched his jaw tighten. “I don’t know.” He shook his head and stood. “I thought I did. But then I got to know you. You’re brave, strong-willed, smart, and beautiful, and those are qualities that would tempt any man.”
“You’re not just a man,” she pointed out.
“No.” A look of disgust crossed his handsome face. “I’m a vampire, and our drive for blood eclipses the desire for anything else, even a mate. But there are exceptions to every rule. You seem to be the exception to more than one rule.”
Alice didn’t know what to say to that, so she simply stared back at him.
Cain cleared his throat and then walked toward the door. “Lizzy’s transition should be complete tomorrow, though it may take longer considering her wolf blood. I would appreciate it if you would check on her. She’s been in and out of consciousness all week.” He looked over his shoulder at Alice. “I know you’ve been studying the text I’ve given you, but checking on her shouldn’t take long. Please.”
The vamp king was gone, and the door closed before she could respond. “Who the hell was that?” Alice breathed out as she stared at the door. He had become more cordial with her, but this Cain was gentle and attempted to be respectful, as well. The vampire king wasn’t treating her like a captive. The woman in her couldn’t help but sit up and take notice of a handsome male showing interest in her.
Alice’s apparent new split personality was in a battle over her will. One part of her was telling her to ignore the negative qualities Cain had. I mean, every man had them, right? So he drank people’s blood and probably killed some of them over the years. She couldn’t exactly expect him to be an angel. The other personality wanted to slap herself and tell her to get her damn head out of the clouds, take off the heavily tinted rose-colored glasses, and remember he was a monster. He was a vampire that had some nefarious plan to take over the world. Or something along those lines. Nobody created an army because they wanted more people to cook for them or to have more options for dance partners. “Bloody hell, Alice.” She snapped at herself. Maybe she needed to test the food and drinks Cain had been bringing her for foreign substances. Or maybe he had one of his fae followers doing some sort of magic on her.
She shook her head as she stood up then picked out an outfit from her suitcase. She’d refused to unpack her things, even when Cain had practically commanded her to use half of the closet. Alice hadn’t liked the idea of her clothes being in the same space as his. As if his vampirism could somehow jump onto her garments. She rolled her eyes. “Get a grip, Alice,” she grumbled.
After she got dressed, washed her face, and brushed her teeth, Alice felt a little more like herself. She donned her lab coat, and it made her feel even more in control. She left the bedroom, hoping her mind wouldn’t spend the entire day fighting itself over the vampire king and his potential … not goodness, but maybe … less badness?
As she walked down the hall, Alice made a detour and walked through a part of the compound she’d yet to explore. Small offices ran down the hall, one after the other. Some were empty, but some held workers. What they were working on, who the heck knew? As she passed the last one in the hallway, she noticed a man sitting at a desk. The office was bare except for a laptop in front of him. There were no papers on his desk, and no pictures of anything on the wall. The man had a phone to his ear. She walked past and rounded a corner, but her feet came to a startling halt when she heard him speak.
“No, sir. I haven’t met her. Though I’ve heard Cain mention her. I imagine he keeps her locked up in the lab if she’s working on the hybrids.” He paused, most likely listening to the person on the other end. “He doesn’t suspect anything. As far as he’s concerned, I will be working as a lawyer to represent the best interest of the vampires and hybrids.”
