Prologue
“Nothing will ever be the same again.” ~Alice
Alice drifted in and out of consciousness, catching snippets of conversation around her. She heard Cain's voice, tight with worry, as he argued with someone.
"I don't care what you think. Fix her!"
Alice wanted to tell him she was okay, that she just needed rest, but she couldn't make her lips move. A cool hand brushed her cheek.
"Just hang on, Alice. I've got you."
The touch wasn’t familiar, and yet she wanted to cling to it like a life preserver. The thought chilled her because she shouldn’twantto hold fast to Cain. But it didn’t stop her. Something inside her reached out to him, using his touch as an anchor to pull her up out of the darkness.
With great effort, Alice peeled her eyes open. The room swam before finally settling into focus. She was in a massive bedroom, one she immediately recognized as belonging to the vampire king. Cain sat beside her, his elbows braced on his knees, head bowed. He looked up when she stirred, relief washing over his face.
"There's my girl," he said softly. "How do you feel?"
His girl?Alice blinked, trying to get her bearings. She didn’t have the strength to question the strange, possessive words. "Weak. Tired." Her voice came out a hoarse whisper. She lifted a shaky hand to her neck, feeling the bandage there, then everything came flooding back. She remembered Claude sinking his teeth into her flesh. The burst of pain. Cain forcing her to drink his blood.
Blood. The tang of it lingered on her tongue, mixed now with the metallic taste of fear.
Her brow furrowed as reality rushed over her. "Am I…"
She couldn't make herself say the word. She couldn't give voice to the possibility. How could she deal with the reality of being a… Cain took her hand in both of his, enveloping it in the strength that came from one of his kind. She wondered briefly if he had to temper that strength in order to keep from harming her.
"You're still you, but just becoming more," he said firmly. "Just rest and heal. We'll deal with everything else later."
Alice searched his face, looking for any deceit, but she found only sincerity. He meant what he said. She was still herself, but was she still human? Cain said “more.” In her mind, “more” in this context meant monster. So even though she stillfelthuman, she wasn’t. But what could be done about it now? She leaned back against the pillows, and though exhaustion crept over her, there were still questions burning through the fog in her mind.
"Claude?"
Cain's jaw tightened. "Gone."
There was barely leashed violence in that word. Alice didn't doubt he would tear Claude apart if given the chance.
"And Finn? Lizzy? You have to let them go. They don’t deserve this."
"Shh." Cain squeezed her hand. "We'll deal with all of it soon. Just get your strength back first."
He was right. She could barely keep her eyes open as it was. The questions could wait. But there was one more thing she needed to say before sleep claimed her.
"Thank you," she whispered, "for saving me." Alice felt this strange urge to throw herself in his arms, as if that’s where she belonged, had always belonged. For so long, she’d felt like she was on the outside looking in. Allowing herself to be held by him would at least give her a sense of being tethered, attached to someone or something. But to be attached to a being like Cain felt wrong. How could someone be both right and wrong at the same time?
Cain's expression softened. He reached out to graze her cheek with his knuckles. "I'll always save you, Alice. Always."
ChapterOne
“Could somebody please pinch me? Or better yet, just hit me in the face with a two-by-four and make sure this isn’t just a bad dream.” ~Alice
The next few days were a blur of sleep and wakefulness. Cain barely left her side. He cared for her gently, changing her bandages and ensuring she ate. It was as if the Cain she’d met that very first day she’d arrived—the vampire king—had been replaced with someone else entirely. At night he held her close, keeping vigil and guarding her as she slept. And she let him. Alice craved his presence. In his arms, the horrors of Claude’s attack faded away. And that was disturbing because the sharp teeth that Claude had used to pierce her skin were strikingly similar to the one’s in Cain’s mouth. But when Cain touched her, it was with care, not malice. When he came near to her face it was to check that the wound was healing, not to tear her throat.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked one evening when she finally felt like speaking. Her voice was hoarse from lack of use.
“Doing what?” Cain set a half-full cup of water on the bedside table.
“Feeding me, tending to my wound, pulling up my covers.” She pointed to his hands which now held the end of the blanket. “Why are you taking care of me?” Alice didn’t understandthisCain.ThisCain wasn’t a vampire; he was amanoffering help to a woman he seemed to care for.
Cain sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed stray strands of hair away from her face. “I’m doing this because Iwantto. It’s as simple as that.” His voice was rough with emotion. “I want to protect you from the ugliness of my world.” He shook his head and dropped his eyes as his jaw clenched. “I failed to do that when Claude attacked you. I will never fail again.” He raised his gaze back to hers. “I’m truly sorry for what you endured, Alice.”
