And hardly gothic at all.
Next to the sink, there is a selection of toiletries, all brand new in the packaging. These include a toothbrush, and I find my mind wandering to whether vampires clean their fangs. The rest of the selection are all high end and would, collectively, have cost more than my monthly salary.
I have no change of clothes, given all of mine were left in the hotel back in Budapest, but I know I could do with a shower, and there is a large, fluffy bathrobe hanging on the back of the bathroom door. So I shed what I was wearing and get the shower going. A waterfall of delicious hot water flows over me as I make good use of the expensive shampoo and conditioner, luxuriating in the incredible scent.
When I shut off the water, I’m aware of a noise in the room outside. Of course, I have no idea where my stake is, and without it, I am even more naked. I grab the robe and haul it on before grabbing the thing I can think of using as a weapon.
Cautiously, I crack the bathroom door and peer out.
There is something probably dangerous in the form of Dominik. He has his back to me as he rummages in the large dark wood wardrobe on the other side of the room.
It seems he has eschewed his usual suit for a pair of dark trousers and a ribbed sweater in a similar color. Unable to help myself, for a moment, I marvel at his wide shoulders and ogle how good his bum looks in the pants which cling in all the right places.
Agh! A lady as pregnant as me shouldnotbe having these sorts of thoughts. And the Van Helsing in me shouldabsolutely notbe having such thoughts about avampire.
“Did you sleep well, Lucy?” Dominik asks, without turning around.
Bat ears.
“Did you bring me here?” I demand, ignoring his question.
“I was hardly going to let my guest sleep on the couch.” He turns to face me. “And I didn’t think you’d want the coffin.” Dominik grins at me, all fang.
If I harbored thoughts about him being handsome yesterday, I am simply floored by how he looks today. His hair is neat again, his cheekbones sharper than ever, his eyes piercing and…is that a smattering of a shadow on his jaw? If I was wearing any, I can guarantee my knickers would have melted.
“I was unable to get your luggage, so I have had a few items brought here which you might want to wear.” He looks me up and down.
I realize that while he’s sex-on-legs, I have my wet hair plastered to my scalp, a bathrobe which is two sizes too big for me, and I’m holding the toothbrush in my hand, shaft out, like it would be a possible weapon against a vampire as powerful as Dominik.
“I was…taking a shower,” I say lamely.
His gaze heats, and I’m instantly reminded of the kiss we shared.
“I need to clean my teeth,” I blurt out and dive back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it.
Why should I even care what Dominik thinks of me, what he sees when he looks at me? He’s a vampire. I made a deal with him, that’s all. What it means in the cold light of day, I’m somehow not sure. What I do know is I have few options other than to throw my lot in with the most dangerous vampire of them all.
And once I do this, there is no going back. No going home. No return to the bosom of my family. My uncle has made that very clear.
Whatever happens now, it would appear my life is here, with the vampire king.
Dominik
I don’t thinkI’ve left a room faster in my life. The scent of her.The scent of her!
If I hadn’t left when I did, I could not have been responsible for my actions. My fangs ache, my skin where it has been burned by the sun, itches. I scratch at my chin and find there are bristles where there are usually none.
And as for the rest of my anatomy, my cock wants to be sheathed in her in a way I haven’t felt since I was human. A deep down desperation which can only be sated by sinking into Lucy.
It’s a desire always masked by the hunger. But I haven’t felt hunger in a long, long time.
Today I feel something else entirely. I need Lucy Cushing like I needed the after-life giving blood when I was first turned. I need her and her child. I need to be with her as she grows ripe and round. I need to be by her side as she gives birth and holds a live human child in her arms.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything as much as I want her. All my business, all the life I’ve built up over the centuries—it is naught compared to the bone deep need I have to be part of Lucy’s life.
She is my all.
I lean back against the wall outside her door and close my eyes, trying to get my body and my mind back under control.
