“How long have you had this condition?”
Draven let out a sigh, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “It’s been many years,” he began. “I am forced to be confined indoors during the day, unable to step out into the sun’s rays without suffering the consequences. Occasionally, during winter’s embrace, when the sky is covered with thick clouds, I can steal a fleeting moment outdoors. Though the warmth of the sun on my skin … it has been a long time since I have felt that.”
His confession hung in the air, heavy with the weight of years of solitude and isolation. I felt a pang of sympathy for him. Imagining the loneliness he must have endured, confined in the shadows while the world basked in the light of day.
“I cannot imagine how difficult that must be,” I murmured. “To be denied something so simple, yet so essential.” I grasped his hand in mine, noting the sun-kissed tan of my skin from months spent in the garden. As our fingers intertwined, I couldn’t help but notice how his hands matched the soft hue of the porcelain tub.
“I have grown accustomed to it. But sometimes, I long to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin again, if only for a moment.”
He brushed his thumb over mine.
“Having you here has made it all more bearable. Before I met you, I did not realize how plagued I was by the absence of light, how I was stewing in the darkness. But with you in my life, I have begun tofeelagain, and for the first time, I feel like I am in the sun.”
I squeezed his hand, a rush of affection rising in my chest. Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his, my fingers slipping into his hair as he pulled me closer.
“My heart,” Draven murmured against my lips. “You have my heart completely, Rosalia. It is yours.” His lips continued along the curve of my neck. “You have become the light in my life, the one person who brings warmth into my world.”
I met his gaze, my heart aching with the weight of everything I felt. I took a steadying breath, my voice trembling. “Draven, I feel I am falling in love with you.” In an instant, he swept me up in his arms, his lips crashing against mine.
Stepping out of the tub, he carried me to the bed. That night marked the beginning of our journey together, the moment when my heart found its home in his.
TWENTY-THREE
January 14, 2010
“Hello?” Connor’s voice sounded sleepy. Granted, I called him at two in the morning: I always forgot that humans slept at night. As soon as I heard Vail busy with her work, I locked myself in the bedroom to call Connor.
I debated for a second just hanging up the phone and calling him back in the morning but instead I said, “Hi, it’s Rose.”
“Hey, Rose, how’s it going?” Connor’s voice perked up, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of sheets rustling.
“I can call you back at a different time if you were asleep.”
“No, don’t hang up,” Connor said, sounding eager. “I’ve missed your voice.” His tone shifted, turning sultry and husky. “I can’t stop thinking about the other night.”
“Me too,” I confessed.
We lingered in a moment of silence, both caught up in our memories. Finally, I shook off the haze and decided to get to the point.
“I need to ask you something. Do you know someone named Ryley?”
“Ryley? I don’t think I know a Ryley. Why?”
“Someone I know mentioned him, and he seemed a bit sketchy,” I said, keeping my tone light, as I pictured his dead body contorted in his apartment living room.
“Sketchy how?”
“They didn’t go into detail, but I got the impression he’s not someone you’d want to cross paths with.” I was searching for the right words, “I figured you might have heard something … considering your field of work.”
“Well, if he’s a vampire, then I’m sure Sam knows about him. I’ll ask next time I see him.”
“Thanks, Connor.” I hoped that his digging would shed some light on what the fuck happened the other day and if his friends knew about another witch in town.
“I’ve been thinking,” Connor started. “What are you doing in four hours?”
“Umm, sleeping?” I responded with what I thought was an appropriate human response.
“Well, do you want to go on a date with me?”
