“What?” I interrupted him, dismayed. “You can hear my heartbeat?”
He nodded. “Of course, I told you I have exceptional hearing.”
My cheeks bloomed, I floated my eyes to the ground and swallowed heavily.
“You have no need to be embarrassed, Amelia. It’s a natural response your kind has to us.”
With lingering dismay, I asked, “What happens exactly when you hear our heart rate increase?”
Lines creased his forehead, he looked across the property as if considering his response. After some delay he looked back. “Our predatory drive kicks in. It’s instinctual. When I hear it increase and smell the pheromones your body gives off, I have to control the urge to . . .” he paused. “I will not hurt you, I told you that.”
I was aghast. “You can smell my body’s response, too?”
“Yes, I can smell your fear, your desire, your anger, it releases differing pheromones.”
All those times I’d been attracted to him, he knew. I gulped down the knowledge and wished in that moment the ground would open up and swallow me. I felt the color enhance in my face until I knew I could easily see myself as the stop signal at any traffic light.
“Well, can you not do that!” I snapped. Keen to pry myself from the mortification, I strode towards the house.
“It’s not like I can help it,” he said, barely restraining laughter.
I was moving at a good pace, but he took long sloping strides and caught up. We stepped inside, the smell of soup permeated the air. My belly growled.
“Lunch is ready, you need to eat.”
“What, can you smell that too?”
“I heard your belly rumble,” he answered, “and if your mood is any indication, some food would not go astray.”
I shot him a look made of frozen ice.
“Go through.” He indicated to the dining room, smiling.
The smile warmed the depths of my body.
Chapter 42
Dinner with Vampires
The dream was beautiful—at first.
Karson stood dressed in a suit at the bottom of the stairs. I walked down, wearing a white floaty gown. He looked up and smiled. I felt my heart race and my knees weaken at the sight of him. Then, suddenly I was falling, rushing, spiralling wildly toward him. He leapt through the air to catch me, but now the smile was gone and in its place was a predatory hunger. His eyes glowed red-orange, as if fire lived inside, and his fangs sliced through the pale light and came at my neck.
I jerked awake and then I caught a glimpse of a figure at the end of my bed. I erupted into a seated position, my fists balled, wild eyed.
Karson said casually, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
My hands flew to my thrumming heart. “Christ, Karson, how long have you been standing there for? Don’t you know how to knock?”
“Long enough to see you had a nightmare. And, given you are sleeping in my room, I didn’t think I’d have to knock.”
His room? No wonder I could smell him on the sheets. I groaned, swung my legs over the side and climbed to my feet. “Sorry. I didn’t know it was your room.”
“It does not matter, you’re going home later tonight, I just came to tell you dinner will be served shortly.”
“Dinner? What time is it?” I glanced out the window, surprised to see the sun was caught in mid-balance over the hills in the distance. I rubbed my eyes with the balls of my hands and yawned.
“Seven. Dinner is at seven-thirty. Come down when you have freshened.”
