The vampire’s eyes flared, his face paling to the color of his hair, as he whimpered.
Karson leaned down and snarled, “You will not touch any witch, not tonight, Ryan, and not any night in the future, unless I order it. Or the next bones I break won’t be merely your fingers.” Karson tightened his grip.
Sweat beading on Ryan’s forehead, he nodded frantically. “Alright, alright. I won’t, I’m sorry. You know I serve you,” he whined pitifully. “I will do as you please.”
Karson released his hand.
The vampire stood staring at him, wide-eyed, his deformed fingers hanging limply by his side, waiting for his command.
“Get out of my sight,” Karson said casually, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Before my temper gets the better of me.”
Ryan bowed his head and backed away, before scurrying off, his shoulders jerking each time he yanked a finger back into position.
Michael, Monique, and Kenneth stood by the bar drinking. Monique’s glass paused halfway to her mouth when she sawhim. Was that trepidation he saw on her face? His face, in contrast, was a mask. But Monique knew him well; she could sense his temper. From her years of abuse, she was highly tuned to impending disasters. Like a bird could sense a volcanic eruption.
He scanned the room and bodies writhing on the dancefloor. He spotted Josh and Georgie dancing amongst them. What was Georgie doing here? His stomach knotted, and he immediately hunted the room, jaw tight.
His body jolted to a stop at the sight of her. Dressed in a white gown, she looked like an angel sent to him from heaven. He had spent his whole life drowning his emotions to a place so deep no one could find them. Then he’d locked eyes with her and he’d chosen to drown in them instead.
His ruination.
His nemesis.
His love.
And she was not wearing her fucking ring.
She was going to be the death of him.
Chapter 58
A Picture Of Darkness
Karson’s eyes were dark, so dark I almost stepped back. Then they changed and I saw relief, guilt, and something softer. It all flashed through so fast I barely had time to register it. Then his face was back to steel.
Dressed all in black, he was a picture of darkness. A black shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and chest. His thick, dark hair was combed back. The light from the club bounced across the sharp edges of his jaw and swooped over his Adam’s apple. His gaze struck me like a bolt of lightning. My heart stopped beating. It might sound clichéd, but it turned out the cliché was true, because his beauty hit me so hard my knees almost buckled.
It had only been two days since I’d seen him, but it felt like a lifetime. I wanted to run to him, throw my arms around his neck, kiss his lips, bury my face into his chest. I wanted to have my body spark to life against his, to hold him and never let him go. He was the one I would spend the rest of my life with. I could feel the pull to go to him like the night sang for the stars. We felt fated to be, our darkness and our light dancing for an eternity. Binary stars.
But his face was stone again, not a whisp of emotion. He had a role to play and so I’d play mine. Which was just to be me. I smiled, and he just stared as if he couldn’t believe I was here.
“Hey,” I said softly, knowing my voice would reach his ears.
He blinked, taking a step toward me. My heart charged forward again.
A tall, well-dressed, dark-haired man bounced between us, greeting him enthusiastically, kissing both of his cheeks and slapping his back. They began to talk, Karson’s attention focused on the man. He couldn’t show his love, not in a room full of vampires. My shoulders sagged, my chest aching with the absence of his presence. The moment I imagined we’d share was broken.
The photographer would have to wait, wherever he was.
“Let’s dance.” Ethan stood abruptly, placing his arm around my back and guiding me to the dancefloor. We moved close to Georgie and Josh. She smiled at us, and I forced one back as we started to dance. A love song slowed the dancing. Josh placed his arms on Georgie’s hips, she put hers around his back, and they swayed from side to side. She laughed at something he said. They looked good together. He’d be good for her. He was thoughtful, and kind, the type of guy you felt safe with, the type who would never let you down. Shame he wasn’t attracted to women.
Ethan wrapped his arms around the small of my back. “You doing alright,” he murmured into my hair.
My gaze drifted to Karson, Monique, and the others who had joined in the conversation with the man. I dragged my eyes away. “Never better.” I brightened my tone.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
I eased back a little, blanked my emotions and my face, and cocked an eyebrow. “Better?”
