The dining room itself was dark with chandeliers hanging above. All the lights had been dimmed for a more romantic vibe, I guessed. Windows spanned behind Atlas, all of them covered with vines, dark enough to block out the setting sun.
It was quiet. No conversation except for theirs.
We were cast off to the side, our backs against the wall as we watched, neither of them really paying attention to us.
“Is the council still restricting your clan intake?” Charlotte asked, turning to the human waiting at her side. She grabbed his wrist, already open and bleeding, and she placed her lips on it to suck a few mouthfuls.
Vesper shifted at my side, her arm just barely brushing across mine. It caused a jolt to go through my heart, something that didn't go unnoticed by the vampires. Atlas gave me a look as if asking me to control my reactions.
I tried not to look at Vesper. At least not until I was able to get us out of this room. I was barely holding on, and I feared that if I gave her even a single glance, I would lose my composure.
But that didn't stop me from leaning into her.
“They will probably do that until the day I die,” she muttered and lifted her cup for the human on her side to pour her blood in. “The curse of attracting Kyan’s attention.”
Charlotte dabbed at her mouth with a napkin in a mock show of table manners.
Vesper's hand reached out just slightly, the tips of her fingers brushing against the back of my hand. Electricity jolted through me again.
“Addressing the council head so casually? Aren’t you afraid of how she may react when it gets back to her?”
Atlas scoffed. “She can’t kill me. That’s why she’s punishing me like this.”
Charlotte hummed, though Atlas’s importance in the vampire community didn’t seem to be as much of a shock to her as it had been to me.
Fuck her.
Atlas was the one who got us into the room we were in now. The only chance we had to take Vesper back. But she was also thereason she was here in the first place. Atlas was apparently from some special background, and even the council wouldn’t kill her, but she couldn't stand up for Vesper?
I grew a little bit bolder. My hand reached out to Vesper’s, but I was much too fast. She stiffened and jerked away, almost as if on reflex, and I finally took the moment to look at her, unable to stop myself anymore.
The vampire conversation drifted to the background as I got a good look at her for the first time in weeks.
She had changed since she was last dragged from the sanctuary of Atlas’s home. She had grown taller, her hair was whiter, her scars were still embedded in her skin, but they looked deeper, more prominent.
And, of course, the biggest change, the eyes that were slowly reddening the longer we stared at each other. The tension between us was undeniable. The electricity from where our skin touched still singed.
I couldn't handle it anymore.
I looked around, noticing an exit not far behind us. I took one look at Atlas, but her eyes were already on me as she gave me a subtle nod.
Finally.I wasn't going to take this opening for granted.
Charlotte twisted her head, like she was listening in, but did nothing to stop me as I grabbed Vesper’s wrist and pulled her along with me out the door.
As soon as we were out, I looked for a quick place to hide. The hallway itself had even more windows alongside it, causing me to feel exposed. The sun was setting and the hallway was darkening, but I needed to get us out of sight. Even just for a moment.
“Cedar, I can’t be running?—”
Found it.
Almost unnoticeable, but there was a small alcove covered by a tapestry. We would barely fit, but it would give us the illusion of privacy, and that was enough for me.
I pushed us into it, forcing Vesper against the wall. Her eyes glowed in the darkness. I inhaled deeply, taking in her scent, and even that had changed slightly. But I could tell this was still her. Beyond any doubt, the person in front of me was the Vesper I fell in love with.
“Cedar, I’m not… This is…”
She was afraid. Her eyes darted around, unable to keep them on me for long. The once powerful and feared hunter was now averting her gaze and looking like she wanted to run away from me.
