That’s…unexpected.
I pull out a bag and fill a wine glass. Cold blood that’s still living in the right ways is an acquired taste, and one I like.
“I had protein bars.”
I turn, glass halfway to my mouth, and I almost forget how to breathe.
The blonde curls have been slicked back, emphasizing the elegant angles of her face. The simple style change has given hera more refined, classic look, and the red shine of the satin, along with the black heels, completely erases the innocent fairytale façade and trades it for a dangerous edge. She looks more like she walked out of one of my most depraved fantasies and every bit the ruthless killer she is now.
“Turn around,” I say and motion for her to spin.
She narrows her eyes but does as asked, and I down my drink before making my way to her.
Undoing the choker is easy; it slips off into my hand, and her sharp, deep intake of air and sudden tension to her muscles tell me she’s feeling her strength return to its full potential.
I hope this decision doesn’t turn into one I regret. I want to be able to trust Elliot. I want to have her at my side.
“Who and what you are is your choice.” I trace the line of her spine from nape to waist. “If you cannot handle this freedom and the power it bestows, I will reattach the collar. I know you hate it, but I like the look of it on you.”
“Like a pet?”
“Like you’remine,” I whisper in her ear, and I don’t miss the shiver that races over her.
Reaching into my pocket, I slide the other choker around her throat, this one encrusted with diamonds, and lock it in place.
“What does this one do to me?”
“Apart from announce you belong to me? Not a damn thing.”
I pour her some blood, and she drinks it hungrily. I take the glass, put it down, and guide her closer to me.
Then I lick the lines of her lips, lapping up the blood. “You make blood even better, Elliot. Who the fuck thought you’d do that?”
Elliot turns from me and walks out of the kitchen, right as my phone beeps. Vittoria has arrived at the party already, and knowing her, is skulking around the edges, watching everyone there like a hawk that’s been honed by starvation.
We need to go.
I follow Elliot into the great room and call the elevator, punching the code.
She’s still silent as it arrives. As the doors open, I motion for her to enter, but she pauses at the entrance.
“Give me time, Lucian,” she says.
“Time?”
“To…be okay with this.” She steps inside. “It’s not something I signed up for. I just… I need time.”
The doors shut.
“I understand.”
Her blue eyes swing to me. “Do you really? Because I don’t think?—”
“I wasn’t given a choice in my turning either.”
She blinks. “You…?”
“None of us are born this way,” I say, casting my gaze onto the silver doors. The night I awoke a vampire was a long, long time ago, but you never forget the day you’re reborn. “The only difference is that you have me to guide you through the transition. Some of us weren’t given that luxury.”
