I slap his hand away. “Do not touch me!”
“He must have passed in his sleep,” he goes on gently. “He was lying on the mattress covered by a blanket. He seemed peaceful.”
Sobs wrench through my chest, the sorrow gripping me too much to handle. My knees wobble from the forceof it. “When?” I reach for the wall and lean against it. “When could this have happened?”
“It couldn’t have been too long ago—”
Anger flaring, my head whips his way. “Not too long ago? Do you mean like two nights ago? The same night that I wanted to go see him, butyoustopped me and brought me back here?”
His eyes widen.
“I could have seen him before he died.” My vision blurs as more tears fall, but they don’t cool down my rage. “You bastard! I could’ve helped him! He needed me and I wasn’t there.”
I throw myself at him, fists pounding at his solid chest. I don’t care. I strike him with all my might. “He needed me!”
His hands try to block my blows, but I’m flailing wildly. Blindly. Releasing all my hatred, pain, and grief. I should’ve never trusted him. I shouldn’t have listened.
“He can’t be dead!” I scream over and over as my fists pound at him. “He can’t! He can’t!”
“Haven, please.”
“You arejustlike Henri,” I spit, pronouncing every word on its own to give them even more power. “Just like him.”
Avrum’s face changes before my eyes. His pupils dilate, growing larger and larger until nothing is left of his eyes except complete blackness. The corners of his mouth twitch, pulling back and exposing two sharpened canine teeth. A feral snarl escapes his throat.
I freeze in horror.
His hands snatch my wrists with unnatural speed, andhe throws his weight against me, slamming my body against the wall. He holds me firmly in place with my hands above my head, black eyes searing into me.
I jerk my arms to try and get free, but his grip only tightens. This is the Avrum I know.
Panic quickens my pulse, and he when he peers down at me hungrily, I turn rigid. He dips his head, his mouth hovering near the curve of my neck, and goosebumps leap across my skin.
This is it. He’s going to feed from me.
I kick out, landing a few sharp blows to his knees, but he doesn’t appear fazed. It does nothing to deter him or loosen his grip on me. He only growls, his lips vibrating against my skin.
Not knowing what else to do, I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the piecing pain of his fangs in my throat.
“You think I’m like Henri,” he says, his voice coming out in a low rumble. “I can be like Henri. I can tie you to my bed, just like this.” His fingers squeeze my wrists together. Pain shoots down my arms, making me whimper. “I can have my way with you whenever I please.”
He runs his soft lips from my shoulder to my jaw, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. I twist under him and suck in a sharp breath.
“I can leave you scarred and bruised. Drink from you until I’ve had my fill.” His fangs scrape against me, and I tremble all over. “I could kill you easily. Even now.”
“Do it then. Kill me,” I say through gritted teeth. “I have nothing more to live for, Avrum. Kill me. Get it over with. Please.”
That’s when Avrum lifts his head and our gazes lock.Slowly, his eyes return to their normal soft brown color. He releases me, and his attention drops to my parted lips.
To my complete surprise, desire hums through me at the heated look he pins me with. My heartbeat gallops, and I’m hot all over. I hold my breath as his hand slides up my arm and tangles in my hair. Pulling back gently, his mouth presses against mine with such desperation that it steals my breath away. His body softens, the anger gone, and when his tongue runs along the seam of my lips, they automatically open for him. He takes his time kissing me, his movements never rough, only tender and full of need. Little explosions of heat erupt in the center of my belly, and my every other worry and thought leaves me at once. There’s just him and me.
When he pulls back, he leans his forehead against mine. “I would never do any of those terrible things to you,” he whispers. “I’ll never hurt you.”
“I know,” I reply. “I should have never said it.”
“I need you here, Haven. I need you here with me.”
My heart clenches. He isn’t like Henri at all. His touches are gentle and slow, full of compassion and understanding. He’s doing everything he can to help me escape my capture, for the simple reason of him caring.
