“Somewhere around two hundred and fifty. I did notkeep count.” Declan bristled as he shoved his hands into his pockets—mostly to stop himself from pouring more whiskey. “I have not killed a human in over two hundred years. Nor will I ever do so again.”
The look she gave him was one of pure disbelief, and he took several steps forward until she stiffened, and then he dropped to his knees. “Riley, look me in the eyes.”
“Why? So you can glamour me, and I’ll forget all about this?” Fixing her gaze on the fire, she huffed out a breath. “I won’t make that mistake a second time.”
“I swear on my mother’s soul, I will never glamour you again.”
Whether his words or the seriousness of his tone, she appeared to believe him, for she slowly turned her head. Her lower lip wobbled slightly until she captured it between her teeth again.
“The bastard who made me tortured and killed hundreds—perhaps thousands—in his time. I left him as soon as I was strong enough, found others he had made, then abandoned, and we rose up against him. Six of us ended his existence together. Not long after, I purchased this castle.”
“Why?”
Declan furrowed his brow, “I do not understand.”
“Why would you want to live—err—exist—somewhere so many people were tortured?” She shuddered and glanced towards the basement stairs. “You sleep one floor away from…that.”
“I sleep a floor away from where I reclaimed some semblance of…humanity. Where I saved others from his depravity. He hunted witches, in particular. Experimented on them. He thought, perhaps, there was a way to absorb their magic. When we ended him, he had three imprisoned. One died in the battle—saving me. The other two, once freed, lived long lives outside of Galway.”
Riley fiddled with the edge of the blanket, running her delicate fingers over the wool. “More than two hundred years?”
“A vampire’s control grows with every passing year. As does their strength. I learned how often I needed blood. How to listen to a human’s heartbeat so I could always stop feeding before they suffered. And I tried to teach others. Even the animals who took you.”
“You weren’t a very good teacher, then,” she said with a snort.
A hot prickle of anger and frustration burst over his skin, and his heart thumped several times in his chest. “I fought with him to stop the killing. To only take what we needed, when we needed it, and to leave the humans blissfully unaware, and whole. Minus a small blood donation. But Patrick—the gang’s leader—refused to entertain the notion. Several weeks later, one of the other vampires—a male Patrick had sired but who hated killing—warned me Patrick was planning to force me to take the life of another human. Possibly many more humans.”
“How?” Riley whispered.
Declan’s lips twisted into a snarl. “By chaining me in silver and starving me until I was feral. Then throwing a human at my feet.”
Riley shuddered and stifled a small noise. Fuck, he wanted to touch her. To hold her and comfort her. But from the horror in her eyes, she thought him a monster. Which…he was.
“I confronted him half an hour before sunrise. Beat the shite out of him and left him where he’d barely be able to make it to cover before being burned to a crisp. He lived, but swore if I ever set foot in his territory again, he would find a way to end me.”
Riley swallowed hard and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “And you did that. Last night. To save me.”
Nodding, Declan eased onto the settee, keeping as much distance as possible between him and the beautiful human. “When is your flight back to America?”
Riley worried the edges of the blanket between nervous fingers. “In five days. Why?”
“I am not certain you are safe in Dublin. Between my involvement in freeing you and…what happened when Patrick and his clan fed from you, I fear for your life, Riley.”
“I don’t understand what happened. Hell, I don’t understand anything since I walked into your basement.” She ran a hand through her black curls, and Declan caught a whiff of his shampoo. He liked the scent on her. He liked everything about this woman.
“I will tell you what I know, but first, I must ask…what do you remember?”
* * *
Riley
She didn’t want to remember. Any of it. This trip was supposed to be fun. The last bit of fun she’d have before the end. And in four days, she’d been followed, attacked, andfed from.
“Riley, luv. Nothing will happen to you here. My defenses are the best money can buy. And I am one of the older vampires in Dublin. With age comes strength and speed. You are safe with me.”
“Except…you fed from me. How long until you do that again?” She wanted to scoot back, farther away from him, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. And even if there were, he could catch her. His conflicted expression drew a sigh from her lips. “Soon?”
“I will not feed from you unless you were to allow it. There will be a tour this evening, and I can find someone else.” He reached out to skim his knuckle down her arm. “I admit I do not wish to do so. There is something special about you, and I…I have not felt this strong of a connection with another…ever.”
