Glancing around to make sure I was still alone, and no one heard that, I grabbed one of the fancy ceramic plates near it and placed one of the cut triangles on it. I’d never seen food shaped like this, so I turned it from side to side just to make sure it was ready to eat.
An explosion of flavors hit my tongue with the first bite, the bread surprisingly crispy at the bottom despite the hot, melted ingredients on top. Unfortunately, the heaviness in my soul tainted the delicious experience, and after the third bite, I pushed the plate aside, resting my forearms on the cold stone counter.
A million thoughts ran through my head, tormenting me. I’d grown up believing Vampires were the creatures of nightmares. All I’d ever wanted was to join the Hunters and take revenge on the monsters that took my parents from me… but now that I was here and saw Vampires with my own eyes—the ones who saved my life for reasons I still couldn’t fathom—I wasn’t exactly suretheywere the monsters.
After witnessing the hurt my words inflicted on Vanessa, I suspected my entire life may have been a lie.
“You should eat more, you need the strength,” D’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I glanced up to find him across from me.
Under the bright lights, I could see him as clear as day. He stood by the sofa, still wearing the cream-colored sweater from earlier, which greatly flattered his caramel-tanned skin and his hazel eyes. Both hands were plunged into the front pockets of hisdark jeans, unlaced boots on his feet while he observed me like he was trying to decipher the mystery of me.
My gaze swept his body briefly, paying attention to his wellbeing for the first time, after truly acknowledging what he’d done for me. No more claw marks sliced his skin, not on his jaw, neck, or even on the visible area of his forearms.
The sleeves he’d pushed up to his elbows showed the tattoos that he chose for life, but they were no longer cut up, his body had fully mended from the attack. Unexpected relief coursed through me, followed by intrigue. Sadly, I still couldn’t make out the figures that extended over his arm.
“You look well,” I offered in a low, contrite voice. “I’m glad you recovered from the attack.”
His guarded demeanor changed with my words, though confusion lingered in his expression. “I did… Thanks to my sister.”
My gut squeezed with the hurt in his voice as he mentioned Vanessa. “D, I?—”
“Listen, I understand this is difficult for you,” he interrupted. “I can’t even imagine the trauma you are going through after what happened with your pack… with your uncle. I know it’s not easy to be pulled from the only place you’ve ever called home, by people you don’t even know, and the worst part is that I can’t even offer you an explanation, not yet. All I can say, is that Ihadto do what I did, Natasha. I had to save your life.”
I nodded, the agony of my uncle’s death sentence constricting my throat and stopping the words that should have spilled freely.Thank you for saving my life…
Sensing my distress, D walked toward me, and my pulse suddenly began to race, remembering the way it felt when he was near. His fingers gently brushed my cheek as he cradled it in his hand, and I fully stopped breathing when he gently curled a finger under my chin to lift it so I would look at him.
His hypnotizing presence and the unexpected warmth from his touch instantly captured me, and though my logical mind ordered me to pull away from the enticingly dangerous Vampire, my wolf only wished we were closer.
Had she lost her furry mind? He was a Vampire!
The second his scent reached my nose, I lost what little reason I had left, and my lips slightly parted, tingling with the need to feel his again.
D’s gaze darkened as it fell to my lips, and his jaw tensed, as though he was painfully aware of my response to him and was fighting himself not to claim everything he craved from me.
Somehow, I found the strength to lean back, his hand falling from my cheek and breaking the effortless influence he had on me.
“Caralho.”The curse swirled under his breath before he stepped back, making it seem like maybe, I had the same effect over him. Rubbing both hands over his face, D sighed. “Here is the thing… I’m not the only one who put it all on the line to get you out of there. So, no matter what you’ve been told, you cannevercall my sister that again. Do you understand?”
The underlined anger and protectiveness churning inside him engulfed his words, but I didn’t need him to explain.
“I won’t,” I answered, lowering my gaze to my hands.
His heated gaze hovered over my body for a few more seconds, and I could feel it as strongly as his touch. When I glanced up, he was walking out of the room and into the hallway, but before the shadows obscured him from me, D stopped.
“We don’t do that here, okay?” he called over his shoulder, not turning to look at me.
“What?” I asked, my breath raggedly resuming.
“Hurt each other…”
With that, D went into the darkness, walking away from me.
Lights sparkled all around me as I stood on the balcony, yet unlike in my mountain, they didn’t come from the stars. There were no stars here, only buildings so tall that they hid the sky.
It was well beyond midnight now, and although most humans were asleep, cars and people could still be heard through the city. Tonight, I joined the nocturnal souls, unable to find rest… unable to find peace.
Another lightning bolt illuminated the ground, its following thunder making the buildings tremble as though they feared the Moon Goddess’ wrath. Sure, there was no true goddess, but her tears still fell over the city, the droplets dampening my skin while my worry for Isis grew as strong as the storm.
