The lounge areawas warmly lit, the tall windows painted with strokes of rain pouring down against the glass. The sound could lull me to sleep as I sat alone on a decorative chaise. I had not seen Phoebe since the garden. I imagined she was displeased with me at the moment. Eyes shifted at me nervously as people bustled about, drinking and coming together to continue their hearsay.
The energy of those shifting gazes changed when a tall figure moved through the crowd, seating himself next to me.
“Now, why would a pretty girl like you be sitting by herself? It sounds like a waste of good company,” Silas whispered playfully.
Curious glimpses were stolen by the people around us, but I could only look at him.
“Well, I figured it was the best way for everyone to keep their heads,” I said sarcastically, clinking my glass against his before letting the rest of the scotch slip down my throat. “People are avoiding me like the plague.”
“Oh, that is because I told them that you were carrying my demon spawn and also secretly engaged to me.” He smirked.
“So you heard the rumors too, I take it?”
“Of course! I started a few of my own. I felt like I was missing out,” he joked. “Half of them did not sound terrible.”
“I like the one about me being a witch. I think it was the one with the most conviction. The apothecary? Are people losing their heads? A devilish man following me around like my personal henchman? I would say that it is a very strong possibility.”
“Well, you have certainly bewitched me.” He laughed. “Any more tricks up your sleeve? Any of your specialpotionsleft to try?”
“Keep it up and maybe I will make one just for you.Again.”
“I quite like your poisons. I have acquired a taste for them.” He leaned close to my ear. “Though it is not the only thing I have developed a taste for.”
“Shouldn’t we be keeping our distance?”
“You know very well that I couldn’t do that any more than I could be a vegetarian.” He slid his arm behind me to rest it on the back of the couch. “How about we go somewhere more intimate?”
“People will notice,” I mumbled into my cup. “They’ll talk.”
“They already are, so what’s the point?”
“Are you suggesting that we court publicly?”
“Why not?”
“You don’t think it would be bad for your reputation?”
“You’re intelligent, a uniquely skilled killer, and beautiful beyond my wildest imagination. I think you would be good for my bloodline.”
“Very funny,” I scoffed. “Be careful. One might say you almost sound sincere.”
He leaned back in the seat, eyeing the people fluttering about.
“You know, I’ve never felt the need to keep humans around. They’re so frail and needy.” He kept his eyes on the crowd. “Many people like myself, including my father, keep them as pets often. Especially ones like you.”
I watched his steady expression, but he did not look my way as he spoke. He then took my hand and stood up, pulling me toward the back of the room.
“I always thought it was senseless to possess something so delicate it could break if you used it the wrong way. I couldn’t understand how that effort was worth a meal that you could find out in the open and dispose of later. There would always be another.” He pulled me out the door and ventured down to the pond, away from prying eyes. “Now I understand what it is to become obsessed, devoted to possessing someone. Enough to fight the urge to lock you away so no one can set wandering eyes on you again.”
There was something bright in the look he gave me that would have me believing that his last statement was not a joke. I had watched the obsession fester inside him since the moment wemet. I knew how far he would go because of me, but how far would he goforme?
“Why are you telling me this?” My voice was strained.
Frost began forming on the grass as we walked along the edge of the pond. The conservatory glowed a bright orange over the dark blue surrounding the night.
“Just in case you needed convincing.” He looked at me through those angelic blond lashes, running his finger down my arm before intertwining our fingers. “I want all of you, not just blood. I want every piece of flesh that clings to your bones and more. I want to own every expression that crosses that pretty face. Every hair on your head belongs to me, no part of it untouched by my hands.”
“I don’t belong to you,” I reminded him.
