“I’m your sire.”
I blink. “So?”
“When a vampire turns another vampire, a bond forms between them,” Vane explains. “The longer two vampires spend in one another’s company, the stronger the bond becomes. It’s why you always want to be near me, even when you don’t. As your sire, I have a unique connection to you. I can sense your presence and your emotions, even from a distance. It’s like an invisible thread ties us together. I felt a disturbance in that connection tonight, a sense of danger and distress emanating from you. It was as if you were leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to follow, guiding me to where you were. That’s how I knew you were in trouble and how I was able to find you.”
“And what about now?” I ask. “Do you feel it, too? This . . . pull between us? Is it the sire bond or the blood?”
He’s silent as he studies me. There’s conflict in his eyes. “Both,” he admits. “I feel the pull. But that’s nothing new. I feel the desire to be with you. To touch you. Every. Damn. day. The blood only demands I do something about it.”
I gasp. Is this why he can’t seem to leave me alone? Now that he’s given me his blood, will his proximity get worse? If it does, will we spend eternity in agony? Vyvyan doesn’t want us near each other. I’ve done a good job at keeping my distance, but that was before.
A humorless laugh escapes my lips. “Why not let the Balam finish me off? It would have saved you the torture of being near me when I returned home.”
Vane interlaces his fingers in his lap. “But that’s the thing, Desiree. You’re not returning home. The Nest isn’t safe for you.”
My eyes narrow. “Excuse me? You don’t get to make that decision for me. You’re not Vyvyan. I didn’tforceyou to heal me. You offered. So, face the consequences of your actions.”
I pause, waiting for him to respond, but he remains unreadable. Daemon blood mats his white-blond hair, causing it to stick up in various directions. “You and Vyvyan have nothing to worry about. Your blood flows through my veins, but I will keep my distance if you do. We’ve done it before. We can do it again.”
Vane groans. “Desiree, please, just let this go.”
I grit my teeth. Let this go? He made me this way. “No. I’m going home! I’m a vampire. It’s where I belong.”
Vane’s gaze darts around the apartment. “Why can’t this be your home?”
A tingling sensation spreads through my chest. I’m not taking in enough oxygen. “This is Wilder’s home. Not mine.”
Vane groans. “I’m sure if you wanted it, he’d?—”
“Why are you doing this? What did I do to make you hate me so much?” I demand.
My whole life has been a cycle of rejection and heartbreak. No matter how hard I try, how kind, smart, or confident I am, no one seems to like me. No one except Jaxson, and now he’s gone. People only ever want to use me, or hurt me, just like Vane. Hegave me his blood to make me yearn for him, to exert one more ounce of control over me. It’s a calculated move, designed to manipulate my emotions and bend me to his will.
But if I bend anymore, I’ll break.
Vane’s eyes widen. “Hate you? Desiree, I don’t hate you.”
“Then why push all my buttons?” I yell. “Why keep me at arm’s-length, only to swoop in and save me when I’m at my lowest? Why keep me from the one place I am truly meant to be?”
He leans closer, reaching out as if to console me, but then hesitates, letting his hand fall back to his side. “Because I’m afraid, Desiree.”
I scoff. “What . . . are you afraid of me?”
He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Yes.”
The air leaves my lungs. “Why?”
“I have a strict set of rules I follow, and you manage to break every single one.”
Vane’s hands claw his knees, and he’s beside me on the couch in the blink of an eye. He’s so close I can smell the daemon blood mixed with his sultry scent. I should be disgusted, but I find myself inhaling deeper.
“There’s something you should know. Something I’ve kept secret.”
I wait, but he doesn’t go on. A dull ache spreads.
“Vane, quit mess?—”
His mouth crashes against mine, tearing a whimper from my throat. Time freezes and so do I. I’m too shocked to respond, until his tongue brushes against lips, seeking entrance, demanding submission. My heart whispers a warning. But I cave, parting my lips, allowing him entrance.
