“Listen, Corabeth,” he said, unable to look her in the eyes, “I think you should go downstairs into the dungeon.”
“What?” Corabeth reared back but didn’t pull her hands free.
“It’s safer for you there. I can keep hunting. You can lock yourself away and I won’t be able to hurt you,” he said, the words falling as heavily as rocks.
Corabeth almost laughed, the thought of locking herself away from Rooke so ridiculous now.
“No, I won’t do it,” she said.
Rooke dropped her hands in frustration. “You stubborn girl,” he said, his anger flaring one moment but deflating the next.
The solution was so obvious to Corabeth. It had been for some time now. It seemed laughable that Rooke had not thoughtof it himself. Perhaps he had, but his well-mannered nature didn’t allow him to suggest it.
“Please,” Rooke pleaded, enough pain in his voice that Corabeth’s own heart threatened to break. “I do not want to hurt you.”
“It’s time to stop this,” Corabeth said gently and took a step closer to Rooke, peering up into his tortured eyes. “Feed on me.”
It was Rooke’s turn to rear back. “Absolutely not. Do not speak of this again,” he said and turned to storm down the stairs. “I would rather imprison myself and waste away in eternal torture than hurt you.”
Corabeth was not far behind, her bare feet padding on the stone floor when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Who’s being stubborn now?” she asked and grabbed Rooke’s arm to stop him. “You can feed without killing, yes?”
Rooke seemed reluctant to answer, already seeing where she was heading, but he nodded nonetheless.
“Then you take just as much as you need and I won’t even miss it,” Corabeth said, her hand still on Rooke’s arm. “Spare me a cold night in the dungeon, will you?”
Rooke saw the logic; he had to, although he was still fighting it.
“I never wanted to… It’s not why I brought you here,” he said somewhat feverishly, desperate for Corabeth to know the truth of his intentions.
“I know,” Corabeth said with a gentle smile. “Now, if you’re quite done with the melodramatics?”
This prompted a small huff from Rooke that could have been the beginnings of laughter.
Corabeth slipped her hand down Rooke’s arm and took his hand in hers with a boldness that surprised herself. She led him through the darkness into the library, where the embers of a firewere still glowing an angry orange. Without resistance, Rooke let himself be seated in his usual chair.
Corabeth’s pulse stuttered in her neck but she kept her movements calm and sure when she stepped between Rooke’s parted legs and presented her wrist to him. He looked away as if the sight pained him.
“Will this work?” she asked and a little waver in her voice betrayed her. She knew this needed to be done. She was willing. But it was hard to separate the thrill from the fear.
Rooke looked up at her, a war still waging behind those black eyes of his. At that moment, Corabeth was equally convinced he might bolt or go along with it.
Instead, Rooke took Corabeth’s hand, shut his eyes, and pressed her palm against his forehead, as if praying to her. He released a long sigh.
“Will it hurt?” she asked, quite in spite of herself.
When Rooke lifted his head again, his lips were parted, revealing four elongated fangs—two on either side of his front teeth. Corabeth had to fight to keep from startling.
“Some,” he admitted.
“And you’ll stop when it’s time?” she asked, again unable to keep the words from tumbling out.
“I never have to start,” Rooke said, giving her an out, but Corabeth shook her head.
“I’ll stop. I promise,” he said with such certitude that Corabeth felt her shoulders relax just a fraction.
Rooke’s thumb slid across the delicate skin on Corabeth’s wrist, and without much warning, he pressed his open mouth against it. One moment, she was feeling his hot lips, the next, a dull pain as his fangs at first struggled to pierce the skin. The pain grew and grew, and Corabeth thought for a moment she might scream, but then she felt her skin give. Felt the hot flowof blood that Rooke started to lap up greedily. A satisfied groan rumbled deep in his throat as he swallowed and swallowed.
