I itched to run, but his words made me pause. I learned a lot from reading about the vampires. Running ignites their prey drive, but to be within reach of a predator only causes the prey to run. It’s innate. Fire falls to water. Hunger grows unless satiated. How could I not run from what I had been taught to fear my entire life? The urge crawled up my legs, and I was already stepping back.
“Don’t. Fucking. Run.”
Another step.
“I may be weak right now, but I will still catch you.” His gravelly voice raked down my spine.
“What am I supposed to do?” That was meant to be a thought, but it slipped through my lips in my panicked state.
He ground out a laugh. “You’re asking me?”
“You don’t want me to run. I want to run.”
Of course he didn’t want me to run. I didn’t give him the chance to respond before my feet were already pounding across the ground. The damp grass bled entirely through my slippers. A growl ripped through the air behind me, and I suppressed the scream that ached to get out. Running through the garden late at night certainly did not look good. I prayed to Brennus no one saw this suspicious scene.
I should have run inside. I should have run to someone. Surely, they would understand. A vampire was chasing me. But even as I ran for my life, I couldn’t risk the attention. How would I explain how I got into this position? It was not normal for anyone to go outside this late at night, not when newborns hid within the shadows. I could only imagine what everyone would assume. The demon inside me had enticed me to the side of treachery and sin. I couldn’t risk yet another rumor thrown on top of the already collapsing pile.
I ran to the maze. I knew it like the back of my hand, and I doubted he did. Though he’d likely be able to scent me, but I did not falter at the realization. I just had to keep running. He must have been weakened because I would not have made it this far otherwise. I tore through the maze, careening myself into each turn. My lungs ached as I pushed myself. I didn’t dare look behind my shoulder. I couldn’t risk a single misstep. I didn’t know how long I could run, but my body assured me it would not be long.
I nearly crashed into the hedge as I turned sharply.No. My face numbed from the blood that seeped out. I made a wrong turn somewhere in my frantic state.
Strong arms wrapped around me, and my back met the cold earth. I didn’t even hear his footsteps. I flailed under him, kicking wildly, but he easily gathered up my arms, securing them with one of his hands around my wrists. He pinned them above my head. A whimper escaped me as he pressed down; the finely crushed rocks embedded into my skin. His other hand covered my mouth. I wouldn’t have screamed anyway, though I supposed he didn’t know that. Now I knew my need to be normal deluded my head. Even face-to-face with death, I’d rather go quietly.
I bucked beneath him, digging my heels into the ground, attempting to fling him off. I gasped into his hand as he dug his knees into my inner thighs, driving them apart, pinning his chest against mine. I could barely breathe under his weight. My eyes widened as the cool night air bit into the bare skin of my legs.
He leaned in, his face close to mine. He smelled of smoke drifting through frigid air and warm amber. My eyes traced his full lips, his high cheekbones, his harsh brow, his dark hair still veiling his eyes slightly, and his eyes ... a deranged wildness lurked within. Slight trembles shook through him. They mingled with the ones that racked through my own body. His pupils bled into his irises, swallowing them up into a black abyss, an endless void that threatened to take me too.
I’d never been this close to a vampire. Because if you were ever this close, you were about to die.
“Don’t scream.” His voice ran through me like velvet. It was confusing. It was calming.
I nodded my head.
He slowly removed his hand, keeping it hovered nearby in case I dared to defy him.
“You’re a vampire,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
I couldn’t unravel my scrambled thoughts. “What are you doing?”
“You need to be clearer,” he deadpanned.
I took in a deep breath to form a discernible thought. “Why did you join the Society? Are you here to kill my father?” I paused. “Are you going to kill me?” It came out so quietly, I didn’t know if he heard it.
He sighed, though it sounded more like a gruff noise of irritation. “This is not how I intended for things to go. I am not going to kill you, Charlotte. I don’t plan on killing anyone.”
Each word soothed my beating heart. My body melted into the ground.
“What would sway your plans?” I asked softly.
He closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, he appeared slightly less unhinged. His grip on my wrists loosened, but I still couldn’t move. “I believe we could help each other.”
Though they may look human, don’t be deceived by the demon within. Vampires are demons that have evolved to walk among us. To befriend us, to entice us, to seduce us. They are their own lure, and their entire existence is a trap.My father’s words weaved through my mind.
