He slapped the back of the carriage, and I jumped as it took off down the street, leaving us alone, except for all of the people weaving through one another.
“I need to change.”
I looked him up and down. “Why?”
He stepped towards me. I leaned away slightly. He lowered his voice, and his silken words left pinpricks across my skin. “Because a Society member cannot seek out a witch.”
His eyes fell to my open mouth, and I snapped it shut. “We ... wh—wait.” I held my hands up as if to push himaway. I wanted to push him away. I wanted to push all of this away. It was all crowding in too close.
It was rumored that a witch had opened the portal, but many didn’t even believe in witches. Though as far as I was concerned, where there were vampires, there were witches. I would even believe in goblins and faeries at this point. Because many believed in this rumor, including my father who convinced the king to believe so too, it was illegal to seek out witches. If they could bring the demons upon us, who knew what other evils they could release. I was already conspiring with a vampire, which was assuredly illegal, and to add a witch on top of it all. I shook my head.
“You don’t have the luxury of choice, Charlotte.” He took me by the arm, dragging my limp body over to his door and leaned in, lowering his voice. “The last thing your father would ever do is trust a vampire, let alone work with one. He’s too stubborn to ask for help though he desperately needs it. He is in over his head, and he refuses to admit it. Not to mention he believes us to be actual demons from the underworld. He will never allow a vampire to help. We’re going to have to do a lot of things in secret, some of which may be unpleasant to you, but it is what has to be done.”
My eyes settled on a brick behind him with a hair-thin crack, like a river winding through flatlands.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Now, come on.” He started to open the door, one hand still on my arm. I tugged myself back.
I certainly was no stranger to men, but this one was no ordinary man. And it crashed down on me, of how utterly stupid I could be. I allowed him to lure me away. I was far away from home, far from the Society, from protection.
“You could wait out here if you’d like.”
I inspected my surroundings further. I wasn’t used to being around so many people, except during balls. They were everywhere,and they were moving so quickly. Vendors dotted the streets, shouting at anyone who walked by. Some people sat along the curbs and on stoops. A lot of them appeared angry or too interested. I met the eyes of many, each glare or leer more unsettling than the last.
Going behind closed doors with a demon was one of the worst things I could do, but I settled on the evil I knew.
I sighed and gestured for him to open the door. My mouth fell open at the sight before me. All the trappings of a royal palace were transported into his townhouse. We walked into a sitting room. The kitchen was down the hall, and a set of mahogany stairs faced us to the left of the entrance. The walls were painted a deep navy, and the ceiling was ornately decorated in crown moldings, all black as a starless sky. The bronze trimmed fireplace and brown leather furniture brought a warmth to the dark room.
I turned back to Sebastian and jumped slightly, nearly forgetting his looming presence. We were completely alone, and if he were in fact a trap, I was well ensnared now. His soft smile would have fooled me for being kind, if it weren’t for his cold, almost detached, eyes.
“Have a seat.” He gestured to the sofa. “I’ll be right back.”
As he disappeared up the stairs, I sat stiffly. The slight creak of leather the only sound in the painfully quiet room. He returned much faster than I expected, though I remembered reading that vampires could move far faster than humans and in an effortless, highly efficient way. In other words, we as humans couldn’t outrun them. I thought back to the maze, even poisoned he still caught me. I frowned at him as I thought of the memory.
He cocked his head, the movement so slight but held so much dark promise. “Do you not like my outfit?”
I looked him up and down. He wore fitted black trousers and a tailcoat with a forest green waistcoat beneath it. My appraisal paused on the way the fabric clung to certain parts of him, the swell of his bicep, his rather large and perfectly sculpted thighs ... then my eyespaused and narrowed at the deep evergreen color. It was identical to what I wore: a forest green gown with a matching cloak.
He smirked. “I figured we could match. That way everyone will know we’re together.”
“Are all vampires this delusional?”
“Perhaps you’re the one who is delusional.” He grinned annoyingly as he put on a black, wool overcoat.
I was used to the stares but not so much the glares. As we made our way down the street, I found it increasingly difficult to avoid all of the glowering eyes. People often looked at me because I appeared different, but they didn’t openly hate me for it as these people seemed to.
“Are you scared, Charlotte?”
I didn’t realize I had neared closer to him until our arms brushed together. I migrated further away.
“Everyone is glaring at me. I’m used to people looking.” I touched my hair absentmindedly. His eyes fell to my hand. “But they just seem so ... angry.”
“You’re soft, Charlotte, and they can tell you’re different, though not in the way you think.”
My head snapped over to him. Did he just call me soft? He noted my expression of offense and chuckled. The sound threw me off so much I nearly stumbled.
“People live differently out here. They’re not coddled like you are within your gilded manor walls.”
