The floor disappeared from beneath my feet as I realized with a painful delay that I was in Alaric’s arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck to keep my head from lolling backwards.
He leaned down to whisper in my ear, sending a violent shiver through my body. “Still think me a coward, darling?” His tone held a dark promise.
And I cursed myself as I still couldn’t fully register my catastrophic mistake within my drunken haze. I shouldn’t have poked the bear. But I also felt so light in his arms. I couldn’t help but revel in the feeling of floating. He frowned down at me, probably wondering why I was smiling.
Then he did something that wiped the smile off my face.
He grinned down at me. His sharp canines extended before my eyes. He ran his tongue across them, and I startled at the heat thatpooled at my center. And I startled further at the gasps, screams, and my father’s orders that erupted across the room.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It all seemed to progress in a series of snapshots. Reality was fractured as my head only retreated further and further from me. I shivered against the sudden cold and blinked as we stepped out of the bright candlelight and into the dark. Alaric was carrying me away. My head flopped to the side to watch the broken window grow smaller. Members poured out of it and scattered in every direction, except ours. It was like they didn’t even see us, despite us walking through the open grass.
I shivered again. I raised my hand, pressing it to the side of Alaric’s neck. He looked down at me, and I met his inquisitive eyes.
“You’re so cold.”
He said nothing, keeping his eyes on mine.
“Why are you so cold? Probably because you don’t have a soul, huh.”
He raised his eyebrows in amusement but remained quiet.
I dropped my hand as I noticed we entered the maze.
“Oh no, you’re not going to leave me in here, are you? Because I will not be able to get out like this.” The words felt like sand coming out of my mouth, falling apart before I could even mold them.
“I don’t know what the fuck you just said,” he deadpanned.
“What are you doing?” I said the words slower this time, attempting to enunciate each one.
“You’ll see soon enough. You don’t want to ruin the surprise, darling.” He smirked, revealing his dimple, and before I could stop myself, I was already poking it.
He frowned down at me again. “Have you no self-control?”
“Not at present.” My head began to lull again.
His lip curled, something devious brewing within his head. “You know of the bond, correct?”
I frowned dramatically.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Well, my darling, it isn’t quite complete yet. We still have to drink each other’s blood.” He raised his eyebrows in twisted excitement. “You’ve had a taste of mine.” My stomach soured at the memory. “But it was not quite enough. In your relaxed state, this could be the perfect opportunity.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I whispered.
“Wouldn’t I?”
He was unhinged; I already knew that for sure. But I wasn’t entirely sure of how unhinged he could be.
“What would happen?”
His eyes grew darker. His excitement sent a jolt of terror through me. My senses were still delayed as I was suddenly laid atop the cool grass. Alaric sat back on his haunches beside me. His hands dangled as his elbows rested on his knees. He leaned forward, looming over me.
He spoke low and calm. “You wouldn’t be able to contain your desire for me.”
My eyes widened. I didn’t remember that being a part of the tracking spell. Was there more to the spell than I was aware of? Either way, I did not want to stick around to find out. With all the strength I could muster, I flipped to my side, turning from him, attempting to crawl away. He chuckled darkly and grabbed my ankle, dragging me back.
“Where are you going? I have something to show you.”
