“Tomorrow, we’ll find someone else and try again. If I only have two weeks of your compliance, we’ll have to make the most of it.”
Delightful. “What if we worked on something else? Like the sleep thing.”
“The sleep thing,” Raphael repeated. “You mean your body’s instincts that work to protect you? Fledglings are bound to the night, keeping them away from the sun. You’ll lose that deep sleep with age.”
Second to blood drinking, that might well have been the most disturbing aspect. Knowing I was vulnerable while sleeping made every dawn distressing. But I’d managed to gain some ground there. The day we’d arrived, I’d stayed up almost twenty minutes past dawn. “Maybe exposure to the sun would help. Like inoculating myself against it to build resistance faster. It could be part of learning to master my ‘vampire nature.’” It would make it easier to flee if I didn’t have to worry aboutsuddenly passing out. I could do it by peeling the curtain in the living room back a few minutes before sleep…
“Absolutely not.” Raphael’s refusal was sharp and immediate. I blinked at him. “You make it sound like an experiment. Have you even felt the sunlight since turning?”
“Don’t ask rhetorical questions, not when you know full well I spent the first few months living under a mountain.”
Raphael crossed his arms, dark fabric stretching over the muscles. Unyielding.
I glanced at the window, then back at him. “It wouldn’t kill me, especially not if I used the back of my hand or something. I could even do it right after drinking a glass of blood.”
He flashed his fangs at me, baring his teeth. “If you think I’ll support you willingly burning yourself, you have grievously misunderstood me.”
When he put it like that, it did seem like a battle I was unlikely to win. “So the only way it’ll get better is with time?” Time for vampires could mean years or even decades. Raphael had no problem staying awake—I didn’t think he’d slept at all since coming here. It was the only reason I wasn’t in a constant panic over the thought of sleeping, vulnerable, in the bed. Slight circles darkened under his eyes, the only sign he might not be entirely indefatigable.
“Age will fortify you,” Raphael agreed. “And so will learning to master your thirst.”
Just the mention of the thirst made my fangs ache. It’s not like I wasn’t drinking. Not only had I agreed to live like a vampire, but I also didn’t want to risk hurting anyone. I was simply… parched. It had been all right the first day, when I’d had Raphael’s blood flowing through my veins. But as it faded and I felt the need to drink again, the carafe brought up to the rooms did almost nothing to ease the need.
“Mastering, meaning pushing the time between drinking?” I’d already tried that.
“The opposite. Sometimes, mastery means giving in.”
Great. Perhapstwocarafes of blood for me each day would make the difference.
“One thing before we go,” Raphael said, putting an end to that thread of conversation. “I think it only fair to warn you that appearing as my fledgling, there will be assumptions.”
“What kind of assumptions?” I wanted to back up but couldn’t make myself cede the ground between us.
“About our relationship.”
“Speak plainly, Raphael.”
“You want it plainly?” It was a dare.
One I didn’t plan to back down from. “Yes.”
Raphael’s voice dropped low, a dark caress. “They’ll assume I’m fucking you and plan to do so for centuries to come.” At my shocked look, he smirked. “You did say you wanted it plainly.”
“Of all the presumptuous—” I collected myself before my emotions exploded. I rolled my shoulders back and glared. “Do you plan to correct these assumptions?”
“No.” The word fell from his lips, utterly unrepentant.
“Then I will,” I threatened.
Amusement shone in his eyes. “Is that how you plan to introduce yourself? ‘Good gloaming, I’m Samara, and I’m not fucking Raphael,’” he teased. “Besides, we’re already sharing a room.”
“What a crock…” I collected myself. “We’re sharing a room becauseyousaid it was a custom, and I agreed to honor vampire customs.”
Raphael said nothing, just grinned. There was something so playful about him when he teased me, I relaxed slightly.
“If it’s not a custom, then I should request a different room.”
At this, the grin disappeared. “We’ll continue to share a room because I won’t leave you unguarded during the day. Living like a vampire means letting your sire protect you. Even if you asked for another room, there’s no guarantee it would be close enough to avoid irritating the bond.”
