My eyes flare at the sound of my name, and a tear slowly trails down my cheek, betraying me. He turns my face away from him, and I inhale a deep breath, bracing myself for the bite that is sure to follow. Once again, I flinch at his touch, but when his thumb wipes away the tear that had fallen, confusion flows through me. He turns my face back, and his eyes bore into mine like he’s looking into the depths of my soul. He presses his thumb to his lips, tasting my pain, and the sight of it sends heat sprinting to my cheeks.
“This never should’ve happened,” he grinds out through clenched teeth, releasing my chin.
“It’s my fault,” I admit. “I never should’ve—”
“Don’t you ever fucking say it’s your fault!” he growls with so much intensity my breath catches in my throat. “His vile actions were those of his own doing. You will own no part of it. Do you understand?”
I only nod, but he seems to accept it, taking a small step back. A long moment passes as the two of us settle into silence, neither knowing what to do or say next. Eventually, I slowly back myself up along the wall. Once I clear the desk, I head for the doorway, but Thane blocks it just as I’m about to pass through.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Back to my room, where I should’ve stayed.” I sidestep, but he doesn’t budge.
“The hell you are. You’re staying with me tonight.”
Thane
It felt like the world was going to disintegrate around me. I wanted to rip him to shreds until he was unrecognizable, but she was already trembling with fear, and although I want her afraid of me, I needed her to feel safe in that moment.
Fuck.
What if I hadn’t gotten here when I did? And her eyes. They were hollow. The fire in them replaced by something much darker. Her tears tasted like acid, and I could tell that they carried a thousand painful memories.
I hated seeing her like that, and I hated that I hated it. She’s just a human. Her kind have never mattered to me. The whole reason I even took her as my prisoner was to get payback for all of the years they made us live in hiding. Yet when I saw his hands on her, something in me snapped. It went beyond anger. It burned beneath my skin. Electrified my cells. Rattled my bones. Almost as if there was another beast living inside of me now. The more time I spend around her, the more it wants out. And I’m starting to get the feeling it’s only going to become harder to control.
Chapter 15
Thane reaches forward, snatching my right arm and dragging me out into the hallway. I attempt to turn away from him, but he yanks me back around and continues toward the mahogany doors that I’m positive lead to his room.
“Trust me, I don’t want you anywhere near me right now, but you’re mine to protect, and I need to keep my eyes on you.”
I bark out a laugh.
“Protect? Is that what you call burning my arm and throwing me off the roof?” I shake him off, not naïve enough to believe I did so without him allowing it. “Say what it really is. You don’t care about protecting me. You just care about being the only one allowed to inflict the pain!”
“You’re wrong!” he snaps, pushing the doors open. Thane storms off, shaking his head as I take in the enormous room.
Unlike the rest of the mansion, his walls are painted black, and the floor is covered in midnight blue rugs. In the middle lies a California King bed with navy sheets and a black silk comforter. The polished black headboard almost stretches to the ceiling, etched with intricate carvings. Along the left side,a row of windows lines the wall, leading out to a balcony overlooking the garden. The only light in the room comes from the moon and the candelabras sitting on both nightstands, adding to the gothic vampire vibe.
“Come in here,” Thane calls from the bathroom. To no surprise, it’s just as dark and moody as the rest of his space. “Sit,” he orders, pointing to the black clawfoot tub.
“If you think I’m sharing a bed with you tonight, think again,” I warn, positioning myself on the edge of the bathtub.
“I have no intention of sharing a bed with you tonight or any other night for that matter.” He turns to me, tilting my head up to look at the cut in the dim light. “You’ll take the bed, and I’ll sleep in the chair. Now hold still.”
“What are you doing?” I demand, swatting his hand away.
He groans, tossing his head back. “Can you, for once, just do as you’re told?”
“Not when the order is coming from you!” I bite back.
Thane releases a deep breath before turning his attention back to me. “I need to clean your wound. You can see Leo tomorrow, but for tonight, I’m taking care of it.”
The last thing I want is for him to be anywhere near me, but I can tell he’s not going to let this go.
“Fine,” I reluctantly agree.
He concentrates on cleaning the wound with alcohol and some other ointment that he rubs over it before covering it with a bandage that he must’ve had on hand for me, seeing as how I’m the only one around here who can’t heal myself.
