I’ll simply have to stay busy and wait a while for my thoughts to clear of Audrey’s haunting qualities. In a couple of decades, she won’t come to Starry Hill anymore and I won’t see her ever again.
But, until then, if I know what’s good for me—and her—I need to stay away from Audrey.
Sitting in my dark parlor on the ground floor, I stare at the lone, flickering candle on the mantle above the empty fireplace. There’s something notably poignant about the image, but I don’t care too much to explore the significant meaning any further.
Thoughts of a certain human still persist, no matter how busy I’ve kept myself since the reopening ceremony this morning. I’m not known as a particularly friendly creature, but even I can feel my mood is grumpier than usual.
My stewing gets worse and eventually I get up and start pacing. My shoes thud dully on the sandstone floor, the rhythmic ocean waves crashing against the cliff my castle sits on the only sounds echoing through the night.
I need to go into town to get my blood bags, but it’s karaoke night, so everyone will be out late and off frolicking in darkened corners throughout the island. It’s not a sight I especially want to be privy to tonight.
A soft creaking noise pierces through my brooding thoughts, and I recognize the sound of my front door slowly being opened. There’s no knocking, which means it’s not one of my friends, but I also don’t fret, because there’s no urgency to the soft footsteps.
With my curiosity for the intruder’s identity thoroughly piqued, I stride toward my entryway.
My hands land on my hips as I stare down at Audrey, a frown marring my brow when I try to come up with any reason for her to appear in my home in the middle of the night.
Doesn’t this woman have any self-preservation instincts? How can she think it’s a good idea to enter the home of a vampire she’s never actually talked to? What if I were unfriendly? Or godsforbid, hungry?
“Hi,” Audrey says brightly, lifting her hand in a wave like we’re old friends.
My frown deepens even further. “Why are you here?”
“Uhm, can we have a sleepover?” Audrey asks, widening her eyes in a way that I suspect is meant to make her look innocent. But that wicked tilt to her mouth is telling me she’s enjoying whatever she’s doing far too much.
It takes me a minute to register her words. “A what?”
“I’m staying the night and will be gone in the morning,” Audrey says brightly, stepping toward me and patting me on the chest.
For a second, I’m stunned by her audacity, the feeling of her hand on me, and having someone in my home. Why does my castle all of a sudden feel small? Almost like it can’t contain all of her energy.
Audrey keeps walking farther into the foyer, and I turn to stare at her. “I… uhm… you…”
She spins around, and gives me a broad smile that somehow shoots straight through me and settles around my knees, making them wobbly for all but a moment. “Which way is my bedroom?”
Unable to think of any worthy retort or any intelligent questions as to her presence, I simply lift my hand and point to the right, where the unused guest bedrooms are.
“Thanks, stud.” Audrey blows me a kiss, effectively taking the air out of my lungs, then practically skips up the stairs, while I remain right where I am, stunned and feeling fully unmoored.
What the fuck just happened?
Once I have a semblance of brain power again, I fill up a ceramic pitcher of water and place it on a tray with a cup and a packet of shortbread cookies. I cautiously climb up the stairs, then place the tray outside of Audrey’s room.
Do I knock? Should I ask her if she needs anything else?
Suddenly aware of how dark the castle might be to human eyes, I light the candles in the sconces along the corridors of her wing, then prepare a lantern for her too.
My hand hovers in front of her closed door, listening for any signs that she’s still awake or if she might need something from me.
Why am I hesitating in my own home? She’s only human. What could she possibly do to me?
A picture of Audrey on her knees for me with those pretty red lips wrapped around my cock flashes behind my eyes, but I push that image away.
Maybe now is the right time to leave and get my blood bags. Some fresh air might do me good, frolicking couples be damned.
The last thing I need is a beautiful temptation right under my nose. Or a challenge I might want to rise to.
Chapter 1
