Page 43 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

“Jesus, who have you two got involved with?” Elizabeth asks, eyes wide.

“I think it’s time we find out,” I say, chugging back my glass of wine.

“How?” Henrietta asks, flicking her gaze to me.

“Dorian invited us both to his home Saturday night for dinner. You can ask Logan what he meant by his note, then.”

“Logan’s going to be there?”

“Apparantly so,” I reply.

Elizabeth places her glass on the counter. “Well, if you think either of you are going without me, you can think again, because you’re clearly both incapable of making good decisions, and you definitely need someone whose body isn’t ruled by raging hormones and the desire to fuck dangerous men.”

I probably should argue, but she’s got a point.

Chapter 10

Dorian

I keep to the shadows, slipping past the harsh glare that spills from the streetlights onto the pavement at my feet. Heavy rain clouds smother the sky as I prowl toward Edie’s home. It’s past midnight, and I should be at the club, but her silence is unravelling my patience.

I’m not used to being ignored.

I’m not used to my compulsion having no effect.

And I’m sure as hell not used to this relentless craving for Edie’s blood.

I can still taste her essence now, despite having drunk from several willing donors since that night in my car. Their blood, whilst giving me sustenance, is bland compared to hers.

And, fuck, I want more.

If I believed I could bend her memories to my will, I’d have no hesitation indulging. I’d drink from her, knowing the sting of my bite would fade and my pleasure-laced saliva would send waves of rapture through her veins, leaving her breathless beneath my touch. We’d fuck without restraint, and I’d take and give in equal measure, leaving us both satiated.

But Edie is an Aegis and my will slides off her like water on glass. I’ve tried, again and again, to find a crack, a sliver to slip through, only to come up against an impenetrable shield. That truth unsettles me more than sunlight ever could, but it does nothing to dull my hunger.

Over the years, I have learned to manage my unquenchable need for blood. I’ve shackled the monster inside of me, satiating its hunger with discipline and a determination not to let it rule me. Yet, the last time we were together, I almost lost control. That should’ve been enough of a warning to walk away from her for good. But I have to admit, her vulnerability, her confusion, and her disappointment cut me deeply. Her very human reaction stirred something inside of me I’ve long since thought I’d buried, and instead of cutting all ties, I’ve spent every night since stalking her.

Tonight, that discipline I’ve worked so hard to maintain is being tested once again. Every instinct urges me to enter her home, pin her to the bed, and pierce her flesh.

But I know if I drink from Edie, there will be no lie to hide behind. I can’t glamour her memory. She’ll know what I am, and she’ll recoil. Worse still, her knowledge of my existence, and that of my clan, could be our undoing. We’ve survived for centuries because of the rules I’ve enforced. To break them would mean eternal death. My clan members know that, as do I. Yet, here I am willing to break every single one of those rules just for the pleasure of her company.

The sound of Edie singing spills out of the open window of her kitchen as I approach, her voice a siren’s call that makes my fangs lower to deadly points. When I drew out her orgasm last week, her invitation to enter her home was given in lust without her knowing the consequences of such an invitation. All that’s standing between me stepping into her home and claiming what’s mine is my fragile restraint.

Darkness crawls inside my chest as I lean against the trunk of an oak tree. I consider surrendering to this feeling, entering Edie’s home and taking what I want, but if I do, I’ll have no choice but to change her, to make her one of us.

The other option is unspeakable, and I will not end her life. I will not repeat past mistakes.

Yet, I can’t walk away either. It may have been foolish to invite her to my home, but the thought of not seeing her again is a pain far worse than anything I’ve felt before.

I will overcome the bloodlust.

I will overcome my attraction to Edie. Eventually.

That doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy her in the meantime. We will become lovers. I will give her more pleasure than she has ever experienced in her life. I will teach her what her body is capable of, and once the flame she’s ignited within me sputters and dies, our brief affair will end. She will move on, as will I.

Curling my fingers into fists, I push off from the tree only to walk directly into a man out walking his dog.

“Good evening,” he says, nodding briefly before sidestepping me.