24
EVIE
K ylo’s touch was so gentle that it made me shudder. Pleasurable tingles slid down my spine and radiated outward.
“Good girl,” he praised.
Something inside me melted against my will: this cloying, desperate part of me—the part that had only ever wanted one thing out of life.
Safety.
And deeper than that was my need for this other, related feeling—a four-letter word I tried not to think about. It was the deepest expression of safety that I could ever fathom.
It was what my parents withheld from me. What I tried desperately to give Idris, so he’d never feel as alone and broken as I did.
After pulling my hair behind my shoulders, Kylo slowly pulled the brush down a section closest to my face. He took great care not to pull on my scalp, using his other hand as a buffer as he smoothed through tangles.
It was subconscious and unavoidable, the way such an intimate, soothing act calmed my entire nervous system. He didn’t need to hold me in place anymore. I was captive to the comfort sweeping through my body.
The strangest tears pooled in my eyes. Flashes of memory assailed my mind’s eye—careless, impatient hands yanking a brush through my mess of windswept hair, my scalp searing with pain as I wailed. A voice yelling, asking me why I had to make everything so difficult, why I couldn’t just be grateful.
I thought of the way Idris’s hands had reached. The way they’d reached for love and comfort and received nothing at all.
I could think of no greater cruelty to a child.
To be deprived of something that appeared so simple, so instinctual.
Why had it been so hard for them?
Maybe that was why I was now rooted in place with tears pooling in my eyes. My parents, people like Jacob and his cruel friends—they’d made it seem as if protecting me and my sensitive feelings was an impossible, indulgent ask.
And even if the man behind me was an unhinged, deviant vampire stalker, Kylo made caring for me seem like the easiest thing in the world.
He made it seem like he couldn’t stop caring about me, as if it consumed all of his attention and energy.
When his fingers brushed over my cheek, I shuddered and leaned into his touch.
“How are you doing angel?” he asked softly.
I didn’t know how to answer that question, so I refused. “You lied. You said you were a philosophy tutor,” I said, but my words were less accusatory and more curious now that he’d turned me into this useless puddle of warmth.
“I tried my best not to lie to you,” he said with a slow exhale. “I may have abstained from telling you the truth. Which is something you might understand, my terrifying little chaos witch.”
There was no disgust in his tone. No fear. No paranoia. Just humor and understanding.
Kylo knew what I was… and he seemed to actually like that part of me—the part I’d come to hate the most.
“I do tutor members of my clan in philosophy, just as I did when I was human. You’ll find I’m an excellent teacher,” he said, his voice skating over my neck and making me shiver.
Something in my belly tightened. Kylo continued to work the brush through my hair, slowly and meticulously.
I glanced down at my lap, the unfamiliar dress, and the strangest feeling tightened in my chest.
“Whose dress is this?” I asked, bracing myself. I remembered what I’d seen when I touched Jacob’s hand at the restaurant, the red lips on his neck.
And Kylo was a vampire. Which meant he had to feed.
My muscles tensed, and my guts turned over.
Kylo paused behind me, the brush halting in place. “It’s yours. I’ve been waiting very patiently to spoil you with everything I’ve bought over the past weeks.”
The answer surprised me. I should’ve been disturbed, should’ve tried to get up and run again. He’d been not only following me for weeks but also buying me clothes? As if I was a foregone conclusion?
The arrogance .
“Who do you feed from?” I asked, staring at the floor.
Kylo was on his last section of hair. When the pleasurable tingles rippled through my scalp at his touch, I had to fight to hold on to my distrust.
“Willing mortal donors, mostly. But I avoid drinking straight from the tap unless I’m feeding from the born. I prefer to exercise and strengthen my muscles of restraint around blood.”
My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open. “You can actually feed from other vampires?”
He’d torn into the born’s flesh when he’d saved me in the alley, but I hadn’t realized he could sustain himself on vampire blood. I’d heard rumors—we all had—but the born seemed to keep that fact quiet. I’d imagine it was humiliating for them.
I couldn’t lie—the prospect of the born suffering in that way did trigger a degree of smugness in my heart.
“From the born, specifically, yes,” Kylo said. “It’s a kind of secondhand feeding, pulling from the life force they’ve syphoned from others. A redistribution of stolen blood, if you will.”
I’d been so shocked that I nearly missed the phrase from the tap. The objectification of mortals irritated me.
“What’s going on in that beautifully vast mind of yours, angel?” he asked. “If you’re worried about my attention and devotion, you can rest assured you own every last drop.”
His words did soothe me, even if my rational brain resisted the urge to believe them. I didn’t want to find comfort in his insanity and obsession.
“How could there possibly be willing mortal donors?” I hissed.
Kylo set the brush down. I turned on the stool to face him, once again losing my train of thought as I took in his bare, tattooed chest. His body was a finely tuned weapon. He shifted forward, his legs planted on either side of me as I looked up into the darkness of his deep blue eyes.
The hint of a smirk ghosted across his lips. I was shocked by the intensity in his gaze—the rawness, like I’d split him wide-open the same as he’d done to me.
“Not everyone is so vampire-averse, Evie,” Kylo said, leaning forward. His strong arms flexed, as if he was resisting the urge to reach for me. “There are plenty of mortals who enjoy giving themselves to the born, too. Hence the feeding clubs. It’s the borns’ greed and corruption that is now turning their own food supply against them. They’ve been spitting on the norms that have maintained peace between vampires and mortals in Ravenia for centuries. As a witch, you should understand that the balance of the universe must be maintained.”
He looked down at the complex sigil markings on his arm. “So here I am.”
“A bit grandiose,” I muttered, remembering when he’d called himself my God.
Kylo grinned. “Grandiosity is only a problem if it’s delusional.”
His grin slowly faded, a serious expression replacing it instead. His fingers brushed a damp strand of hair behind my ear.
“Your heart rate, your breathing, the fear in your blood… it all slowed for me while I took care of you, angel. You have no idea what a relief that was,” he whispered.
The words hit me somewhere deep—far too deep.
“I don’t know your story yet,” Kylo said. “But I do know you’re unbelievably, admirably strong. I see the way you fight for the people you love. I know your distrust is born of deep wounding, and yet you’re bright, warm, and open despite it all. You are a defiant streak of light in a world ruled by shadow.”
I swallowed, my lip trembling. I averted my eyes.
“You were born worthy, Evie. You were born worthy of all the love in the world,” he said. “You?—”
“Stop,” I said suddenly, cutting him off. “Please stop.”
The sick and needy part of me wanted to crawl into his lap, to feel those strong arms around me.
The safest place you’ll ever be.
The rest of me, predictably, wanted to bolt.
I stayed perfectly still instead.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll make you dinner. Then you can run all the way home, if you wish.”
The kitchen was as grand as the rest of the home, with black cabinets, dark marble, and an arched window over the sink overlooking the property. Splashes of color came from the green barstools and the floral arrangement on the counter.
My eyes narrowed. My floral arrangement, purchased from Celeste’s. It was spelled with healing, clarifying energy.
Maybe I wasn’t such a powerful witch after all, given Kylo remained as psychotic as ever.
“How old are you?” I asked as I slid onto one of the barstools.
If not for our bargain, I would’ve already been as far away from this evil, deceitful man as possible.
“Do you really want to know?” Kylo asked with an amused grin.
I’d forced him to put on a shirt. It was white and short-sleeved, showing off his bulging, tattooed arms as he chopped vegetables.
The way he’d abided by my aversion to all-black clothing without so much as a question soothed something inside of me. I’d expected exasperated irritation at the very least, if not downright flippant refusal. Jacob had trained me well.
“Oh gods, you’re old enough to be my father, aren’t you?” I asked. I stared at his beautiful, youthful features, his body clearly halted in its late twenties.
“Try grandfather, angel,” he said softly, his gaze flicking up to lock on mine. He watched my face, waiting for my reaction.
It was hard to feel disgusted while looking at his exterior. Could you be disgusted with someone for having an elderly soul?
“If I thought all of this couldn’t possibly be more fucked-up,” I mumbled.
Kylo chuckled. “Silly girl.” He lifted the kitchen knife and leaned forward, his predator gaze narrowing on me. “This is only the beginning. It’s only going to get so, so much better from here.”
I leaned back as he tipped forward, even though my body was behaving in very irregular ways to his raised knife.
My eyes sharpened. “I think you’re grossly misunderstanding the term fucked-up. It’s not meant to be a positive descriptor.”
Kylo smiled as he returned his attention to his zucchini and yellow squash. “I suppose we hear what we want to hear, don’t we, baby?”
I made a disgruntled sound as I crossed my arms, and Kylo only laughed at me.
The sound of a dainty, melodic knock on the door made me jump. I’d nearly forgotten that while Kylo pretended to be some kind of god of domesticity, his dangerous, criminal vampire clan surrounded us.
Kylo seemed more irritated than concerned. “Come in,” he called.
A woman with long black waves of hair bounced into the kitchen with glee. She was displaying her esoteric clan tattoos beneath her orange dress, her fangs visible when she smiled.
“Harmony,” Kylo said, his tone clipped. “Is there a reason for this unprompted and unwelcome visit?”
“Harsh,” I said, before I could stop myself.
Harmony’s warm gaze never left me, like she was seeing a kitten for the first time. “Agreed,” she said, clutching her chest as if wounded. The hand fell back to her side as she stepped forward. “Hello, Evie. I’m Harmony. It’s so nice to finally meet you!”
I eyed her with suspicion, even as every single part of her aura screamed sunshine and genuineness. How was that possible for a monster who blasphemed Helia’s perfect gift of humanity?
“Hi, I guess you already know who I am,” I said nervously. I stayed still, watching the two vampires with focused attention.
Harmony looked to Kylo. “Why is she shaking like a leaf, Kylo? You’re not holding her here against her will, are you?”
“Yes,” I said, at the same time as Kylo said, “No.”
Kylo sighed. “Evie is merely… cautious. She’s still getting acclimated.” He pointed the knife at me with a slowly creeping grin. “Isn’t that right, angel? Tell my very sensible and empathetic comrade how much fun we’re having.”
I shut my lips tight.
Harmony’s eyes widened as she stared at the knife. “This is not inspiring confidence, boss.”
“And you didn’t answer my original question,” Kylo snapped.
Harmony shifted on her feet. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to want to come in. The events you foretold did in fact transpire. We caught a big fish.”
Kylo snorted. “Excellent use of coded language, Harmony.”
Her smile was infectious, far too beautiful and real.
My gaze swept back and forth between the two vampires with rising curiosity. How in the hell did their interactions seem so normal?
Endearing, even?
“You’re so fucking cute when you’re thinking,” Kylo said.
“I’m going to hex you,” I bit out.
“No, you’re not.”
“Ohhh,” Harmony said, interrupting us. “All the violent threats are foreplay. I get it. I sooo get it.”
I scoffed, shaking my head.
Kylo’s eyes flickered with something close to anger for a moment as he watched the vampire woman. Then he glanced at me, and I felt the emotion on his face like a brand on my skin. Hot, consuming.
Not anger. Possessiveness.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Kylo said calmly. “Harmony, please fetch Allie.” He never once broke eye contact with me. “Angel, after you eat, one of my guards will see that you get home safely.”
When he lifted the knife again, he flipped it around in his hand with eerie gracefulness. “I’ll see you soon. No funny business. Behave .”