Chapter 4
Heat risesup my neck to my cheeks. “Wha—? No… I-I… that’s not—” I sputter and push against his chest, trying to escape.
Infuriatingly, his grin only widens as he until he straightens and lets me go. Out of his arms, I put space between us so I can think. “I am not trying to seduce you!” My voice is shriller than I’d like.
“No? But you are in my bedroom… and you were in my arms within seconds of finding you here.”
“I didn’t ask you to catch me,” I bite out indignantly.
The viscount chuckles, which only makes my face burn hotter. “You would have preferred I let you fall and hit your head?”
I open my mouth. Snap it shut. Then try again. “Of course not.” this was intentional. I was looking for the lavatory and….”
“Which is one floor below.” He doesn’t even have the decency to hesitate before refuting my claim.
Demon shit.
My pulse hammers loudly. Think, Zadie, think! I can’t let him discover the real reason why I’m here. “All the doors were locked,” I finally say. But my voice comes out weak like a child caught in the act of stealing cookies and claiming that monsters made me do it. The lies sounded pathetic even to my ears, so I suppose I can’t blame him for not believing me.
“All except the one you were looking for.”
Even though he smiles, and his tone is light as he looks upon me with kindly eyes, I cannot let myself forget that he is a murderer. One who has roamed free for months, hiding behind his status.
Nervously, I twist my fingers.
I heave a defeated sigh, then settle for a partial truth. “You’re right, Lord Morgan, I did lie, and I am sorry.”
“Thomas,” he interrupts. I must give him an odd look because he clarifies, “Please call me Thomas.”
For a long moment, I say nothing, unsure what to make of his over-familiarity. It’s too hard to tell if he’s being sincere or if this is a ploy he uses on his victims. Indecision wars within on whether I follow his lead or outright reject it.
Then I realize that too much time has passed, and he’s still waiting for my reply, but all I can do is ramble. “I-I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve never been to a vampire’s home before, and I let my curiosity get the better of me.”
Understanding crosses his features. “Did you think I had people chained up or piles of bones in my basement?”
“No… maybe…” I cross my arms and look away, annoyed with his teasing and how easily he reads me.
He throws his head back and laughs. I glare at him until he can stop long enough to speak again. There’s such a warm and carefree manner about him. It’s hard to believe he has another side to him capable of such grim deeds. If he wanted to, it would be easy to kill me here and now, go after my sister, then stage an attack on our carriage. All he’d have to do is throw us to the demons just beyond the road. Up here, alone as we are, there would be nothing I could do to stop him.
Continuing to search for the night-forged silver weapon tonight is out of the question. It would be too risky.
I need to earn his trust. If I make sure he knows others are aware when I’m with him, he won’t dare harm a single hair on my head. Perhaps, if I manage to earn his friendship, he might even show me where he keeps such a prized object hidden.
“You may call me Zadie,” I say.
The vampire lord takes a step back, studies me from head to toe, then mirrors my stance. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or amused when you say that with such a sour look on your face.”
“If you insist I call you by your name, then it would be awkward of you continued to call me lady.”
“Who’s insisting?”
My jaw goes slack. “Are you insane?” I demand, then instantly regret it.
Obviously, he’s insane.
He hosts balls and flirts with women he barely knows in his bedroom, and when he tires of that, he runs off to murder an innocent to spite others of his kind.
“I merely gave you the choice to call me by my name, but if you prefer to use titles, then that’s fine.” His expression turns devious. “It just seemed we should be on a first name basis since you snuck off to my bedroom and waited for me in the dark.” The viscount shifts without moving closer. He feels every inch the predictor.
My earlier blush returns, burning my cheeks worse than before. It stings, like being poked with a thousand red-hot needles. I’ve no doubt he can see it. I hide my hands in the folds of my skirt so he can’t see how hard I am clenching my fists.
“I assure you, Lord Morgan, if that is what you truly think, then I must regretfully inform you that you are gravely mistaken,” I bite out each word. Maintaining my composure without words or actions that would bring a swift death is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. At least it feels that way in this moment.
“Gravely?” he echoes with a mocking tone. “I had no idea it was so serious. Please, accept my apologies, Lady Hall.” He places emphasis on my title with a smirk. “Though, I don’t believe, for one second, that you regretted telling me so.”
I stare him down. For several long moments, neither of us moves or speaks. He watches me with a placid expression.
But I will not be intimidated. I refuse.
Slowly, his lips pull into a frown, then he looks away with a heavy sigh. He scratches the back of his head. I expect him to start muttering next. Instead, he faces me again, holding both hands up in surrender.
“Forgive me. There seems to be some miscommunication between us. I did not mean to upset you.” The viscount’s shoulders droop slightly as he adds, “I have never had such a difficult time flirting with anyone.”
That is unexpected.
“Flirting?” My voice is shrill. I clear my throat and try again. “You were… flirting with me?” Demon shit. My stomach twists into knots. I really hope I hadn’t offended him enough to retaliate.
“Yes, Lady Hall, flirting. And since I have made a mess out of our first conversation, I will risk my own embarrassment and admit that I think you are beautiful. Though it was your peculiar reaction when you first arrived that intrigued me.”
Frowning, I ask, “What was so odd about that?”
“You looked genuinely shocked to find out I’m a vampire.”
“No, I wasn’t,” I say too quickly.
He arches a dark brow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes! I bet my life on it.”
“If you want to bet, I could compel the truth out of you to see which of us is right.” He hums thoughtfully to himself. “Of course, we will need to decide what the winner gets beforehand.”
I groan and cover my face with my hands. “Fine.”
“What was that? I can’t hear you while you attempt to smother yourself.”
I drop my arms to my sides. “Fine, you were partially right. I was a bit shocked—but I already knew you were a vampire. It’s different hearing others talk about it and finally seeing for myself.”
“I am curious to know what you thought I was doing.”
Catch me off guard so you could kill me.
“I wasn’t sure,” I say slowly. Almost too late, I remember my plan to befriend him. “Lord—no… Thomas.”
The knot in his throat bobs. “Thank you, Zadie. I really would like to get to know you—more so after this. You are endlessly intriguing.”
“You want to be friends?” I say stupidly.
Why yes, Benjamin, I have become the best of friends with the vampire who has been running around murdering innocents for months. He probably doesn’t kill his friends. What could be better?
One corner of his mouth crooks up in a wry smile.
Lord—no. I should think of him as Thomas. Otherwise, this won’t work—Thomas half turns and holds out his elbow. “Shall we return before someone notices that we are both missing? I wouldn’t want word to get back to the duke and cause unnecessary trouble for you.”
I can feel my pulse thudding wildly in my neck. With one deep breath, I tell myself everything will be all right. The plan has changed slightly, but there is no helping that. It will be easier this way.
Then I hold my head high, stride over to him, then take his arm. I can feel his warmth under his jacket. There is so much about him that confuses me. I thought vampires were as cold as corpses, that their irises were the dull red of drying blood, and the ones the vampire queen created would be so twisted by the bond with their demon that
I was prepared for the vampire lord’s bloodlust to be barely under control. For him to use compulsion on as many people as needed to hide his monstrous nature.
I was even prepared for him to be attractive enough.
One thing I hadn’t walked into his home expecting was for him to flirt with me. Would I have realized what he was doing if I wasn’t worried that he would kill me? And for that matter, would I have found him charming… and flirted back?
A niggling worry prods at the back of my mind. The uncertainty that he might have compelled me at some point. While I don’t think so, I can’t be sure. I’m confident I would have known and remembered if it had happened. There are several accounts in Sangate alone from humans who have reported being compelled against their will. I’ve always assumed it was because they can’t control memory. Now, I wonder if it’s because the vampires in those just didn’t care enough to bother.
I save those thoughts to research on another day. For now, I concentrate on keeping a smile on my face.
As he escorts me from the room, I spot a thick book carelessly tossed on a chair. The gilt title is bright against the black leather binding. And it gives me an idea of how exactly I will find my way into this murderer’s good graces.