Chapter 11

Q uinn fainted, and I caught her before she hit the ground. Unsure how she’d found her way into my office, I laid her on the couch and moved to clean myself up. I’d been enjoying the feed a bit much after a night of being surrounded by the scent of blood and desire. So caught up in it, I hadn’t even sensed or heard her until she gasped. The third time she’d pulled me from feeding. She’d seen me. Red eyes, fangs, and blood dripping from my mouth. To make matters worse, I had hissed at her.

The fear in her as she turned to run was dangerous. I’d moved to stop her escape, fighting against the call of the hunt. Desire and pleasure were one thing, but fear was a guaranteed draw for me to give chase.

I glanced in the mirror, making sure all traces of blood were gone, licking my lips and teeth. The artist groaned and lifted her head. “What happened?” she asked.

My fang marks in her throat were already healing, assisted along by my venom. Not only did it inject humans with pure pleasure when we fed, but it also contained healing enzymes that quickened the healing process. A useful necessity to avoid dozens of humans walking around with twin punctures in their throat.

“You had too much to drink and wandered in and passed out,” I said.

Her mind accepted my words without a fight. She’d already forgotten that I’d been feeding from her.

“I’m sorry.” She seemed horrified, I almost felt sorry for her.

“No harm,” I told her. “Maybe go home and get some sleep. I hope you had a good time tonight. Congratulations on your first art show.”

Her eyes fell to Quinn, passed out on my couch. She paled. “Is she okay?”

“She passed out, too.” Her questions were starting to get on my nerves. I pulled her under my sway. “Go home.”

She left without another word, her footsteps echoing in the hallway.

I turned back to Quinn, taking in her scent, looking at her face, her red hair, unable to resist gazing over her body. She had seen what I was, and I needed to get her out of the gallery before she awoke and started screaming vampire.

She whimpered, the scent of fear a temptation. My fangs ached. I dipped into her mind to see what she was dreaming about. Quinn faced off with a dream version of myself. Red eyes that glowed, fangs longer than my own. Already she was warping her own memory of what she’d seen.

I needed to calm her, to take away her fear. Even if she never wanted to see me again, I didn’t want her to be afraid of me.

“Don’t be afraid,” I whispered.

“I’m not afraid,” she said, deep under my power.

I hoped it would hold but thought it unlikely. If the fear was deep enough, it would claw its way back.

Carlos would know what to do. I considered reaching out to him but dismissed the idea. He didn’t trust humans all that much and would not react well to her knowing about us. The only way would be to compel her to forget. I left her dream, pacing my office. Could I do that to her? Once she got over her initial shock, would she accept me, or turn from me?

I picked up the phone. My assistant answered after one ring. “Hello?”

“I’m leaving for the night,” I told her, eyeing Quinn. “Make sure you lock up when everyone’s gone.” I hung up before waiting for an answer.

I picked her up in my arms easily and let myself out the back door. Using my vampiric speed, I passed by people in the streets, unseen. It was a cold night, and I wanted to get her inside quickly. At the foot of her building, I pushed myself from the ground until I found her balcony again. The door was unlocked.

I looked down at her face, eyes still closed. “I usually wait to be invited in, but I’m not about to leave you out here in the cold,” I whispered, and I entered her apartment .

The room was tidy. Her guitar stood in the corner, her guitar picks were on the coffee table, and she had a collection of candles. Photos hung on the walls of what I could only assume to be her family, as well as the friends I’d seen her with. In her bookshelves were travel books, journals, and art from ancient cultures. I paused when I caught sight of a ceramic Venetian mask decorated with blue and gold paint.

I was surrounded by her scent, and I breathed in deeply, not realising I’d lowered my nose to her throat until my fangs emerged. I wanted to bite her, to taste her blood, for her to whisper my name, to scream it in ecstasy. But I wanted her to be awake, to be the one to ask me to kiss her. After what she’d seen, I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome anywhere near her. I placed her on the bed, listening to her heart beat.

“What is it about you?” I murmured. “I should leave you here, but I yearn to stay.”

I knelt by her bed, unable to leave. Her breathing was steady, and I pushed a lock of hair from her face. She moved as if she were about to wake.

“Sleep a while longer,” I urged.

I moved towards the door, but I paused, turning back towards her. I wanted Quinn. I was drawn to her; something within her soul had called to me when I’d heard her sing. I wanted the chase, to make her mine. For her to give in to me, to ask me to kiss her. To bite her.

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