Chapter 43
‘ Quinn. ’ A voice pulled me from my dream of blood.
I opened one eye to find Matteo’s face right in front of mine, his breath cool. I groaned, pulling the doona over my head. I recalled my dream. Carlos had been there again, telling me to stop fighting. To give in to the hunger.
Matteo laughed. “I’m sensing you’re not a morning person.”
“Not when someone wakes me up,” I grumbled. “What time is it?”
“Five thirty,” he said.
“In the morning?” I asked, my tone rising.
“In the morning,” he confirmed.
“Why are you waking me at this hour?” I demanded. “This is inhuman.”
“I need to hunt.” His voice was quiet.
His words were enough to completely wake me up. I pulled the doona back, sitting up. “Hunt? You want to chase me or something?” I asked.
Laughter rumbled from him. “No. I’ve not been feeding enough the last few days, and I need more than I should take from you.”
“You’re leaving me?” I grabbed his arm, trying to stop him from going.
“Not alone. Carlos is here.” He pulled away.
“Carlos?” My voice came out high-pitched.
“Yes, don’t worry, I trust him. He won’t hurt you.” He half-turned, and Carlos stood in the doorway, arms folded across his chest.
Carlos didn’t seem happy. “You should not be hunting alone.”
“I cannot leave her alone in this state. Right now, she’s my priority. Just keep an eye on her; I won’t be long.”
Carlos glared. “And you’re my priority. Chances are, it will probably be me that has to drag you in the next time you kill.”
I lay down again, pulling the doona back over me, and I tried to ignore their conversation. I was tired of the hunger and didn’t know what I wanted anymore. I had told him I didn’t want to be a vampire, but a week connected with him and feeling the way I did, I started to question myself. The dreams of Carlos weren’t helping.
“Quinn.” Matteo’s voice pulled at me again .
I grunted.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said. “Don’t do anything to her,” he warned Carlos.
Matteo’s absence bothered me, and I became curious. I threw the doona back and stared at Carlos, standing in the doorway with his arms still across his chest, watching me.
“That was you in my dreams, wasn’t it?” I asked.
He took a step away from the doorway, towards me. “It was.” He appeared next to the bed in an instant. I recoiled, which he noticed with a small smile. “I don’t know why Matteo won’t turn you. It would be easier on both of you. I know he wants to.”
“I don’t want to be turned,” I told him.
“I’m not sure even you believe that right now.” He flashed me a cold smile, showing fangs. “Just say the word, I can bring you a human and we can be done with this.”
Hunger surged at the thought. He leaned towards me, and everything about him terrified me.
“That’s your instinct you’re feeling,” he said. “Trust it.” Seeing Matteo as a vampire for the first time had been nothing compared to what I felt with Carlos. “I haven’t been human for a very long time; I forget how to pass for one.” His eyes met mine, and I shuddered. “Matteo has his gallery and studio, but I have no desire to live in the human world or pass for one of you. Human instincts tell you to run because you should. If I kill, it’s not a mistake or out of anger, like your lover. It’s because I want to.”
The urge to run overwhelmed me. He was the very monster I was afraid of when I had first seen Matteo for what he was. I crawled backwards on the bed instinctively, needing to get away from him as he crawled towards me. His eyes turned red, and he breathed in as Matteo often did.
“I do love that scent of fear,” he smiled. “Run.”
The word took hold, and I was moving before I could stop myself. Choking back tears I didn’t understand why Matteo had left me with Carlos. I ran through the lounge and straight out the back door that led on to the beach, only for the bright sunlight to hurt my eyes.
I collapsed, shielding my eyes, and curled up instinctively, whimpering. Something dark was thrown over my head, and arms lifted me, pressing me against a warm body. The smell was wrong, I knew it wasn’t Matteo. Leather and cinnamon.
“I’m sorry.” Carlos said, taking me back inside. “I got carried away. You shouldn’t have done that.”
“You told me to run.” I muttered. “I thought you were going to kill me.”
A low chuckle rose from him. “I was having fun.”
“It wasn’t fun for me.” I protested.
He pulled his jacket from my head. “You’re all right.” He told me. “I didn’t think you’d run outside. You may have our hunger and all, but you don’t have our instincts. We tend to avoid the harsh rays of the day. They do hurt without our sunglasses.”
He laid me back on the bed, his gentleness surprising.
“Why did you do that?” I demanded, irritation making me bold.
I knelt on the bed, my face inches from his, my anger overwhelming.
“I was having fun,” he repeated. Amusement glinted through his eyes.
My temper flared. “Yeah, you said. Matteo told me you wouldn’t hurt me . ”
“In all fairness, I didn’t.” His smile only added to my annoyance. “You ran into the sunlight, not me. It hurt me more than you when I had to follow you. You’re welcome.”
“You’re an ass,” I snapped.
He burst out laughing and snapped his teeth at me. “You’re a brave one, aren’t you, young one? Matteo’s different since he met you, and I’m starting to see why.” Finally, he moved away from me, and I felt like I could breathe again. “My offer is still there, though. I can feel your hunger. All you need is to ask me. I will have a human here in less than a minute.”
I opened my mouth, not sure what was about to come out. The front door opened, and disappointment passed over Carlos’s face. Matteo walked into the bedroom, signs of a feeding on his face, sunglasses in place.
“You’ve been up to something, I can feel it,” Matteo said to him.
“Just getting to know your beloved.” Carlos shot me a look and winked. “I like her.”