Chapter 11 #2
Anger whips through me, and I take a deep breath, trying to suppress it. It’s a wasted effort though. Here I’d been waiting all night for word of my father, worry gnawing at me, and he hadn’t even bothered visiting me again. Even after saying he would.
Lying bastard. He probably didn’t even go.
I follow Lysander’s directions, taking the adjacent hall to the end. As he said, a staircase hides there, deep in the corner. It rises up and disappears into darkness.
Climbing the wooden steps, I keep my eyes focused on the light pressing against the door. Shadows move underneath, and I pause. Why would Avurm be here? Especially if the sun can hurt him. Had Lysander been wrong about him being here?
Strange sounds come from the other side of the door, like low grunting and shuffling. It only piques my curiosity more.
When I open the door, the first thing I see is Avrum standing frozen in the center of the large attic space. He stares at me in both surprise and horror, and as his arm falls to his side, so does the sword he’s holding. It clatters on the floor by his feet.
“Haven!”
“You seem surprised to see me.” I step further inside, but Avrum’s arm juts out, eyes wild with fear.
“Don’t move,” he snaps. I’m about to argue with him, but when his eyes drop to my feet, I look down to see the place where my foot is about to step is missing a chunk of wood. My throat tightens. If he hadn’t stopped me, I would have fallen through.
I shift back, my stomach tightening. That could’ve been bad. Deadly.
As I look around, I find that many of the floorboards are missing, and stripes of sunlight are pouring in through broken windows and gaps in the roof above. It’s a dangerous place for me, but even more dangerous for a vampire like Avrum. So, then, why is he here?
“I… am.” Avrum says, picks up his sword, and brings it across the room to a metal trunk where he drops it in. “Surprised to see you, that is.”
Moving carefully now, I walk across the room to him, annoyance ringing through me that he really has been up here all this time, hiding out from me. At least, that’s what it seems like. I jab him in the shoulder with a finger, feeling nothing but solid muscle.
His spine straightens, but he doesn’t face me.
“What happened with my father?” I ask. “Did you see him? Speak to him? Does he know about our plan to escape?”
He doesn’t answer. His entire body is as rigid and unmovable as stone.
“Avrum.” My aggravation builds from his silence. “Did you visit my father or not? You must answer me.”
Then, he turns, his expression solemn. Wiping his sweaty brow with the back of his hand, he sighs. “Who told you where I was?”
“Your friend. The one who’s part of the guard.”
He grits his teeth. “Lysander.”
He really didn’t want to be found up here. I don’t understand.
“What does that even matter?” I press. “Why didn’t you come to my room? What did my father say?”
An array of emotions cross Avrum’s face—worry, pity, confusion, desperation—all ones I recognize but don’t understand. But still his lips remain clamped shut.
My heart drops. Something isn’t right.
“Avrum…” My voice trembles. “What-What is it?”
“Oh, Haven,” he mutters. Grief clings to every word. The way his gaze roams my face makes my stomach clench painfully. “Your father… He’s…”
My worst fear comes crashing down on me in an instant, and my lungs seize. I can’t breathe.
“No…” My head whirls. He doesn’t have to say the rest. The truth echoes behind my ears as if he has screamed it. “No, please. No…”
“I am so sorry, Haven,” he whispers, stepping toward me. “I went to your home and your father… He’d passed away.”
The words pound through my skull, tears springing to my eyes instantly. “No! No! He can’t be! He isn’t!”
He reaches out to touch me, face contorted with pain. “Haven…”
I slap his hand away. “Do not touch me!”
“He must have passed in his sleep,” he goes on gently. “He was lying on the mattress covered by a blanket. He seemed peaceful.”
Sobs wrench through my chest, the sorrow gripping me too much to handle. My knees wobble from the force of it. “When?” I reach for the wall and lean against it. “When could this have happened?”
“It couldn’t have been too long ago—”
Anger flaring, my head whips his way. “Not too long ago? Do you mean like two nights ago? The same night that I wanted to go see him, but you stopped me and brought me back here?”
His eyes widen.
“I could have seen him before he died.” My vision blurs as more tears fall, but they don’t cool down my rage. “You bastard! I could’ve helped him! He needed me and I wasn’t there.”
I throw myself at him, fists pounding at his solid chest. I don’t care. I strike him with all my might. “He needed me!”
His hands try to block my blows, but I’m flailing wildly. Blindly. Releasing all my hatred, pain, and grief. I should’ve never trusted him. I shouldn’t have listened.
“He can’t be dead!” I scream over and over as my fists pound at him. “He can’t! He can’t!”
“Haven, please.”
“You are just like Henri,” I spit, pronouncing every word on its own to give them even more power. “Just like him.”
Avrum’s face changes before my eyes. His pupils dilate, growing larger and larger until nothing is left of his eyes except complete blackness. The corners of his mouth twitch, pulling back and exposing two sharpened canine teeth. A feral snarl escapes his throat.
I freeze in horror.
His hands snatch my wrists with unnatural speed, and he throws his weight against me, slamming my body against the wall. He holds me firmly in place with my hands above my head, black eyes searing into me.
I jerk my arms to try and get free, but his grip only tightens. This is the Avrum I know.
Panic quickens my pulse, and he when he peers down at me hungrily, I turn rigid. He dips his head, his mouth hovering near the curve of my neck, and goosebumps leap across my skin.
This is it. He’s going to feed from me.
I kick out, landing a few sharp blows to his knees, but he doesn’t appear fazed. It does nothing to deter him or loosen his grip on me. He only growls, his lips vibrating against my skin.
Not knowing what else to do, I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the piecing pain of his fangs in my throat.
“You think I’m like Henri,” he says, his voice coming out in a low rumble. “I can be like Henri. I can tie you to my bed, just like this.” His fingers squeeze my wrists together. Pain shoots down my arms, making me whimper. “I can have my way with you whenever I please.”
He runs his soft lips from my shoulder to my jaw, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. I twist under him and suck in a sharp breath.
“I can leave you scarred and bruised. Drink from you until I’ve had my fill.” His fangs scrape against me, and I tremble all over. “I could kill you easily. Even now.”
“Do it then. Kill me,” I say through gritted teeth. “I have nothing more to live for, Avrum. Kill me. Get it over with. Please.”
That’s when Avrum lifts his head and our gazes lock. Slowly, his eyes return to their normal soft brown color. He releases me, and his attention drops to my parted lips.
To my complete surprise, desire hums through me at the heated look he pins me with.
My heartbeat gallops, and I’m hot all over.
I hold my breath as his hand slides up my arm and tangles in my hair.
Pulling back gently, his mouth presses against mine with such desperation that it steals my breath away.
His body softens, the anger gone, and when his tongue runs along the seam of my lips, they automatically open for him.
He takes his time kissing me, his movements never rough, only tender and full of need.
Little explosions of heat erupt in the center of my belly, and my every other worry and thought leaves me at once. There’s just him and me.
When he pulls back, he leans his forehead against mine. “I would never do any of those terrible things to you,” he whispers. “I’ll never hurt you.”
“I know,” I reply. “I should have never said it.”
“I need you here, Haven. I need you here with me.”
My heart clenches. He isn’t like Henri at all. His touches are gentle and slow, full of compassion and understanding. He’s doing everything he can to help me escape my capture, for the simple reason of him caring.
He cares… about me. I see it now.
Tilting my chin, I capture his mouth again, but with even more fervor than before. I want him to know I finally understand; I need to stop pushing him away because, truly, I care about him, too.
A pleasant hum courses through me, and the desire to feel him closer becomes overwhelming. As if sensing the change in me, his hand runs up my back, causing me to arch forward and press more into his hard chest. At the same time, his lips travel along my jaw and a small whimper escapes me.
He fiddles with the strings at the nape of my neck, and it isn’t long before the knot gives way. As his touch glides down my shoulder, my cotton nightgown goes with it.
Soon enough, the nightgown is off, settling around my hips, and my chest is completely exposed to him.
I should feel bashful, but I don’t. Not in front of Avrum.
And it isn’t long before his hands are on me again, cupping my breasts and exploring every newly seen inch of me. It only excites me more.
I’ve never felt anything like this before. So full of desire and need. Henri always takes what he wants and repulses me. With Avrum, I feel like my skin is crawling with electricity and the simplest touch could send me over the edge.
Avrum
Icould touch her forever. She is beyond beautiful, and now that she stands before me half-naked, I’m sure there isn’t another woman in the world who could ever match.
Her breasts are full and begging for my touch.
Her waist is small, but then curve out at the hips.
Just looking at her this way makes me want to give her anything and everything she’s ever wanted.
My heart beats erratically in my chest. She is my weakness.