Chapter 18 #2
Callum’s eyes glitter in the false afternoon light.
“Then let’s make this quick, shall we?” Taking a step back, he rakes his hands against the tall grass, further heightening my sense of hearing.
The reeds rustle, and a twig snaps beneath his foot.
“Tell me what the Dire wolf has done to vex you, and we can go back.”
I open my mouth, but Callum holds his hand up to interrupt. “Ah, but let’s move past your unfortunate run-in on the balcony the other night. I already heard the details from Xavier.”
“And Xavier is?”
“The first-year vampire missing an arm,” he clarifies, scarlet eyes glittering.
“For what it’s worth, I had nothing to do with his dismemberment.
He lost it in the fall.” Tilting his head, Callum studies me closely.
“I would have preferred taking both arms, but as a fellow student, my hands are tied.”
Students can’t directly harm each other outside of Mating Games.
I focus on another detail from Callum’s story and fish for information. “He lost an arm? Are you telling me that vampires aren’t as impervious as they are in legend?”
“Lately, no.” He doesn’t elaborate and swiftly changes the subject. “But we’re not here to talk about Xavier’s miscalculation. We’re here to talk about Alistair Dire.”
My heartbeat skips, and I frantically claw it back down to a steady rhythm. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s—” Confusing, aggressive, a fucking menace on my mental health—
My fated mate.
Callum’s tone becomes gentle. “I can’t help if you won’t tell me about what’s bothering you.”
I scoff. “As if you would help me without strings attached.”
A small smile graces his lips, annoyingly perfect in its symmetry. As a vampire, Callum is already wickedly attractive on account of needing to lure in his prey, but when he was alive, I bet he was just as handsome as he is now. The man would break hearts in any century.
He inclines his head. “It’s not in a vampire’s nature to be altruistic, no. But with you, I’m feeling . . . generous.”
“Forgive me for not believing you.”
His eyes flash as his temper takes hold.
“What would make you happy, Sienna? Shall I rip out Alistair’s deceitful tongue?
Or pluck out his eyes? It can’t be comfortable, having him watch you so closely.
” His eyes glitter menacingly. “Of course, I’m partial to cutting off his cock, but I’m willing to compromise if that’s not to your liking. ”
My face heats at the memory of that very same cock pressed against me. I resist the urge to squirm beneath Callum’s intense scrutiny. He hasn’t blinked once.
I take a steadying breath. There’s one thing the others won’t give me—but a vampire with nothing to lose and everything to gain? He’d be a fool to not to.
“I want the truth. Why are you helping me?” The lingering question of why do you want to mate with me rests on the tip of my tongue, but I rein it in.
I don’t want to seem that desperate.
Rather than tease me for asking something so simple of him, Callum answers without hesitation. “Assisting you helps me determine if we’re a good match. It’s also fun.” Callum grins wickedly. “Tormenting your lover is . . .” He licks his lips. “Exquisite.”
He’s doing what to Revyn?
“Wait, I never said—” I blink and Callum is suddenly standing inches away, unabashedly staring into my eyes.
I startle but am held perfectly in place by whatever magic he uses to keep the illusion going.
While I’m here, I’m trapped within his whims. Anything he wants, he could make happen with a snap of his fingers.
A shiver courses down my spine.
“I’m eager for your company tomorrow night.” Callum uses my stillness to his advantage and teases the inside of my wrist. “I want to know how the full moon affects you. What it does to your—” He inhales sharply. “—inhibitions.”
Lingering shame over my moonlit kiss with Alistair last night makes me blush. Maybe it’s Callum’s honesty that spurs mine, but I find myself telling him the truth.
A whisper passes my lips. “It ruins them.”
The gentle inquisitiveness of Callum’s interrogation changes instantly. What was once a sensual smirk turns rigid, and he scans my face with interest, first pausing at my lips, then my throat.
Though Revyn’s latest bite mark has disappeared thanks to an inappropriate healing session with Alistair, my skin feels hot beneath Callum’s scrutiny.
He wouldn’t bite me to prove a point, would he?
“Something happened between you and Alistair Dire.” It’s not a question or an accusation, but the truth of it hits like a dagger all the same. How am I so easily read by not only Revyn and Alistair, but Callum as well? With barely a glance, the vampire can unravel all my secrets.
It’s dangerous for me to get close to him.
I want to look away, but I would never admit weakness. Standing my ground, I lift my chin.
“That’s why you’re irritated today.” Callum’s eyes narrow, his gaze now lingering on my mouth.
“Not because of how ridiculous the rest of the student body is behaving, but because of how you’ve behaved.
” Trailing his fingers up the delicate veins in my arm, he slowly winds a path to the pulse fluttering in my neck.
With expert precision, he presses down with a razor-sharp tip and stops just before drawing blood.
“Tell me what happened. I want every detail.”
Kill me now.
Reliving last night in my memories is bad enough; bringing my shortcomings to the surface for another to witness is excruciating.
I haven’t told a soul that Alistair believes I’m his true mate, nor do I intend to. I’m keeping that secret under lock and key for as long as I can. It’s a fantastical theory that has no business becoming reality.
Callum goes eerily still as he waits for my description of last night’s events, but I’m not willing to divulge anything just yet. “It’s none of your business what I do with other men.” I swallow at the scratch of his fingertip on my skin.
Vampires are known for being cold, calculated creatures. My experience with Callum has been the opposite; he’s quick to act on his whims and shows more desire for life than any vampire I’ve met. For this one, precise moment, however. . . I understand the reputation.
Within seconds, he’s become unrecognizable.
“You asked me for honesty, Sienna. It’s time to return the favor.”
Fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I clench my fists tight enough for my claws to pierce my skin. The sounds of nature grow louder, making me dizzy. “Turn off the illusion.”
“Tell me what happened.”
I grit my teeth. “No.”
Callum clicks his tongue. “So stubborn. Is that how you’ve survived so long in the wilds?
By sheer willpower?” Suddenly, he cups my face and swipes a sharpened nail across my cheek.
The sting of a fresh cut is nothing compared to the icy chill of his lips against the wound, his kiss a cold reminder of what he is.
An expert at survival.
“How have you survived for so long?” I ask, the need to know suddenly burning through my brain. I open my eyes and meet his unflinching gaze. “How old are you, Callum?”
The corner of his mouth twitches. He caresses the cut on my cheek with a gentleness that contrasts how tightly his magic binds me to the spot. “I don’t know,” he whispers, a hint of melancholy weighing his words. “Sometimes, I think that I’m still here because I’m waiting for something.”
“Waiting for what?”
He smiles, but it’s a sad, lonely twist of his lips. “You kissed him, didn’t you?”
I’m speechless at the way he exhales, the gust of air a mere breath against my cheek until it catches in the trees. They sway with the weight of it, sighing alongside their master.
“Sleeping with Revyn is a byproduct of your previous engagement,” he says mechanically. “Kissing Alistair Dire, however, means that he’s getting under your skin.” Pity flickers through his eyes. “He’s not going to bond with you, Sienna.”
I should be elated that finally, finally someone acknowledges such an obvious truth, but something inside my chest cracks all the same. My next breath rattles. “I don’t want him to.” The words fall past my lips in slow motion, flimsy on my tongue.
“Of course not.” Callum fills his lungs despite not needing to breathe. “He’s awful.”
A laugh spills past my lips, and the magic holding me loosens. I grasp my new freedom eagerly, ready to get out of this hellscape. Rather than break free, I tumble straight into Callum’s awaiting arms.
He wraps one arm around my waist and cradles my head so gracefully that you can’t convince me this wasn’t part of his plan all along.
His breath cools the blood warming my cheeks.
“You tempt me,” he murmurs, “in a way I haven’t been tempted in a very long time.
” An unreadable emotion catches in his eye before he blinks, and it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.
“Where did you kiss Alistair Dire?” he asks.
My gaze flicks to Callum’s lips, and he chuckles, rephrasing his question. “Where in the castle?”
It’s becoming infinitely clear that Callum has all the time in the world to question me. I’m getting nowhere by avoiding it. With a sigh, I relent. “My balcony.”
“When?”
“A few nights ago.”
“Why was he there?”
“Hells if I know.”
“You didn’t invite him?”
I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “No, I didn’t invite him over for chamomile tea and stolen kisses. He just—he hopped over the railing, okay? All on his own. It turns out that he’s not only a menace; he’s my fucking neighbor.”
Callum ignores that little detail and continues probing me for answers. “Who initiated the kiss?”
I think back, but I’m not sure how to answer truthfully.
Alistair put his lips on mine first, but I’m the one who turned it into a kiss .
. . before he pinned me to the wall. Gods, I wish I could forget every excruciating detail, but most importantly, the one about how goddamn hot his cock blazed against my thigh.