4. Isidoro #3
I snap out of my bloodlust-infused haze and pull away.
My chest is on fire, my nerve-endings too.
His hair is a messy black halo surrounding his head, his face is a panting mess.
But gods, he looks so sublime, so sinfully inviting.
The blood in my veins turns traitorous, my body vibrating for reasons I refuse to examine.
Whatever has come over me, I have to shut it down. I can’t let it happen. I won’t. Not with him.
I snap my teeth, hissing, and push off Julian.
Heartbeat erratic, I get hold of his neck with both hands, locking my gaze on the juncture between it and his shoulder because I don’t dare look at his face.
It’s too dangerous, I’m too unstable. One look at those soul-stealing eyes and I fear I might lose control and do something truly insane.
I never lose control. I reign over it, always.
It’s who I am. Yet, as I chance a glimpse at Julian’s face because I simply can’t help it despite the ban I just put on the action, I feel my control slip away just like it has been ever since I kidnapped him.
He looks so impossibly tempting, like an offering before me.
Shaking, I fight the urges within me. I can’t give in, this is not me. It’s the bloodlust and the adrenaline, the miscalculation I made thinking he’s just another prey, that he’d surrender when I caught him. That he would bend and break and do as I say.
But Julian is not prey. He’s a predator like me, vicious and deadly.
Julian’s hands come up, his claws digging into my skin as his face starts to lose color. Maybe I should just kill him. End this. But if I do, how much longer will I live under constant stress and fear? And when Adras eventually comes for my head, Julian is the only thing that could stop him.
Should I let Julian live then, just as I’ve done so far? But he is too volatile. Too risky. Too good at getting under my skin.
“Tell me where your father is. This is your last chance. No more silly games. This ends now,” I demand, my thoughts a mess that can’t be untangled.
I let off the pressure around his neck. He coughs, some of the color returning, and bares his teeth in a madness-infused grin. It tells me all I need to know. He won’t cooperate no matter what. This is a fight I cannot win.
I brace myself for his reply. For that frustrating refusal. For the proof I need that maybe killing him will be the least painful option, even if it might not be the best one.
“Fine. I’ll tell you. But I have one condition.”
His words don’t land, don’t make sense. I just stare down at him, my mind scrambling to catch up.
Then instinct snaps back into place. He’s in no position to negotiate.
But I am desperate. This ordeal has been keeping me up at night.
Not knowing where Andras is or when he might strike is too much.
After two months of nothing, Julian seems to be the only chance I have of dealing with this problem once and for all.
“Let’s hear it.”
He hesitates, something flashing in his eyes. Triumph, anticipation, fear, lingering excitement, I can’t exactly tell. “If you want to find out where my father is… You will marry me. I will tell you everything after the wedding.”
I freeze. Surely, I misheard. There’s no way those words just came out of his mouth. Yet again, I’m thrown into the wrangler, scrambling and struggling to make sense of what’s even happening. This is insane. He is insane to even propose something outrageous like this.
“Don’t give me that look,” he huffs out, rolling his eyes.
“Think about it—you need my help or you’ll keep hitting dead ends.
Trust me, your P.I. won’t find shit. You will live in fear until one day my father swoops in and kills you.
The end, but not the one you envisioned.
On the other hand…” He jerks, trying to shake me off, but I don’t let him, keeping him on the ground.
He exhales dramatically. “On the other hand, I want a guarantee that you won’t just kill me when I tell you what I know.
I thought about it, and this is the only way.
Killing your spouse after a blood oath is the biggest no-no in our society.
Everyone knows it. You wouldn’t dare, or my father would be the least of your problems. No ruby and no crown will protect you then. ”
He… He’s right. Even if I gave him my word that he’d live, why would he believe it?
Yes, we vampires don’t go back on our promises, but there are ways.
However, if we were to be bloodwed, I wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on him, or the wrath of the entire vampire species would come down on me.
This is remarkably and unexpectedly genius.
This is the only way to guarantee his safety, a vow I won’t be able to break.
I will be bound to protect him from all harm, including myself.
“I don’t like this one bit. Or you.” His upper lip quivers.
“You are an evil asshole. But I also want to live. And I want my company back. It’s part of the deal.
But since there is no trust between us, I must take certain precautions.
So, give me my company back and marry me.
If you want to figure out this mystery”—he grins, his entire face lighting up—“you’re gonna have to make me your husband and consort. Do we have a deal?”