Closeness
Alex
Tanner’s behaviour puzzled me. He had to possess some magical skills, but for whatever reason, he kept them secret.
“Are you sure Tanner is fully human?” Irene went up the stairs with me after we left the cell.
“Absolutely. There are people clever enough to find a way to escape from a cell, but Tanner isn’t one of them. Sean must have helped him, but that adds more questions.”
It was a pleasure to see Irene rosy, bright, and full of energy. The taste of her blood lingered on my lips, and the bond between us pulled me towards her. It was the closest thing to holding her.
She put a hand on her chest. “Do you feel this pull every time you feed?” There was a strained note in her voice.
“Only with you because you’re my first provider. What we have is rare. The first provider is usually killed by the vampire.”
A smile of triumph curved her lips. “I like that.”
“The fact that the provider dies?” I teased.
“Heaven, no. That I share something special with you.”
I paused. “You are special to me.” I flexed my fingers open to ease the tension urging me to touch her.
Her scent floated in the air, growing stronger. I brushed my fingertips over her knuckles, expecting pain, but instead a thrill coursed through me. Her lips parted with a small sigh.
A couple of maids walking by broke the spell.
I withdrew my trembling hand. “I didn’t expect that.”
“I liked it. I’m glad you’re becoming more comfortable with me.”
I was, but the path to holding her was still long. More servants walked past, and I remained awkwardly silent, staring at my tickling fingertips. The touch had been brief, but it’d made me feel powerful and whole.
We resumed walking.
Irene shuffled her feet. “What do you plan to tell Knight?”
“There’s something Graves doesn’t know.” I lowered my voice. “Knight’s pack is being decimated by rabies.”
“Rabies?”
“A type that infects werewolves. Anyway, Knight needs help, and I’m going to offer it to him. I’m sure he’ll change his mind about restricting magic.”
Disapproval showed in her scowl. “You’re taking advantage of the outbreak.”
“The alternative is another war among the clans. I need Knight to owe me something.”
“You wouldn’t help him if you didn’t need him.” The set of her mouth spelt disappointment.
I had to be honest. “I don’t have the luxury of being generous for the sake of it. I need leverage to gain something. But children have caught rabies. I would have asked Darius to help anyway, but Knight doesn’t need to know that.”
“There has to be another way. Harmony would work better for everyone, and you wouldn’t worry about getting stabbed in the back.” Her shoulders stooped. “Whom am I fooling? I’m like everyone else.”
I stopped in front of my room. “The first killing is never easy.”
She lost some of her radiance. “I suppose even the second one.”
“You’ll get used to it.” I opened the door.
“I’d better sleep for a few hou—”
A swish whispered, and golden light twinkled around her. The gown Darius had created vanished in a puff of stardust. She squealed as the dressing gown reappeared half open. Her chignon came undone, and her hair fell to her waist. The slippers vanished as well.
I didn’t complain. The dressing gown left plenty of creamy skin visible, and my imagination did what my lips couldn’t.
Right then, Darius ran towards us. “Irene! I forgot to tell you… Never mind.”
She clenched the lapels. “Darius!”
“I’m wonderful, I know.” The mage darted away, disappearing faster than when he used his magic.
Footsteps approached, and she flushed. “Open the door. I’m not going to stand here in my dressing gown.”
I was more than happy to let her into my bedroom.
She released the lapels. “Since I’m here, I think we should begin.”
“What?”
She sat with grace on the sofa in front of the fire. “I promised to help you overcome your fear.”
“All right.” A sudden spell of nervousness tightened my stomach.
She patted the sofa. “I don’t bite.”
I laughed, releasing some of the tension.
I sat next to her, keeping only a few inches between us.
The air was charged with energy, like before a storm.
I hadn’t been so nervous since I’d tried and failed to invite my pretty neighbour Millie to the town hall ball when I was fourteen.
It wasn’t a good sensation. But I’d touched Irene earlier. I should be able to do it again.
She edged closer, her shoulder almost brushing mine. “Is that uncomfortable?”
My mouth grew dry. A tremor threatened to start, but I forced it down. “It is, but it’s manageable.”
She remained still. “Did you want to become the duke?”
Focusing on something other than her closeness was a chore. A vein beating a steady pulse in her neck was another source of distraction. I wasn’t thirsty, but her creamy skin and the thick vein were a huge temptation.
I cleared my throat. “I did.” I scrubbed the back of my neck.
“The former duke was ruthless and more interested in terrorising maidens than leading the court. He wasted money on balls and parties while kidnapping girls. He distracted the courtiers with gifts, so they wouldn’t pay attention to his crimes.
I wanted to create a better place where supernatural beings weren’t a threat to humans. ” Although I was a threat to humans.
“You did a wonderful thing.” She inched her hand closer to mine. Her fingertips were a feather away.
My heart gave a kick. I had only three heartbeats per minute, so an extra beat triggered hot turmoil.
She stared at the flames, and her hair sparked with the orange glow. “We can turn it into an exchange. You tell me something personal, and I’ll do the same.”
Our fingertips were almost touching. When I’d carried her in my arms, I’d been too busy keeping the disgust away to appreciate the contact.
But now, in the warm quiet of my room with the fire crackling and the shadows protecting me from the world, I wanted to touch her silky skin and enjoy it.
“The thirst terrified me.” I kept my gaze on our hands.
“I didn’t want to become a slave to it. Darius read the story of a rogue who wiped out an entire village in a few hours.
He spared no one. He sucked thousands of people dry before being killed.
I’d rather die than lose my humanity. A new vampire in a crowded city will easily turn into a rogue without guidance and protection.
I want the Dark Court to offer both to new supernatural beings who can’t control themselves. ”
She brushed the back of my hand with a light finger.
The sensation bordered on pain, but there was a little flame of pleasure, not big or intense, but there. I shivered and fought the urge to withdraw. She stopped touching me, and a combination of longing and relief flooded through me.
“Did you love Sean before he revealed himself?” I wasn’t sure why that question burnt the most.
“I found him charming. He was the only man who didn’t care about my seizures.
Other suitors had expressed their disgust at my condition.
I learnt not to trust people’s feelings towards me because, as soon as they knew about my problem, they avoided me.
But Sean accepted the situation with a shrug.
He had no interest in my money either, being wealthy himself.
Or so I believed.” Her chest heaved. “How stupid I was, begging for scraps of attention.”
“You weren’t stupid. You just wanted what everyone wants.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “I didn’t love him. I never did. But I didn’t have any other options, and I couldn’t live with Papa forever.”
I caressed her knuckles with a finger as my skin became clammy. “I wish I could hug you now, hold you close, and protect you from bad memories.”
She wiped her face. “You’re making progress.”
“If there’s someone I really want to hold, it’s you.”
My fingertips seemed to be on fire, and I withdrew my hand.
We stared at the dancing flames in the hearth in silence.
“One day you will hug me. I’m sure of that.” She rose, her dressing gown flowing with her movements. “Good night.”
I stood up and held the door open for her. I checked the corridor. “It’s empty.”
As she brushed past me, the need to touch her overcame my fear, so great it was. I caressed her cheek and shivered, not because of pain, but because her skin was silky and warm. Enjoying the contact with her spread a sense of freedom within me.
Her lips parted, and I brushed the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip. It was delicate and velvety. When the tremors started and the pain began to burn, I reluctantly withdrew my hand.
“Yes, I’m sure of that, too.”