Chapter 75
CHAPTER 75
JULIET
A s I lie in bed, I think of Lord Greyvale. Valaric—the mysterious and undeniably handsome Vampire. There’s something about him. He claims we’ve met before, and I wonder just how well I knew him. I search my mind, but it’s like trying to piece together fragments of a forgotten dream; it keeps slipping further away the more I try to grasp it.
Turning onto my side, I close my eyes and allow myself to drift away.
I’m standing on a beach. Shimmering moonlight reflects across the waves. Valaric walks up beside me. “Why are we here?” I ask.
Gently, he cups my face with both hands. His crimson eyes swirl with black as they study me. “Because you are mine.” He leans in and brushes his lips to my own. Trailing a line of kisses down my neck, he whispers against my skin. “And I am yours, my Juliet.”
Valaric cups my breast and then closes his mouth over the peak, laving his tongue across the sensitive bead at the tip as I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.
I wake with a start and sit up in the bed. My heart is racing and I’m panting heavily, my entire body thrumming with need. That was the most sensual dream I’ve ever had. Closing my eyes, I can still feel his lips upon me.
Throwing back the sheets, I stand from the bed and pull my silken robe around my shoulders. I walk to the balcony and push open the door. When I step outside, the night air winds around me like a gentle caress, cooling my heated skin. I tip my head back and a sigh of longing escapes me as I recall more of my dream.
Pent up arousal hums in my veins. Although it’s late, I doubt I’ll be able to fall asleep again. I glance over the side of my balcony and grip the thick, green vines that climb up the side of the manor, testing them to make sure they’ll hold my weight.
Throwing caution to the wind, I toe on my slippers and then carefully lower myself over the edge. I hold firmly to the vines and take great care with my footing on the exterior stone wall and begin to climb down.
Halfway down, I reach for a lower vine. Shifting my weight, I grab hold of the new vine, and it snaps. My breath catches and time slows as I plummet, the world spinning around me in a blur as I fall.
A rush of air whooshes up from below, and strong arms catch me, enveloping me in warmth and safety, halting my descent. I lift my head and then gasp as Valaric’s intense gaze locks onto mine. His black, leathery wings flex and extend as he hovers above the ground, holding me as if I weigh nothing.
“Are you all right?” His voice is low and smooth like velvet.
Up close, he’s even more breathtaking than I remember. His chiseled features are bathed in moonlight, his dark and silver-white hair tousled by the night breeze. As he holds me suspended above the earth, I can feel the strength in his grip, the power in his body. And I’m breathless as I gaze up at him, completely and utterly mesmerized. “Yes. You saved me.”
He gently sets us down on the ground, his movements smooth and controlled. He sets my feet on the ground, but his strong hands remain at my waist.
“Why were you out here?” I frown. “Do… Vampires have some sort of precognition? Like seers? Did you somehow know I was going to fall?”
A hint of a roguish smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “No, I do not possess that type of magic, and I did not know you’d fall. But I hoped you might be awake.” His eyes pierce mine. “I needed to see you again, Juliet.”
He needed to see me again . My heart flutters. Everything about him draws me in. But this is dangerous. Not because of what he is, but because of this strange hold he seems to have upon me. This is only the second time I’ve seen him, and as his gaze holds mine, I realize how easily I could become lost in this man—this Vampire.
We’re standing beneath my balcony in the middle of the night, only a hair’s breadth between us. But as improper as it is to be alone with him, I cannot seem to make myself leave. My gaze drops to his full perfect mouth, and I’ve never felt so wanton. If he tried to steal a kiss right now, I would offer no resistance.
Goosebumps pebble my flesh as his dark gaze travels down my body, making me fully aware of just how little I’m wearing. Even with my robe, the silken material hugs every dip and curve, leaving very little to the imagination. Desire hums through my veins, and I wrap my arms around myself in an attempt at modesty.
He must assume I am cold because he removes his cloak and drapes it around my shoulders, completely enveloping me in his rich smell of mint and cedar.
“Is that better?”
A small sigh of contentment escapes me as I revel in his delicious, masculine scent. “Yes. Thank you.” I gesture to a nearby bench. “Would you like to sit with me?”
He dips his chin and takes a seat.
“Do you often stay up this late?” he asks.
I decide to tease him. “Are you asking because you’re wondering if you need to come back tomorrow to make sure I don’t fall?”
“Perhaps.” He laughs softly.
I turn my gaze to the garden wall. “In truth, I could not sleep.”
He looks at me, patiently waiting for me to continue.
“My parents want me to marry Lord Jonathan Harker.” I sigh heavily. “I already broke our engagement, but he doesn’t want to accept it.”
“And what do you want?” he asks gently.
“Truth be told, I’d probably never marry if I didn’t have to.”
He frowns. “Why do you feel you have to?”
I shrug. “It’s not so easy for women to find the same level of independence that men seem to enjoy when they are unmarried. At least… not here in Aralon.”
I look up at him, and a wisp of memory floats to the surface of him gazing down at me, his eyes full of longing. I try to focus on the image, but it begins to fade away just as quickly as it appeared. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he replies, his voice rich and smooth.
“How well did we know each other?”
He hesitates, and I don’t know if it’s because he does not wish to answer or if he worries I will not want the truth. After what feels like an eternity, he finally speaks. “We knew each other very well, Juliet.” His voice is soft as he speaks. “I know that to you, we have only just met, and I am a relative stranger. But we—” He swallows hard. “We had a life together.”
I blink several times, studying him warily. “What do you mean ‘we had a life together?’”
As I wait for him to answer, flits of memory spark in my mind. An image of him sitting with me in a garden like this, but with beautiful glowing flowers. Of him holding me as we hover above the ground, dozens of tiny golden lights swirling around us.
I remember feeling safe and cherished… lying in his arms with his wings folded around me as he whispered words in an ancient tongue that I did not understand. But I knew what it meant in the way that it left his lips in sacred reverence. “You called me your ashaya.” The words spill from my lips as I struggle to hold onto the wisps of broken memory.
He stills. “You remember,” the words escape him in barely a whisper.
“I—” I open my mouth to speak, but hesitate as worry begins to creep in. This man is a Vampire. They are known to seduce unsuspecting victims, ensnaring them to slake their dark thirst. I shoot up from my seat. “I—I’m not sure. I don’t know what I—” My breath hitches. “I must go. Please, excuse me.”
I start back for the manor, but Valaric calls out. “Juliet, wait!”
I halt abruptly and turn to face him.
“I’m sorry I upset you.” Regret lines his features. “Please forgive me… forget I said anything.”
“Forget?” Suspicion snakes down my spine. “Is this how it works then?”
He blinks. “What are you talking about?”
“Is this how your kind tempt and lure young women?” I ask accusingly. “You use your powers to fill their minds with fake memories to draw them in? To make them trust you? To make them believe that somehow they will be safe in the arms of a monster?”
I don’t miss the way he recoils slightly at my last remark.
“Please,” he pleads. “Just listen to what I have to say. And if you decide you do not wish to see me or speak to me again after this, then I will accept it. I swear.”
I consider him a moment, unsure if this is some sort of trap.
He drops to one knee. “Please,” he begs. “Let me explain.”
My mind insists that I leave, but my heart bids me to stay and listen. “Tell me then.”