Chapter 25
The entry hall was a hive of activity. Vittorio kept close to me. I looked over Laurent’s vampires, their clothes tattered and stained with black gore. Shoulders sagged. Words were hushed.
Relief flooded me at the sight of a familiar face. “Zola!”
“Darling!” Zola opened her arms and I fell into them. She folded me close, her lavender and lemon scent wrapping around me. She was here. She was alive. Safe.
“I’m so glad you made it,” I breathed, pulling back to get a better look at her. “Did they… Did they hurt you?”
“There’s no need to fret. All is well.”
She was dressed in black spandex—so different from her usual. There were large rips across the fabric, and what looked like demon blood splattered on her face. I hugged her again anyway.
“I was so worried,” I admitted.
“Completely unnecessary. You should have seen your Laurent. He was a wonder to behold.”
“Lily.” An achingly familiar voice made my stomach lurch. Laurent stood beside Vittorio, eyeing me carefully. Vittorio’s lips moved rapidly, his voice only audible enough for a vampire. With each word, Laurent’s gaze darkened while his face remained granite.
Zola spared Laurent a curious glance before saying to me, “We will speak tomorrow, yes?” She leaned in and kissed my forehead then disappeared.
Laurent took her place, looking me over. Like the others, he was disheveled and splattered in demon blood. “You are unharmed?” he demanded, his voice rough.
“I… There was…” I struggled for words.
He reached for my hand. “Come. Let us get you back to your room.”
His words made me aware of how heavy my limbs were. How overwhelmed I was. The comfort of my room sounded like the best idea in the world.
We climbed the stairs, leaving everyone behind to make our way through the manor.
I stopped outside my door. He reached for my wrist, his thumb brushing over my pulse.
My heart took off at a gallop—something he could certainly feel.
Self conscious, I pulled away and walked into my bedroom, searching out Cinnamon.
She was still in her crate, subdued. Her eyes blinked open at the sight of me before falling closed again.
A smile pulled at my lips. Just the sight of her lifted my mood. She was too cute.
Laurent followed me in. He placed a hand at my back and guided me over to the sofa. “Wait here.”
He disappeared through the door that was usually locked—one that apparently joined our rooms together. I’d unpack that later.
Less than two minutes later he was back in a fresh change of clothes, the blood gone from his skin, his moonlight hair hanging in wet strands from his ten second shower, showing me a glimpse of his pointed ears. He might move fast for a vampire, but he couldn’t make air dry his hair any quicker.
He took a seat beside me, closer than usual. I caught the faint whiff of something citrusy mixed with his usual musk. I didn’t feel the urge to scoot away. Our knees brushed and my eyes darted down at the brief contact.
The tray from earlier was still here with my half finished hot chocolate long gone cold. There were two slices of lemon blueberry bread remaining. I grabbed one and sat back, if only to give myself something to do.
“Tell me what happened,” he said. “Start at the beginning.”
I wanted to jump ahead, but did as he asked.
“I was waiting on the stairs while Vittorio made me tea,” I said, giving him a cobbled together explanation.
I told him about the struggle in the kitchen, the shadows swarming in the entryway, and the appearance of the demon.
I shuddered when I recounted his appearance.
“It was a diversion. They wanted you gone so they could take me.”
Laurent’s unreadable expression cracked. “I should have been here,” he growled. “I am sorry.”
“No—“ I let out a long breath. “You were exactly where you needed to be, rescuing Zola.”
“What happened next?”
“He tried to capture me.”
“Did he hurt you?” The lethal tone made goosebumps spread across my skin. I was suddenly certain of the fate that awaited the demon below. “Answer me, little flower, and do not lie.”
“It’s not important.”
“It is to me.”
I licked my lips. “He… He grabbed my ankle. When I kicked him, he tackled me and dragged me down the stairs by my hair.” Laurent let out a low growl but remained motionless. “Then he hit me.”
Laurent’s hand darted out, fingers grasping my chin in a vicelike grip. He tilted my face into the light. His next words were measured. “That demon is very lucky the bruise has already healed. As it stands, he will pay tenfold for the pain he caused.”
I shuddered because I was fully aware of what Laurent could do.
He released my chin, giving it a gentle caress as he did. “Continue.”
I reached the part where I stopped my assailant with only my words, attempting to explain something that made little sense. “I don’t know how it happened. It’s like something came over me and my voice changed.”
“And you’re certain you’ve never done anything like this before?”
“Never. There were plenty of opportunities. Like when you kidnapped me. I told you to stop but you didn’t.”
“I’m a powerful vampire.”
“Yes, but so is Vittorio.”
“Point taken.”
Despite my exhaustion, we spent the next hour talking it over. It could have been his blood, or mine, or the convergence of both. “Zola has a theory,” he admitted. “She believes you might not be fully human.”
“I’m not. I’m an amplifier.”
“To our knowledge, amplifiers are human.” When I frowned, he added, “Think of it like blood type. Amplifiers simply have a rare blood type.”
“I see. So you think it’s not just my blood type, but something else?”
“Exactly.” He tucked his white hair behind an ear. I couldn’t help but follow the motion. My fingers itched and I fought the urge to reach out and trace the pointed tip. “What that something might be, I cannot say. Perhaps only time will tell.”
“Can I try it on you?”
“I don’t think so, little flower.”
“Why not? Afraid of what might happen if I control you?” His throat bobbed, but he kept his gaze firmly fixed on the wall opposite us.
“You are, aren’t you. I bet the thought terrifies you.
” The smile that pulled at my lips was entirely wicked.
He caught a flash of it right as I said, “Get up and walk over to the fireplace.” My voice did the same as before.
It changed, turning sultry with a hint of smokiness.
Laurent jerked to his feet. He took three eager steps forward, his movements stilted, before he wrenched himself to a halt. He whirled, eyes glittering with an unreadable emotion. “That was very naughty, little flower.”
I pulled my lip between my teeth to keep from grinning. His gaze darted to my mouth, lingering. Heat coated my skin and I released my lip. “Fine. Sit down.”
He sank onto the couch before he could stop himself. Then he growled, realizing what I’d done. “It shouldn’t be possible,” he muttered, his brows knitted. “Not when I carry your blood. Not when I am more powerful than any vampire alive.”
“To be fair, you didn’t totally succumb. Vittorio was halfway across the hall before he managed to break free.” The words were meant to appease him, but inside I was preening.
When he next looked at me, his expression was open, the hunger there undeniable.
Not simply a hunger for blood, but a hunger to possess.
It should have frightened me, but it did the opposite.
His eyes traced my features. I wanted to squirm under his assertive gaze, the way it set fire to my skin.
The way he looked his fill without any hesitation.
“Tell me what happened with Zola,” I blurted, hoping to free myself from the intensity.
“Would you rather I show you?”
I frowned. “You can do that?”
“When you drink from me, you have access to my memories. It is how I get answers when I need them. I can reach inside the mind of my prey and take whatever I want.”
I reared back as if struck. “You didn’t think to tell me that before I gave you my blood?!”
“Would you have chosen differently?”
I hesitated, considering. “No.”
“I thought not.” He reached out, taking a lock of hair and rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger before dropping it. “I did not read your mind, Lily, nor sift through your thoughts. You are not my enemy and I would never betray your trust like that.”
“Oh. Okay, then.” I tried to hide the immense relief that spread through my chest.
“It can be controlled.”
“But… Did you get my memories?”
His eyes darted between mine. “Some, yes. I haven’t had the honor of sifting through them yet.”
Don’t bother, I almost muttered. It wasn’t as if there was anything worth seeing in my past, but it felt cowardly. I’d made my decision to offer up my blood and I stood by that decision.
“All right, then,” I said. “I’d like to see what happened.” He’d already given me blood earlier but that didn’t dampen my excitement. It should have worried me, this eagerness. “You’ll have to tell me how to do it, though. How to sift through thoughts.”
“Very well. May I?” He reached toward me, then hesitated.
I eyed his outstretched hands. “Okay.”
He took my waist and dragged me onto his lap.
A little gasp rushed from my lips as my back pressed neatly to his front, my ass resting atop his length.
“Just relax. It will be easier this way.” His lips were at my ear, brushing against my skin.
I shivered. “Now, when you take me in to you,”—my eyes widened at his crude wording—“normally you would see flashes, yes? Memories rushing by. This time, focus on what you want to see. You are searching for one specific thing. A recent memory from earlier, a memory of what happened. Yes?”
I managed to nod, but only just. I couldn’t focus on his words. Couldn’t focus beyond the growing erection prodding me. I hadn’t even started drinking from him yet and he was already getting hard.
“Good, are you ready?”
I gave him another nod.