by Lana Sky
“M-My what?” I blinked, confused. Weeks of fantasizing about this moment, and yet never did I imagine his first words would refer to my medical records.
“Here.” One of his arms tensed, revealing something in his grasp. A knife? He threw whatever it was in my direction and I flinched, covering my head with my hands. Coolness brushed my calf, but no pain followed. Had he missed? I peeked through my splayed fingers, spotting a round object. A water bottle, of all things.
“Drink,” he snapped. “I can hear your heart straining from here.”
His tone was all wrong—deeper than I remembered, for one. Guttural. When I looked up, his mouth firmly resisted even the hint of that cruel, mocking smile I knew so well. The Devil was clearly vexed. Had I interrupted his self-imposed exile with my bloody excretions?
No matter. Matching his tone, I bit back with, “I thought your magic necklace was supposed to help in that regard?” I clutched at the item in question, straining the slender chain. “Or was that just a lie? A way for you to track me all along? I should have ripped it off the second you left—”
“You didn’t.” His gaze honed in on my throat. “Have you tried removing it?” He surged forward another step, only to halt paces from the bed. I had flinched without even realizing it. “Do you even know the lengths I went through getting the damn thing on you in the first place?” The slightest tremor disrupted his words. “Then again, maybe you do know? I’m sure she didn’t specify those little terms all on her own—”
“She?”
“Don’t play the fool.” He inclined his head, exasperated with me already.
But the way he was glaring at me trapped any rebuttal in my throat. I’d almost forgotten this aspect of his persona—how dangerous he could seem when he wanted to, fitting the term I’d christened him with during one of our first meetings.
Monster.
“Removing the talisman disrupts its effects,” he growled, a professor begrudgingly bestowing a lesson upon an ignorant fool. “I warned you—”
“I…” My mind raced to keep up as a million words formed and died on the tip of my tongue. In the end, I managed to voice only one pathetic question. “Why are you here?”
“A better question would be: Why were you there? To provoke me? Well, congratulations, you have. Is it my blood that you’re after?” He nodded toward my extended wrist. “Or could it be that, once again, you’re being manipulated by Raphael? Don’t tell me that you didn’t realize that was no ordinary restaurant?”
I swallowed hard, envisioning the elegant, rich décor of The Maria. Was he correct in insinuating an ominous reason for the splendor? That it was owned by the vampire Raphael…
Shaking my head, I tried to refocus. “I…I didn’t. I didn’t know you’d be there.” Wait. Why was I on the defensive, explaining myself to him? I shook my head again. Deep breaths, Eleanor.
Obviously, this tactic was one of his many mind games. Mention my sister. Then pretend to care, and even throw in dear Dr. Goodfellow for good measure. How sweet.
I could admire his tact for not launching into demanding his contract back first thing. But what did one say to a creature who’d abandoned them without so much as a second thought, anyway?
Apparently, they said, “You know what? You don’t have the right to ask me about a damn—” Thing, I meant to add before a violent cough racked my spine. I hunched over, grasping the sheets around me for balance. Sheets way too fine to ever be mine.
Wait… I blinked, finally noticing the rest of the room. One far too narrow to belong in Gray Manor. Even in the near darkness, I could tell that the walls weren’t lilac, but made of stone. The bed beneath me was way too wide, the floors wooden. And Dublin…
Well, he looked way too at home in the center of the shadowed interior. Another step brought him closer still and I cringed against a wall of pillows.
“Where am I?”
“Your cough,” he started as though I’d never spoken. “How long have you—”
“Where am I?” I forced myself to sit upright and ignored him in my quest to deduce my surroundings. Beyond the doorway, I noted a clue that answered my own question—a wall of breathtakingly beautiful stained glass could only belong in one type of venue. “So, you were lurking here, after all? How nice of you to finally answer the door.” A full five days later. “It must have been hard to rearrange your very busy schedule.”
His silence gave me my answer—yes.
“Well, in any case, it’s a good thing you ignored me,” I said, shrugging. “Otherwise, I might have struggled to fit you into my schedule. What with time being such a precious commodity these days.”
The old Dublin I’d known would have scoffed at the bait and seen it for what it was—a deliberate reference to his contract book.
“Oh, I know,” he countered, deploying an unexpected change in tactic. “You’re a busy woman, it seems.” His gaze settled along the neckline of my dress as he nodded. “Why, it is a miracle that I managed to catch you alone at all.”
“So, you were watching me.” I pointed an accusing finger at him. Checkmate. “You were spying on me—”
“And why would I do that?” He turned away, disarming me like one would a screaming child. “Pardon me, Eleanor, but I’m already behind schedule thanks to your little visit. What do you want?”
“I…” Bit my tongue. As always, his motives were as elusive as he was. Why would he stalk me? Despite all my suspicions, I still drew a blank. So I improvised. “You and I both know why I’m here.”
“Oh?” His tone deepened further. “Do tell.”
“You can threaten me all you want.” I lifted my arms in a careless gesture. “Just drop the aloof act. Go on… Come out and ask me for it! I’d rather die than tell you, so prepare your poetic warnings—”
“What the hell are you talking about?” His eyes found me from over his shoulder, gleaming like hellfire. “Perhaps you hit your head when you fell?”
He sounded too damn serious.
“I…” My mind went blank. Could this be a trap? A trick?
Then a realization hit me with all the subtlety of a ton of bricks—he didn’t know. Or he was a damn good liar. Or…Raphael was a far more cunning game master than I’d given him credit for.
As the seconds passed, his expression remained guarded, impossible to read. Left with no other option, I tore a page from my mother’s playbook whenever someone had presented her with an uncomfortable truth.
I closed my eyes and willed it away.
“On second thought, it’s nothing.” I stood, shooing him with a wave of my hand. “I should really get back to Gabriel anyway.” By some miracle, I managed to take a step toward the door without making a fool of myself by falling. I limped instead, bracing one hand against the nearest wall for balance.
Just as I reached the doorway, Dublin called out, “Your letters—”
I didn’t miss how he’d stressed that word. So, my blood had made an impact after all.
“I haven’t read them,” he added, shattering my suspicion. “In fact, I only arrived back in the country hours ago. Though I’m sure you’ve been far too busy to notice my absence.”
I bit my lip, tasting salt. So he claimed to have been gone all this time? It fit. The great and terrible Dublin Helos hadn’t disappeared out of shame for what he’d done to me or to plot on how to retrieve his contract book. He merely went on vacation.
“Did they convey anything important?” he wondered.
“I… They’re nothing. You can give them back.”
I held my hand out and jerked it away once I spotted the red liquid smeared over the palm. But I was too late.
He seized my wrist in a grip so strong that it yanked me toward him. Flashing, his eyes fixated on mine. “How long have you—”
“Well, I’m leaving,” I insisted, more than satisfied with this little reunion. Apparently, he hadn’t poisoned me, a fact I couldn’t dissect at the moment. So I snatched my hand back and contin
ued to make my way to the door with my head held high and an air of indifference on full display. Things like “logic” and “reason” would only matter once he left me alone.
Which, of course, he took his sweet time doing. I could see him within my peripheral vision, standing rigid, his eyes on me.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“I have a doctor.”
“A qualified doctor—”
“Says who? I’ll have you know, I’ve been perfect in fact, without your meddling, thank you.”
“I’m sure you have,” he countered. “Your friend Gabriel certainly seemed to be of the same mind. He looked liable to do more than take your money. Bravo, Eleanor. No one would guess that you were a virgin only a couple months ago. I’m sure that, in my absence, you’ve added a few more conquests to your ever-growing list.”
I stumbled to a halt as my eyes went so wide that I figured he could see them dancing in my skull from his position.
“Don’t tell me I’ve insulted you,” he added.
“You…” I sucked in a breath, blinking rapidly. No. I refused to let him unnerve me. I needed to counter, regain my composure. Something cruel should have been on the tip of my tongue. Anything but, “You don’t get to act like this. Not after everything you put me through—”
“Oh?” He came up behind me, casting a shadow that swallowed the pool of light I was standing in. “And what have I put you through?”
I gasped as his hand captured my chin, tilting my head toward him. With his height, only a sliver of his jaw was visible from this angle. And his eyes. They were silver, spitting fury like lightning.
“Do be a polite girl and enlighten me. You can start with the part where I saved your life.”
“You left,” I blurted, obeying his instruction like a good, pathetic contractee. “You left without even an evil speech by way of goodbye I might add—”
“You don’t know, do you?”
A hitch caught in my throat. He sounded so furious at that fact. I came to him, crawling his way like a pathetic victim eager for more—and I didn’t even have the sense to know why that fact irritated him so.
“Get off of me,” I spat, slapping his hand away. “I’ll tell you what I do know, though—I can press charges.”
“On yourself for trespassing?” He moved his grip to my throat, barely applying pressure with flexing fingers. “Do try it, Eleanor. Or have you forgotten? You came to me.”
I blinked. Something in his tone made my heart race, hammer a silent warning. “You came to me first,” I pointed out, even more perplexed than ever at the image of him lurking in the dining room. “You stalked me. Badly, I might add. You should try a disguise next time—”
“I can smell him on you, you do realize? Here.” An icy gust fanned the exposed hollow at the base of my neck, his finger, drawing an accusatory line over the flesh. “You could have showered before coming here, at least. It would have made a more desperate impression. I’m sure you and your sister have some demand to make of me, especially after this little ruse. With her resources, don’t pretend like you weren’t alerted the second I returned, and I know for a fact that she has been keeping out of the spotlight. What is she planning? Let’s not waste any more time. Say it.”
“The man I met was helping me,” I stammered, choosing to overlook his mention of Georgie—for now. If dealing with him had taught me one lesson, it was to stay focused. Ignore all bait. “I was—”
“Don’t play naïve,” he warned, applying more pressure to my throat. “You and I both know that he wanted more from you, Eleanor. More than your money. Perhaps a desire to corrupt the innocent heiress? It doesn’t matter.” His fingers flexed, with just enough tension to make me suck in a breath. “You forgot that you’ve already sold your body. Your soul. To me.”
The way he’d said those two words… My brain melted. Disintegrated. Poor Dr. Goodfellow had every right to be concerned, because this was true terminal danger. I gasped like a drowning victim, flailing for a lifeline. In my hazy, scattered thoughts, I found one.
“Is this your trick?” I murmured despite the fragile cage of his hand. “Distract me? Pretend and then gloat—”
“Still the same old Eleanor Gray, as stoic as ever.” He forced me to face him and my eyelids fluttered as I tried to withstand the intensity of his gaze. It was no use—I failed. “I did research into your dear Mr. Lanic. Why am I not surprised that you have a preference for dangerous, elusive men?”
A muscle in his jaw lurched, betraying the unbelievable. Hours back and he’d already inserted himself into my life, hunting down an acquaintance I barely knew.
But why?
“I…I thought you just returned to the country?”
“Your heart is racing, Eleanor,” he snarled over me. “Perhaps you should see that doctor? I’m running out of contracts to extend where your life is concerned.”
“Who says I need your help?” I pictured Goodfellow and her faked concern, but it was getting harder and harder to remember the weakness that had plagued me for weeks. The dizziness, or the coughing fits. Dublin Helos was the cruelest antidote to physical pain.
Around him, my thoughts were in more than enough turmoil.
“Where were you?” Dear God. The question slipped out, too puzzling to remain in my head, a weakness I’d mourn later. For some reason, an answer mattered more to me than shame. “Tell me. Or let me guess? Collecting more souls to add to your bounty?”
“My bounty? I was upholding my end of the bargain. I’m sure you know all about it.” He waited smugly for a reaction I apparently failed to deliver. His frown transformed into a grimace. “Unless she really didn’t tell you…”
I cocked my head. “Who didn’t tell me—”
“Of course she didn’t.” He released me, raking his hand through his hair as if finally hearing the butt of a ridiculous joke; surprise, surprise, he wasn’t amused. “When have you ever exercised self-preservation?”
Exasperated, I tried to retort, “You—”
“You broke the bargain.” His grip returned to the nape of my neck. Using the contact like a leash, he yanked me closer. “Why? Did you fall into league with him, aiming to see just how far you can push me? You even smell different.” His nose lingered near the crook of my shoulder. Drawing back, he shook his head and refocused his gaze on my mouth. In my quivering lips, he seemed to find an answer to the question he never voiced.
One too terrifying to ponder.
“You’re too pale as well.” He traced my pulse point with the tip of his thumb and my breath stuttered in response. “If you didn’t remove the necklace…”
“I’m leaving.” I tried to step past him, but he shifted, easily blocking my path. “Get out of my way,” I demanded, trying to shove him back. I might as well have tried shoving the wall.
“No.” He stepped into me, forcing me to take a hasty step back. Only for him to take another. Another. Before I could jerk farther out of his reach, his lips grazed my earlobe poised to deliver another insult. “You came to me first.” Once more, he seemed to be speaking only to himself—but his hand crept into my hair, too firm to shake off. “Therefore, you voided the contract. I’m sure she’s on her way, but it doesn’t matter. I kept my end—”
“Stop!” It was my turn to utter, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You let him touch you.” He made it sound like the vilest of crimes. “I can forgive that. But not the innocent, childish games.”
He tugged me closer. Too close. I tried to recoil, but his other hand latched onto the back of my scalp, trapping me in place.
“D-Dublin—”
“I will even pretend you didn’t know about your sister’s bargain,” he hissed against my ear. “If that will embolden you to drop the act. Was he your plan for drawing me out sooner? Let me guess—Georgiana is waiting in the wings, ready to resurface?”
“G-Georgie?” I flinched at the third mention of her. Beautiful Georgiana consorting
with Dublin about a bargain. A contract. “What did you—”
“I can forgive everything else. Even the flagrant disregard for your own welfare. Everything but this…” He eyed my throat as his upper lip pulled back from his teeth. The slightest hint of fangs teased the air, sending every nerve within my skin on red alert. “I gave you your life, Eleanor. I could concede that much. But your body? I don’t remember relinquishing my hold over it.”
“Stop!” I inhaled, once again fighting for clarity. “You’re not making sense.”
“Or you’re too much of a prude to admit it.” His mouth snapped shut, firm and brooding once more. “I’m starting to think I’ve misinterpreted your little evening. God forbid, I’d almost thought that you were foolish enough to challenge me. But lo and behold, you don’t even have enough damn sense to realize—”
“Or you’re too much of a pompous ass to quit playing games and just tell me what you want!”
The words had barely left my throat when he pulled me in, surging forward in the same swift motion. Our lips met and my body went haywire as his tongue eased my lips apart with a searching swipe that shattered my senses. Pushing him off was my sole aim for grabbing him in return, curling my fingers around his forearms.
But I’d forgotten…
What it felt like to be at his mercy. To have his mouth on mine. To feel his body—living stone impervious to my touch, resistant to my pathetic attempts to tame him.
He easily overpowered me, despite my grip on his arms. Two advancing steps of his herded me back. Back…until my knees struck the mattress and I fell onto the sheets.
He stepped between my splayed legs, robbing me of the chance to regain my bearings. Ruthless, his hand plunged beneath my dress, cupping me with no warning. No growled demands. Just vicious friction.
And it was as if my body ceased being mine.
Nerves unraveled, enslaved by his touch. The memory of him. Months alone and I’d never even tried to replicate the things he had done to me. I couldn’t. Nothing compared to the stomach-churning sensation he sowed with every stroke of his thumb—ice over burning flesh. My teeth caught my lower lip as he rubbed, testing the thin lace of my panties, grinding the fabric into my skin. Helpless, my head reared back against my shoulders, a cry trapped behind my lips.
