My entire body knotted. Cassius continued drinking me in with his eyes. “That’s… disgusting,” I lied. My body filled with need. A fire had lit in me, sparked by the way Cassius studied me.
“Is it truly?” Cassius said, dropping his attention as quickly as the flick of a light switch. “Desire isn’t something that should be ignored. It’s an emotion that has to be accepted, like all others. I want to taste you, Ver, in more ways than one, and that intrigues me. That was why I brought you here. Amongst other reasons.”
“What other reasons?”
“I don’t wish to discuss them.”
The sharpness of his statement caused me to tighten up. I didn’t press the matter.
Cassius picked up a gray shirt and pulled it over his body, hiding the subtle curves of his lean frame. He shut a cupboard he’d left open, then said to me, “Wait for me at my balcony. I need to finish taking my notes, and then I’ll have to show you something.” He tinkered with his test tubes more. They were filled with an assortment of liquids, all of them different colors. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“Comfortable?”
“As much as you can be,” he said.
The only thing that would help calm my nerves now was a weapon, and there weren’t any nearby.
Thirteen
Verity
The wind blew across the balcony as I waited for Cassius, whipping my hair up and across my face. The temperature had dropped, and an icy chill crawled across my skin. Beneath me, leafless branches cast long shadows on the weathered pavements of the Sanctum.
I’d been waiting here for not more than ten minutes, but anticipation caused time to stretch on. My insides churned as I went through the things Cassius might possibly want with me. Why not just let me return to my room? I’d already promised to back down. If he wanted to drink from me, he would have done so long ago.
What was his game?
I heard his footsteps clicking behind me. The sound crept closer.
“Sorry for making you wait,” Cassius said, his voice almost too gentle.
Sorry? It was the first time I’d heard a vampire apologize. Monsters were not supposed to be capable of remorse.
I spun around to meet Cassius, and then I—
My jaw dropped.
Black, batlike wings spread from behind Cassius. The wings were bony, with a leathery sheen that caught soft rays of moonlight. The appendages spanned at least half of the balcony. The wings had a rough texture. They looked horrific, but in a beautiful way.
I opened my mouth to speak, but the sight left me speechless.
“I don’t show them much,” Cassius said. “There isn’t usually a reason to bring them out.”
“You… you have wings,” I said, finally managing to muster some words.
Cassius neared me. I shrank back as he did. It felt like those wings might swallow me whole. “Only fullbloods and queens have them. Most vampires don’t know about it. We don’t want other races to know of it.”
“Other races?”
“Werewolves, hunters, reapers.”
I blinked. I’d been completely unaware of their existence. “I didn’t know—”
Before I could finish, he wrapped large and muscular arms around me, pulling me into his hard body. I squirmed. I hadn’t expected that embrace. Too sudden. Too soon.
Too warm.
Cassius’s body was warm.
I peered up at him, and as if sensing my question, he explained, “It’s also a trait of fullblood males to be able to control our temperatures. If we are to be our queen’s knights, we have to be able to keep her warm or cold whenever she pleases.”
“But queens don’t exist anymore.” And what was that thing about knights?
“Unfortunately, no.” Cassius had drawn me close to him, and my head was tucked neatly underneath his chin. I heard the beating of his heart against his ribcage. It mimicked the rhythm of my own heartbeat. “A queen’s wings are said to be even more impressive than that of any fullblood’s.”
“Cassius.” I swallowed nervously. My pulse raced faster than the winds up here blew. “Why are you holding me like this?”
“So we can fly.”
“I didn’t agree to—”
Cassius swept me into his arms, hooking one arm around my torso and the other beneath my knees. He cradled me close to him and spread his wings. The leathery appendages caught the whirring winds, and Cassius lifted off the ground, taking me along with him.
I’d never adjusted to heights. I might come from the city, but we lived close to the ground floor, and I didn’t enjoy the few times I’d gone up tall buildings like the Empire State. The view of the city had been gorgeous, but thinking about falling had made me uneasy.
As much as I hated to, I wrapped my arms around Cassius’s neck and pressed against him. He emanated a faint, rusty scent. It was pleasant. Calming.
Unlike the heights.
“How high up are we?” I asked. I’d shut my eyes because I was afraid. I refused to admit my fear. If I did so, it’d mean that Cassius won.
“About ten stories,” Cassius responded coolly. “We’re not too far from the ground. You’re shaking.”
“I am not.”
He chuckled. Was he actually enjoying seeing me scared? “It surprises me that you’re afraid of heights.”
“I am not!”
“Why so defensive?”
“I’m not being defensive.”
“Your denial is strangely endearing. I almost find it cute.”
Cute? I’d never thought of myself as that. Tough. Brazen. Strong. I associated myself with those words, but my fear of heights wasn’t doing much to support that image.
I heard the flapping of his wings as they beat against the air. “Miles told me that you hunted down lowbloods. Was he telling the truth?”
“Yeah, and?”
“It’s impressive. It’s a feat for any human to face a vampire. I’m surprised you survived for this long.”
“I’m not here for your compliments.”
“No, you’d rather have my heart.” He lowered his eyes, studying me. There was no malice in his expression. He was merely stating fact.
I bit my tongue. “Yes,” I finally responded.
“To save Hannah?”
“I love her more than anything else in this world. She’s too young to go. Hannah has too much potential. A future.”
“It’s hard to relate to such human problems.”
“Yeah? ’Cause you guys have it too good with your immortality?”
“Comes with a different set of problems.”
“Many people would kill to live forever.”
“The desire to kill being one of them, yes.”
I snorted derisively.
“Tell me about your sister.”
“Hannah?” I asked. “What do you want with her?”
“Nothing,” Cassius said. “Maybe I’m just interested in something, for once.”
I stared off into the distance. “Hannah loves cake. She’s crazy about baking. She also reminds me of an energetic bunny sometimes, since she always gets excited about new, different things. Really, though, she’s a great skater.”
“Skater?”
“Ice skating. She turns into an entirely different person every time she gets on the ice. It’s amazing watching her do what she does. Like a swan.” A tune played in my mind. She’d skated to it when I saw her at her last competition. To think that she would never skate again was painful.
That wasn’t going to happen. I had to make sure that she was well. That she’d continue living.
Cassius’s brow furrowed. “You can’t save her.”
“Not unless I kill you.”
He smirked. “Is that so? I’d like to see you try. You’re useless against me. Are you like this back home, too?”
“Useless?” I repeated. The word ignited my insecurities. I attempted to push it aside. “I’m not useless.”
“I hope not.”
> Our conversation had distracted me from the flying. Being in Cassius’s arms felt thrilling and safe at the same time.
And that felt wrong.
Cassius landed on a rocky outcrop. We were no longer in the Sanctum, but on a ledge in the middle of a forest. I heard running water coming from nearby, and our surroundings had an earthy scent. It was a smell I wasn’t used to, having grown up amongst brick buildings and the scent of car exhaust. As Cassius lowered me from his embrace, I continued hugging him tightly, my mind still not fully grasping that I wasn’t up in the air, but standing on hard ground.
“I wanted to show you this place,” Cassius said. He’d retracted his wings, tucking them into his back. As he walked away, I inspected his shirt for signs of tears. The wings must have needed an opening in his attire to have spread out like that. But they seemed to have appeared and disappeared like magic. “Follow me.”
Cassius hopped off the ledge, and I did the same. Cassius made it look easy, but I struggled. I had to hang off the ledge so that my fall wasn’t too far. When I finally settled on the ground, I spun to look at Cassius.
I couldn’t see clearly in the darkness, but it looked like we were standing in front of a cave. Cassius entered it, unfazed by the darkness.
I fidgeted.
“Are you coming?” Cassius asked, looking over his shoulder at me.
“Do I have a choice?”
“No, not really.”
“Is this where you plan to eat me?”
“Yes.”
I stiffened. “Really?”
A sigh. “If I’d wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have tortured myself for this long.”
“Um. Give me a moment.”
“Well?” he said when I continued standing at the entrance like a dumb duck. “You have classes tomorrow. We should head back before the sun rises.”
“Are you actually showing concern?”
He shrugged dismissively. “Maybe.”
I sighed. I drew a hand through my hair, not missing the way Cassius tracked the movement with his gaze. He’d told me that he wanted me. And not just my blood. I shouldn’t feel this safe with him. I’d been with him for a while now and I wasn’t dead.
Yet.
Rationality left my mind whenever I was in his presence. My attraction to him wasn’t just about his looks. It was something unexplained. Something deeper.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, which ticked me off.
I followed him into the darkness, using his breathing as my guide. I almost slipped, and while stumbling, I reached to grab his arm. He didn’t push me away. Instead, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close to him, slowing his pace so that I could keep up with his long strides. “Here,” he said. “Hold me so you won’t fall.”
“I don’t need your support,” I said.
“Let me guide you,” he replied.
“I’m not used to that.”
“To what?”
“Relying on other people.”
“And why not?”
“My parents always gave more attention to Hannah, so I had to take care of…”
My voice trailed off when we rounded a corner and gorgeous blue light pulsed around us. It looked like there were stars floating all around, reflecting off the river that ran in front of us. It was magical. Surreal.
The sight caught me off guard, and I didn’t struggle when Cassius drew me to him. He sat on a boulder and positioned me on his lap. I sank into his embrace, enjoying the magnificence before me. “It’s like I’m staring at the night sky,” I said. “But this… We’re not outside. We’re inside a cave. How is this possible?”
“Glow worms,” Cassius said. “I visit places like this all the time.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“The lights are what they use to bait other insects. The glow worms are a kind of carnivorous larvae. They attract prey with their glow before feeding on them.”
Was that what Cassius was doing to me now? I was drawn to him. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. And once I was ensnared by his charms, he was going to have me, destroy me, break me.
I reached out, wanting to touch the glowing dots, but they were too far away. “You come here often?”
“It reminds me of someone.”
Cassius pulled my hair from my neck, exposing it. Once again, I sensed his hunger.
“Who?” I asked.
“I don’t want to talk about her.”
I focused on the word “her.” Had Cassius loved another woman before? I shouldn’t care if he did. We were enemies, and his love life didn’t concern me in the least. I shoved away my feelings of jealousy and attempted to summon rage.
I felt nothing but comfort.
This was so wrong. I shouldn’t be here sitting on his lap, accepting his embrace. I thought about Gran and Hannah and the many victims I’d read about over the years. I was frolicking with the enemy and I ought to feel guiltier than this. Still, his arms felt ridiculously nice, and knowing I played with danger was thrilling.
I should be more disgusted.
I should be feeling emotions other than lust and amazement.
I should.
But I didn’t.
“Ver,” Cassius said, saying my nickname with pained desperation. I turned around and faced him. Without warning, he planted his mouth onto mine, trapping me in a kiss. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and made small, circling motions. Our tongues danced together in a sensual manner. A muffled cry escaped my lungs, and that only seemed to stir Cassius’s need more. He gripped my waist tighter and pulled me against him.
It was too difficult not to give in. My body slackened as my mind fogged.
Cassius.
His name played in my thoughts, circling and swirling through it as desire consumed me. An uncontrollable sense of hunger took control of my body, and suddenly I didn’t care about anything. Not about my past. Not about the consequences of this damning kiss. I lived solely in the present. Nothing else mattered but how good this felt.
A sharp pain nicked my tongue.
I tasted my own blood. The metallic taste was accompanied by a small ache in my ears. It woke me from my trance.
I pushed myself away from Cassius as realization caused my heart to slam against my ribcage.
I didn’t give myself much time to think, and in an instant, in which I didn’t even have time to process, my hand flew across his cheek.
I’d slapped Cassius.
My breathing had grown hard and heavy. I stared him down as Cassius stilled. An animalistic growl rumbled from his throat as Cassius pulled his upper lip back, revealing two glinting fangs that reflected the blue of the glow worms.
The disgust finally arrived. I wasn’t sure what’d come over me. Was it the wings that had enraptured me so? Or the glow worms? The sights Cassius had bombarded me with made me forget the vendetta I had with his kind.
And there was something else.
That attraction.
The unexplained way Cassius drew me in.
I’d sobered up, finally having enough reason to ignore those traitorous feelings. I sneered at Cassius, pushing myself off him and getting to my feet. “I hate you.”
“Hate?” Cassius asked. He was riled, just as I was. “What have I done to you to deserve such strong hatred?”
“Your kind has taken enough away from me.”
“You mean the lowbloods. The vermin.”
I nodded.
Cassius’s nostrils flared. “Do not compare me with them. They are the lowest of our kind, lacking a conscience.”
“Vampires are all the same.”
Cassius’s pupils seemed to redden. He circled his fingers around my wrist and added so much pressure that it hurt. I winced, attempting to pull away, but Cassius maintained a firm grip. “You make me want to hurt you.”
“You’ve always wanted to.”
My response had left him dumbfounded. I spoke the truth, even though he didn’t want to associate himself with the
lowbloods.
“Do you have a death wish?” Cassius asked. “Crossing me isn’t the wisest thing to do.” His grip on my wrist tightened. It hurt so much that tears pricked my eyes.
“I’m—”
Cassius reached underneath my skirt and brushed my panties aside. He reached up to my center and his expression heated with red-hot desire. “You’re wet,” he said. “Do you enjoy this? Being treated like a whore?”
“No, I—”
Two fingers dipped into my center. My muscles tensed as a ball of desire built in between my legs. My walls clenched around his hand.
Cassius gripped my hair and raked his teeth down my neck. “You love this, don’t you?”
“I don’t.” I gripped his arms tightly, as if looking to my tormentor to find reprieve. “I don’t want any of this.”
“Then why are you this wet?” he asked. “Why are you leaking, dripping all over my hand?” Cassius stroked me. His fingers found my sensitive spot, and as soon as I cried out, he added more pressure. He wouldn’t relent when I quaked at his touch. He grabbed my hip, keeping me in place as he continued punishing me with his strokes. I shook, grabbing him to ground myself.
“S…stop,” I begged. “Stop, please.” I felt filthy. Used. And the fact that I enjoyed this disturbed me even more.
“Remember this, Janella,” Cassius said. “You’re a whore. Nothing but a dirty slut.”
I thrust my head back as my orgasm rocked through me. I quivered underneath Cassius, and even though he was calling me names, my body betrayed me. I unraveled underneath his touch, my hips bucking as Cassius kneaded my climax from my core against my will.
When he finished, he pulled his fingers from me. I was spent. My knees grew weak, and Cassius had to hold me up so I wouldn’t stumble.
“You’re… you’re going to break me,” I said on a whimper.
“Maybe,” Cassius said. “Maybe you’d like it.”
He rested his forehead on mine, breath hot against my lips, and before suggesting that we left the cave, he planted a kiss on me, so tender that I didn’t know what to think.
Fullblood Academy: A Vampire Academy Mild Bully Romance (Vampires of the Sanctum Book 1) Page 10
