When the limo pulled up to Sara’s hotel, Drake helped me out, and I stood on unsteady limbs that barely supported my weight. I walked slowly to the front door and put my hand on the handle. It opened before I could try to pull on it.
Sara stood in the doorway, her face the most serious I’d seen in our short friendship. I stumbled over the threshold and didn’t put a hand up fast enough to stop myself from bonking my nose on the doorway.
“That vile man,” Sara whispered. Even her soft voice pounded in my head, and I whimpered, putting a hand to my face to shield my eyes from the lights. I noticed Knight coming into the lobby from the kitchen, but I couldn’t bear to look at him. I felt so much shame. And pain. Lots of pain. The light bothering me was suddenly gone, and a hand reached out to stroke my hair.
Without a word, Knight took my hand and led me up to my room. He walked over to shut the curtains to block out the moonlight before coming back to stand in front of me. The darkness didn’t bother our superior eyesight. I could still see him as well as if the light was on.
Someone knocked so lightly on the door I almost didn’t hear it. Sara peeped her head in and placed a bottle on the floor before closing the door again. Knight bent to pick it up and studied the label. He showed it to me. Sky Vodka.
Vampires can’t really get drunk, but we could get a nice buzz with a good percentage in our system. I grabbed the bottle and swigged half of it before Knight grabbed it back to chug the rest.
I wiped my mouth and looked up at him. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said quietly. My own voice made my temple throb.
Knight didn’t respond. He set the empty bottle down on the floor and approached me slowly, judging my response to his proximity. When he was so close I could feel his breath on my hair, I put my arms around him and I cried harder than I’d ever cried before.
17. He’s passable
My head was still throbbing when I woke up, but everything else felt better. I sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed. Knight was lying on the floor, one arm behind his head, the other holding his phone that he was playing a game on. He looked up at me and put his phone away.
“Morning,” he said quietly, a sleepy smile on his face. Beautiful. He was so beautiful.
I wanted to slide off the bed and just fall onto the floor next to him, probably cry again, but I didn’t. Instead, I just felt more shame.
“I’m sorry,” I said, staring at the floor beside him. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night.”
“That’s what the vodka was for,” he joked. “I was more worried about you.” I didn’t respond, so he added, “You smelled like tacos.” Tacos? How could I have smelled like tacos?
“There weren’t tacos at the party.”
“Okay, maybe I was the one that smelled like tacos. Either way, I really want tacos now.” He put two fingers to his temple and pretended to concentrate.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m sending Sara a psychic vibe so she’ll make me tacos.” He narrowed his eyes and grunted with effort. “Damn,” he said as he relaxed. “It was worth a try.” He saw me looking at him so he met my eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Lis. I’m here for you when you need me. That’s what friends are for.”
Was he my friend? I hated to put a label on what we were. Calling him my friend wasn’t bad though, just unexpected. Whatever my feelings for him were, he thought of me as a bloodsucker.
“We’re friends?” I asked tentatively.
He looked at me like I’d just said I had an imaginary friend. “Of course we’re friends, dumb-dumb. I didn’t come here for someone I hate.”
And yet, despite everything, it was the first time he’d ever said he felt something higher than repulsion for me. He knew it, by the look on his face, and he wouldn’t meet my eyes again. Sara knocked on the door and I heard him whisper, “Tacos, tacos, tacos,” like he was praying.
“Everyone decent?” she asked as she stepped into the room too quickly for anyone to say no. “I made croissants with custard filling.”
I was speechless. “That’s my favorite food,” I said in complete shock. I mean, I knew she had powers, but she was good. Like, really good. Which I’d guessed, so I probably shouldn’t have been so surprised.
She nodded happily at me with a secret grin. “I know. You need some armor this week. Nothing helps quite like your favorite food.” She glanced down at Knight, who was waiting patiently for her to announce that she was also making tacos. She didn’t.
Sara had made enough custard croissants to feed ten people. My plate alone could’ve fed Knight for two meals. She was well on her way to fattening me up, as if that was even possible.
I ate half of what she’d given me and fell into a food coma on the bed. When I woke up, Knight was sitting next to me, reading a book on Civil War history. He didn’t look up when I stirred.
“Is that accurate?” I asked him. I sat up and stretched my arms.
He shrugged. “Kind of one-sided. Leaves out a lot.” He put it down and leaned his head back against the back of the bed.
I tuned my ears into the rest of the house and found it empty. “Where’s Sara?”
“Grocery shopping. She said she was going to need more pickles.” I giggled. She was a refreshing person. “Speaking of food, you’re due at James’s for blood.” He said it matter-of-factly like I was going there to get my mail, then he gave me a thoughtful look. “In all this time, I’ve never asked. What do your kind think of mine?”
I held out my fingers to tick off a list. “Dirty. Gross. Hump everything. Something about fleas.” He shoved me with a pillow. “Serious, we do actually think you’re dirty like you don’t shower or something. And you’re gross because you procreate with humans. Eww,” I emphasized. “Also, no self-control, and you get pissed at everything.”
He conceded to that. “That applies to the Lycans. Not me. And I totally shower every day.”
“I never said I thought those things, by the way,” I added. “I thought you were... passable when we first met.”
He chuckled, and I could see him remembering that day. “I was basically disgusted with you.”
“How about now?” I asked cautiously, trying to be casual.
He thought about it, a half smile on his face, and I felt almost scared of what his answer would be. “50% less icky.”
“That’s so generous of you,” I said with a sarcastic smile, oddly relieved. “You’re 35% less passable.”
“Awwww, so mean. I think I earned at least 42%. Can I call a friend?”
“Sorry, ballot is out.”
He pelted me with a pillow until I said he was 38% less passable.
18. The proposal
With James, it was the same thing every day. I went to his house in the morning and drank from whoever he chose for me. Every day, he kissed me. Just kisses, thankfully. And before he would let me leave, he would brush my hair back and admire his bite. It hadn’t faded, no matter how many days passed.
At night, he threw various parties.
The orders he’d given me at that first party were all side comments, and they’d carried weight while I was near him. He knew that, so he was careful to make other orders direct commands that I couldn’t disobey, no matter how far away he got.
Sometimes when I left his house in the morning, he’d order me to ignore everyone, or stay indoors, or not speak. Sometimes he made me stay at his house all day and just sit there, not moving.
It was torture.
The worst days were when I wasn’t allowed to see Knight. He made everything seem a little brighter, even if it wasn’t.
About a week had passed when I was sent an invitation to the opera. James had been mentioning it for several days, but he hadn’t set a date yet. There was a youth orchestra here, probably funded by him, and a group of actors that put on performances. James wanted an opera, so they were putting on an opera.
He sent a dress, as usual, and I started getting ready. Sara never
helped me. Whenever she saw that I’d been sent clothes, she would disappear into a random room of the hotel until I returned, broken and sobbing. I cried a lot now. Knight was always there. Sometimes he let me hug him while I cried, but only when we’d both had some alcohol first. And he always made me laugh the next morning.
The dress from James was a masterpiece. Black lace, long flowing skirt, decorated with dozens of small black butterflies that danced up the dress to rest on one shoulder and flutter near the even smaller butterflies in my hair. This was a dress I would’ve chosen for myself, and I hated that I had to wear it to something I wasn’t looking forward to.
When Knight saw me, he looked a little surprised at the way I looked. I’d spent extra time looking pretty. Not for James. For myself.
“You clean up good,” Knight appraised, the expression on his face as calm as I’d ever seen him. That was it? I clean up good? I looked fucking hot, you twat! He helped me lift the bulk of my skirt into the car and I left the hotel with Drake at the wheel.
The opera hall was surprisingly very nice, looking incredibly authentic to the old 19th-century theatres, with decorative gold plating on everything, and plush red carpets. It looked almost exactly like certain rooms in the Order. Ah, nostalgia.
James saw me enter the lobby after Drake dropped me off, and he smiled widely at me. “Lisbeth, my dear.” He came up and kissed me on the lips, deeply, like I was his lover. I didn’t kick him in the dick. I was under orders. “You look amazing. Even a fool can see how gorgeous you look.” Apparently, he thought I cleaned up good too. “You are going to love this opera. It’s one of my favorites.” I’d read the playbill on the ride over, not to mention I’d already seen this opera over thirty years ago, but I played along.
“I can’t wait,” I told him with a plastered on smile. He put a hand to my back and led me up to one of the opera boxes, all the while describing the plot of the opera, and spoiling more than a little of the ending. The theatre opened out before me as I stepped into the opera box. It was just as beautiful and breathtaking as the outside and lobby had been. I felt more nostalgia, but for memories that had nothing to do with the Order. It made me relax a little, just remembering happier times. I sat down in one of the two chairs and James sat next to me.
The orchestra was still warming up, so I had time to look around the theatre at the other occupants. There were more opera boxes, all full, but ours was not close to any of them. We had as much privacy as you can get in a dim theatre with vampires that can see in the dark.
“Lisbeth,” James said over the orchestra tuning. “There’s something I want to discuss with you.” Any relaxation I’d gained was gone. My body tensed up instantly, and I waited with dread for him to keep talking. Would it be more commands, or would he finally order me to get rid of Knight?
Was he going to hurt me?
“I’ve greatly enjoyed our time together, as you know. I’m pleased that you’re so cooperative.” What the fuck. “So, I’ve decided something, but this isn’t an order. This is something you are absolutely allowed to say no to.” Brilliant. Please ask me if I want to leave.
“What is it?” I hesitantly asked him with a smile.
He took one of my hands, reverently, with a familiarity we didn’t have, even with all his forced kisses. “I’d like you to become my mate.”
Mother. Fucker.
He patted my hand, mistaking my shock/rage for excitement. “I know. It’s breathtaking, catching my attention, but you have. You absolutely have.”
He was absolutely fucking insane.
“And if I refuse?”
That made him pause, looking for all the world like that hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Like I said, you are allowed to refuse. Should you decide you don’t want to become my mate, I’ll put you in some housing on the edge of town. The dog will have to go, but that won’t be a problem, I’m sure. I may require you to have one of my children, however, that will be many years in the future.”
“So,” I spoke slowly. “If I refuse, I still have to stay here?”
He bellowed out a laugh like I was a child that had just said something cute. “Of course, you adorable creature. I’m not letting you leave. You’re staying here forever.” I took my hand back but he didn’t notice, he was so caught up with his crazy thoughts. I’d escaped one prison only to be caught in another one. And this one was worse. I’d put up with all of this on the mere hope that soon James would be done with me and say I could be on my way, but he wasn’t going to. And that made this situation deeper and much more dangerous than I’d thought it was.
19. Something gives
I didn’t say much during the rest of the opera. James seemed happier, more relaxed, after getting that weight off his shoulders. Lucky him. When we got to the lobby at intermission, he had decided to pretend as if this was the age of chaperones and stolen kisses. He stood close to me, but not too close, and every so often he’d hold my hand when he thought no one was looking, and let it go again if someone noticed. As intermission ended, I half expected him to bring a chaperone back into the box with us, but he didn’t. He did, however, giggle, and say he felt wicked being alone in the dark with me.
I really wanted to facepalm myself hard enough to punch a hole in my face. Or just punch a hole in his face.
He was always weird. That wasn’t new. But he was usually mature weird. This was putting him to bed with no dinner weird. And I was so sick of it, I wanted to jump off the balcony and be impaled on something sharp.
When the opera ended, he insisted on walking me home. He nodded his head to everyone who passed, his face never losing that giddy grin. When we finally rounded the corner to Sara’s hotel, Drake was standing next to a limo waiting out front for James, and my feet had gone bloody from walking in the heels I was wearing.
James took me to the door and everything giddy wiped away, as if it had never happened. He looked completely serious, the way he normally did. “Thank you for the lovely evening, Lisbeth.” He took my hand and kissed it. “I will expect your answer soon.” I nodded, and he turned around, walked stiff-backed to the limo as Drake opened the door for him, and got in. The limo drove away in silence.
Fucking Christ.
I took off my heels and stepped into the hotel. The lobby was empty, no Sara to greet me as usual, and no Knight to help put me back together. I stumbled up to my room and sank down onto the bed, the poufy skirt of my dress all around me. I sat there for a long time, mulling over everything that had led me to this moment. I didn’t want to cry about this. Crying meant I was stretched too thin. I felt more like I’d just been broken, and I was too destroyed to cry about it.
I’d never get away from here. Knight would leave me. Arthur would eventually find me, and I’d be executed. That threat seemed so far away, but it was there.
I’d been there for over an hour when Knight knocked on the door. He handed me a glass of water and sat down in a chair in front of me. I wanted to ask where he’d been this whole time, but he wasn’t my servant. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted. Including leave, which he would when he found out I was stuck here forever. His ass would be gone with the snap of a finger.
“Sara,” he said quietly, breaching the silence. “Sara said I couldn’t come out until now. She was quite adamant. She even made tacos to bribe me.” I smiled, but it faded quickly. “She also said he was going to do something that would, and I quote, ‘Break the camel’s back.’ So, spill.”
I took a sip of my water and stared at the perfect ice cubes. “He proposed.”
“That’s fucking gross.”
“But he said I could say no.”
“Not as gross.”
“Saying no would mean relocating me to the edge of town, and having his child at some point.”
“Okay, what the fuck.”
“Also kicking you out.”
“His loss.”
“And…” I swallowed and set my glass down on the nightstand. “He said I can’t leave. Ev
er.” My cheeks were wet and a sob escaped from my lips. Knight was there in an instant, pulling me up and into his arms. “You can’t go. I need you. I don’t know why, but I need you. And I shouldn’t need you.”
“Because I’m a wolf?”
That was the thought that had run through my mind since the day we’d met, and when I searched through my heart, I found the answer had changed. “I don’t care what you are.”
“Good.” He crashed his lips against mine, and everything felt right.
I broke from his lips and whispered, “You said I repulsed you.”
He laughed once and kissed me again, with so much passion I felt like I was going to burn up. “I lied.”
I needed his lips like I needed air. More air. More Knight. I tugged on the edge of his shirt and he helped me pull it over his head, coming back to my lips in a fevered rush. Flames licked all over my body and he hadn’t even touched me yet.
“Touch me,” I pleaded with a gasp and tunneled my hands through his long black hair to bring his mouth in for more kisses. His fingers found my hips and he roughly pulled me flush against him.
That was definitely not a phone in his pocket.
I rocked my hips against him and he moaned in my mouth. The strapless opera dress slipped off with one tug from his hands, baring my breasts to his view. They were tiny by normal standards, but he stared at them like they were precious gems he’d been searching for his whole life. His head dipped and he captured one nipple in his teeth and I almost came apart at the seams. I had no plans to orgasm just from him biting my nipple, but shit, I was close.
He switched to the other nipple, making me moan and wiggle against him, and he held me still so he could slide his fingers into the waistband of my panties. They slowly moved down to the giant wet spot on my cotton briefs and he let go of my nipple long enough to whisper heatedly, “Fuck.” I gently pulled on his hair to bring his lips to mine again, and we kissed deeply as his fingers found my hot spot. It was so sensitive, I gasped and bucked against his hand. Every stroke against my clit was like magic. I’d never felt this much desire for anyone, ever. Not in 400 years. His fingers played a dance over my nub and I was dying for release.
The Born Vampire series: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Complete Series, NSFW Edition) Page 13
