Michael opened his mouth to say something, but he had nothing. He rested his elbows on his thighs and shook his head. He’d done what he could. This woman was incredibly stubborn. She’d have to figure out the truth for herself.
He got up and walked toward the door.
“Wait, you’re not leaving me, are you?” Anna called out behind him.
He gestured at her to wait. Realizing that actually he didn’t need to follow the usual precautions that he took around humans, he broke into a sprint, straight to the kitchen downstairs. He grabbed a few cold cuts and a steak from the fridge, depositing the whole lot on a plate. Whether she liked it or not, Anna needed to feed. Hopefully she’d realize this as soon as she saw the meat.
He was back in her bedroom within the blink of an eye. He’d hoped that this little display of his superhuman speed would convince her, but when he looked at her, still sitting in place on the bed, he didn’t see recognition in her eyes. Whatever he’d just tried to demonstrate, she hadn’t noticed anything strange about it.
Michael wished he could ask Alexander for advice, but that wasn’t an option. He’d taken Cat away for the week, in an attempt to keep her safe, and he was still angry with him to boot. Michael was on his own. They’d all ended up in an impossible situation together, thanks to his impulsive decision to turn this woman.
All he could hope for now was that Anna would see the truth and come around to accepting her new situation before Alexander returned. Otherwise… Well, otherwise Michael wasn’t quite sure what would happen. He’d have to fix this situation he’d created. If Cat wasn’t safe in the same house as Anna, he’d have to relocate her somehow.
And the entire conversation he’d just tried to have with Anna suggested was that she wasn’t easily convinced of anything. How would he convince her to leave with him without creating a scene? What a headache.
Michael held the plate in her direction. “You must be hungry. Please, help yourself.”
Anna eyed him suspiciously, then glanced down at the food. Her eyes rested on the raw steak.
Michael remembered clearly what it had been like when he was freshly turned. Every sense was almost painfully heightened. She wouldn’t be able to resist the juicy meat, not for long anyway.
“It’s raw,” she said.
“You’re very observant,” he said, then immediately regretted his tone.
She glared at him, then looked back down at the plate.
“It’ll do you good. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. Try it and you’ll find out for yourself,” he added, doing his best to sound patient. It was difficult, nigh impossible. He wanted nothing more than to force her to eat it already. Why couldn’t she just take his word for it?
After a few more seconds of indecision, Anna finally seemed to give in. She took the plate from him and sniffed the meat, closing her eyes as the scent of blood no doubt overwhelmed her senses. When she opened her eyes again, they had turned a deep shade of red.
Blood lust. Finally.
That was how Michael had reacted too, when he had awoken a newly created vampire and stood face to face with his first meal. Only, there had been no one to guide him, no one to provide him with a safe meal option. He’d acted purely on instinct and almost killed the man he’d tried to drink from. It had been a disaster.
“Eat. Trust me,” he urged.
Anna didn’t hesitate any longer. She scarfed down everything on the plate, even licking off the juices that ended up on her fingers.
“Weird. I’ve never been much of a meat eater,” she mumbled.
Michael took the plate from her and observed her as she pulled her legs up onto the bed and curled up against the pillows.
“So… sleepy…” she whispered.
Michael continued to watch her for a moment. That was what had happened to him too. It was quite a shock to the system, digesting your first meal after the change. Perhaps things between them would improve once she had more of a chance to rest.
She was quite something, even if she was his fledgling and he was her maker. Feisty, too. If only the circumstances of their meeting had been different…
“I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” he said.
“Mhmm.”
Michael didn’t look back as he left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Out of habit, he checked the large grandfather clock on the landing. It was just before nine o’clock. Ordinarily, he’d be getting ready to go out by now. Not tonight, though.
His nights of carefree and unapologetic hedonism were over.
Michael had never been particularly responsible, but going forward, he wouldn’t have a choice. And that realization worried him, possibly even more so than the prospect of having Anna argue with him some more upon waking up.
Chapter Four
Once again, Anna woke up to the sound of muffled voices. But it wasn’t two men this time; instead, it was a woman and a man. And she could hear them more clearly, so much so that she could follow the whole conversation word-for-word.
“What do you want?” the male voice, which Anna recognized as Michael’s, asked.
“Council business. Where is my dear brother?” the female demanded.
“Out. He took Catherine with him. I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with me instead.”
Anna held her breath as she continued to listen. It was obvious from his tone that whoever this woman was, Michael not only knew her, but knew her well enough to dislike her.
“Very well. It has come to our attention that some—shall we say—outsiders have arrived in the city. If they’re even aware of our customs and laws, they are blatantly ignoring them. Humans have been affected.”
That last bit made Anna’s ears perk up even more. She was no longer content waiting around in this bedroom, she had to see this visitor for herself. The way she had emphasized the word ‘humans’ was very strange indeed. Could it be that this visitor also believed in the nonsense story Michael had tried to tell her earlier, about the lot of them being vampires?
“You don’t say,” Michael responded. His sarcasm wasn’t lost on Anna, and she couldn’t even see the two of them yet. She hurried out of bed and sneaked out the door as fast as she could. Thankfully, Anna’s body ache had mostly subsided as she’d slept, allowing her more stealth and speed than before.
“In fact, would it be safe to say one such human is here right now?” the woman spoke up again.
Suddenly self-conscious, Anna paused just before reaching the top of the stairs. No, she had come this far, she would take a look at this new stranger for herself. It was bad enough that Michael and the other man were deluded about who or what they were, but now this woman seemed equally out of touch with reality.
“Is dear old Gillian still surveilling us then?” Michael asked. “Either way, there are no humans here.”
Anna kneeled down and peeked through the balustrade, only to find Michael already staring at her. His expression didn’t change one bit; the man had the perfect poker face. A perfectly handsome, infuriating poker face.
Seeing how he had already anticipated her curiosity annoyed her. How arrogant he was.
“The Council has eyes and ears everywhere, as you well know,” the slender, dark-haired woman said. She stood with her back toward Anna, her shoulders pulled back, suggesting amazing posture. Anna was almost disappointed she couldn’t catch a glimpse of the woman’s face.
“Well, Lucille, I don’t know what to tell you. If there were a human in here, I’m sure you would have smelled her… or him.” Michael maintained eye contact with Anna as he spoke, making her feel uneasy.
Look away, or you’ll tip this Lucille woman off! Anna frowned to make her point.
Finally, Michael did stop staring at her.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure why he was affecting her. These people were clearly nuts. If only she could get out of here and head home. Inconveniently, she still didn’t remember where home was exactly, or she might have been able to
make a run for it.
“Very well, have it your way. You’ll know where to find the Council if you come across any of these unwanted visitors, as well as their victims. I don’t have to remind you that Julius expects your loyalty now more than ever. And that goes for my brother as well.”
Michael nodded. His expression had softened slightly, making him look just a little less arrogant than before. Still, Anna wasn’t sure what to think. These people were weird, untrustworthy.
Lucille nodded and pushed the two double doors open wide as she left. They had barely swung back into position when Michael stood up on the landing in front of Anna.
“Oh!” She took a step back and tried to regain her composure. How had he moved so quickly? “Who was that?”
“Lucille Amboise. Julius turned her around the same time as Alexander, so they consider themselves siblings.”
Anna wanted to argue. Turned her. Ridiculous. Michael was really intent on dragging this fantasy out as long as he could manage. “And what is this Council she kept referring to? What do they want with me?”
“The Vampire Council, led by Julius. Well, they make sure that we follow the rules. Like I said before, we’re not supposed to—”
“Yeah, not supposed to kill, right?”
“Right.” Michael smiled and looked right at her for a moment. As soon as he did, something weird happened inside her chest. Was it nerves? Excitement? No way was she going to allow herself to develop a soft spot for a lunatic!
“It appears that the Council is on the trail of the vampires who did this to you. They take that sort of thing very seriously.”
“So not only have you turned me into a vampire to save me, it was vampires who put me in the position to need saving in the first place? Funny how there are all of a sudden a lot of vampires running around London.” Anna folded her arms and cocked her head to the side. She didn’t have much patience left. Not for him, or his nonsense.
Michael shrugged. “Don’t believe me, it hardly matters at this point. Answer me one thing, though: that bloody steak did make you feel better, didn’t it?”
Anna pressed her lips together tightly. She wanted to prove him wrong so desperately, but the worst part was that he was right. She did feel better now, and the steak hadn’t been as disgusting as she’d thought either. Both those realizations annoyed her to no end.
“Perhaps I just needed more rest,” she said at last.
“More rest. Sure.” Michael shook his head slowly, then raised both his hands up in the air. “Look, between you refusing to believe a word I’m saying and Lucille turning up and interrogating me, this is turning into quite the trying evening. Perhaps it’s best we talk about something else.”
What else was there to talk about, though? She’d woken up feeling better, but there was still so much she didn’t understand about her current situation. And she didn’t even remember the necessary details to allow her to leave yet. She was stuck here, with him, until she could formulate a plan.
“I’m going downstairs to the library for a drink. You may join me if you like.” Just like that, Michael had cut their conversation short.
“Wearing a nightgown?” Anna called after him, as he made his way down the stairs at a breakneck speed.
“Check the wardrobe in your room. There might be something in there,” he said as he continued sprinting downstairs and to the left, just out of Anna’s sight. God, how he annoyed her.
Within moments, she had returned to the bedroom—the one place in this house that was starting to look somewhat familiar—and found something passable to wear. As she undressed, she couldn’t help but check herself out in the mirror. She’d changed. It didn’t seem possible, but somehow, her body had smoothed out somewhat. Curves that had been there for as long as she could remember had firmed up. Imperfections had been wiped away.
She barely recognized her reflection, something which she might have explained away with the memory loss that she’d woken up with. Only, she clearly remembered what she used to look like. In excruciating, painful detail.
And it was those details, those little things she had found fault with before, which were missing now.
Gone was the cellulite, the odd marks and scars, even the stretch marks. Caps could explain the pointy teeth, perhaps a chemical peel had been responsible for her glowing complexion. And her hair? That could have been brushed and styled while she’d been unconscious.
But there was nothing in the world that could change her body to this extent, was there? There was no cure for stretch marks or cellulite. These two things plagued even skinnier girls. Anna was a lot of things, but even in her changed form, she still wasn’t skinny.
Could it be that perhaps Michael’s explanation wasn’t so far-fetched after all? Could she actually have been changed into something supernatural…? Superhuman?
It still seemed impossible, and yet it would explain a lot. Her sensitive hearing—she’d been able to overhear entire conversations taking place halfway across this massive house. Her changed physical form—pointy teeth and impossibly perfect skin. And her appetite for raw meat.
Anna shook her head and pulled on a pair of pants and a pullover she’d found in the wardrobe. These didn’t look or feel like they were hers, but they would serve their purpose and make her feel just a little bit less vulnerable. It was awkward having to talk to a stranger wearing nothing more than a nightgown, even if it was nearly floor length and quite modest.
She took a deep breath and glanced at her reflection one last time before heading downstairs. She hoped that whatever drink Michael had been referring to would be something familiar, and not, God forbid, some unfortunate soul’s blood.
On the way down, she caught a glimpse of the grand standing clock which towered over the landing. It was almost four o’clock. But inside the house, with its heavy drapes and brightly lit interior, Anna had no sense of time at all. If she hadn’t noticed the thick cover of darkness outside as Lucille left, she wouldn’t have known if it was four in the afternoon or in the morning.
She had obviously never been downstairs and had no idea of the layout, but her feet carried her automatically through the grand reception room with its elegant period settees and armchairs toward a heavy carved door that led to the library. Inside, Michael awaited.
He looked up the second she’d pushed the door open.
“There you are,” he said.
Without warning, he picked up an empty glass from the table beside his leather armchair and flung it in Anna’s direction. She was about to duck out of the way and let loose on him, when she realized that she had caught the glass, effortlessly, in her left hand.
“You threw a glass at my head!” she complained. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Michael’s lips fluttered almost imperceptibly, as though he was suppressing a smile. “You caught it. Still unconvinced of your changed state?” he asked.
Anna wanted to bite her bottom lip, but then remembered the sharp teeth and resulting bleeding from earlier and stopped herself. How smug he was. Unfortunately, he had a point.
“Fine.” She’d barely said the word, and a bottle zipped through the air in her direction. She still wasn’t prepared, but at least it hadn’t startled her as much as the glass. She caught it by the neck in her other hand.
“Pour yourself a drink. We have a lot to talk about.” Michael said.
Anna scrutinized the label. It looked old, expensive. She walked across to the empty chair next to Michael and put the glass down. Then she opened the cap of the bottle and became overwhelmed as the aromas hit her. Woody, earthy, hints of sweetness and spice. It was brandy, that was certain, but she’d never smelled a vintage quite like it.
“Whoa,” she mumbled, then glanced sideways at Michael, who was observing her, half full glass in hand.
“Your senses are much stronger now,” he remarked.
She poured some of the amber liquid into the glass, which she now recognized as an expensive antique as we
ll. To think that he’d just thrown it across the room like it was nothing. Rich people! What if she’d dropped it?
“How is this even possible,” she whispered as she brought the glass to her lips.
The moment the brandy hit her tongue, she knew that somehow it was. Everything she’d rejected before had to be true. She wasn’t quite sure how and why she’d ended up here, beyond what Michael had tried to tell her. She didn’t even know exactly what her life had looked like earlier—she just knew that things would never be the same.
Chapter Five
Thank God.
Michael closed his eyes and took a sip from his glass. He hadn’t been completely sure that it would work, but his reckless little stunt seemed to have convinced her. At the very least, it had planted the seed of doubt in her mind and caused her to stop arguing.
They sat in silence as Anna savored every last drop of the brandy. It was Alexander’s stash, but he wouldn’t mind. Not if it helped in getting Anna ready to deal with her new condition and most importantly, control her urges around Catherine once the two of them returned home.
And although vampires weren’t affected by alcohol like humans were, sitting together and sharing a drink had a certain therapeutic value.
Michael had gone about it all wrong. Instead of taking a moment to understand that this woman had woken up confused in a strange house, surrounded by strangers, in a body that possibly felt as strange to her as everything else, he’d tried to force her into believing him.
Of course that hadn’t worked.
His own transformation had been the exact opposite. Michael had woken up a vampire on his own, without a maker to guide him. Though he did remember what had happened during his last moments as a mortal, he had nobody to explain things. Everything, from the increased strength and speed to the boost to all his senses, he had discovered for himself.
That was why he wanted to spare Anna the confusion and pain of making mistakes. And in doing so, he’d cornered her and not given her the chance to process things. Now he knew that both approaches were equally wrong. He was ready to pull back. If it was space and freedom she needed, he was willing to give it to her.
Michael's Soul Mate: A Steamy BBW Vampire Romance (Vampires of London Book 2) Page 3
