“You’ve got it so bad, it’s ridiculous.”
“What does that even mean? ‘Got it bad.’ Is that another one of those funny human euphemisms?”
“It means you’re smitten with her.”
“Lusting. I’m hardly smitten,” Julius went back to his phone again, but the feeling of his brother’s incessant stare never seemed to leave him. Julius tossed Evan a questioning look. “What?”
“I’m not going to distract you from her, am I?”
“Why would you need to?”
“I just haven’t heard such singular thoughts since Damian found Giselle. And—”
“She’s not my mate.” Julius cut him off before he had a chance to speak about their brokenhearted king. Julius would never let anyone get that close to him. Not after seeing the devastation a shattered mate bond could do to a vampire.
“If you are certain.” Evan’s voice was tight with worry. What his brother failed to realize was that Erica was only a distraction. A temporary one. “Then, you think I’m overreacting?”
“You have no need to worry brother. This is what I do. For me, it’s all about the chase. As soon as I get them, I release them back into the wild and move on to the next. Erica is no different.”
Evan didn’t look convinced, but there was no reason for his doubt. So, he conceded. “Humans in this realm are not like ours. They are not as strong.”
“I’m no novice. I have been with humans in this realm before,” Julius reassured him.
“Remember, their kind doesn’t know of vampires. We cannot risk exposure.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And—”
“Okay, Mother.” Annoyance seeped into Julius’s voice.
“Sorry,” his brother said sheepishly. “I’m overreacting again, aren’t I?
“Everything will be fine. Let me get her out of my system, and I’ll be the good little prince our brother dispatched for the crown.”
Evan was resigned. “For the all gods, just be careful.”
____
JULIUS’S LIPS CURLED INTO A SNEER as the acrid scent of cigarette smoke, rotting garbage, and city sewer permeated his nose. A gust of cool late autumn air wisped around his coat as he walked up to a building that had more windows than bricks holding it up. It couldn’t have been in a worse part of town.
At least on the inside, the building wasn’t a complete dump. Old and not worth Erica’s time, but it was serviceable, he supposed. He’d walked the hallway several times before he realized there was no elevator to bring him up to the fifth floor. He found the stairs behind a set of doors at the end of the hall and climbed them, wishing like hell he could use his vampiric speed to get there faster.
He sighed in frustration as he hit the third floor, tempted to take the stairs three at a time. He couldn’t risk exposure, he reminded himself. From the murmurings, closing doors, and general life that was happening on the other side of the white-painted cinderblock walls in the stairwell, someone would likely happen upon him at the precise moment he’d done it. Despite the slow pace, it didn’t take him long to reach the numbered door that matched the address Erica provided.
What he heard on the other side prevented him from knocking. Erica’s voice was raised in agitation.
Immediately, he leaned closer to the door, interested to hear what made her that way.
“So, two years means nothing to you then?” Her voice hitched.
No one responded. It took Julius a moment to realize she must have been speaking on the phone. Julius wished like hell he was on the opposite side of that door, close enough to hear who she was speaking with and what they were saying.
“Are you kidding me? We’re supposed to be planning our life together, not taking a break.”
Planning their lives together? His vampire nearly ripped the door from its hinges and burst inside. They did not agree to her planning her life with someone else.
“If we’re taking a break, then we’re through. I’m not going to be benched on the sidelines while you get to star in the playoffs.” Her voice was heavy with ultimatum.
Another brief pause, then she exploded.
“Fine? All you have to say is fine?” Her voice tightened. “You know, everyone was right about you. You don’t deserve me.”
Apparently, the conversation was at an end because he heard a cry of frustration, then a loud clack from inside before it settled into silence. He should have felt bad for eavesdropping on her conversation, but he couldn’t help himself. Not when she was distressed.
He knocked on the door.
Abject silence followed before her delicate footsteps made their way toward him and she ripped the door open. A forceful gust of wind rushed past him.
“What?” The sound was harsh and said through gritted teeth. Her eyes were wild again, in the same way they were when she gleefully destroyed his car. Her cheeks flamed in a bright crimson that stretched across the sides of her face and down her neck. Her hair jostled out of the untidy blonde knot tied at the top of her head. She was pissed. And it made him want to fuck the anger out of her.
Erica didn’t look like she was expecting anyone over, let alone him.
“You wanted me to swing by,” he said, holding up his phone when she didn’t move.
Her eyes widened and her face softened. “Jeez, I completely forgot.”
“If this is a bad time, I can always come back…” Julius offered, although he had no intention of leaving her. Not in this state. Not until he found out what idiot was playing games with Erica’s heart so he could kill him quickly and have her all to himself.
“No,” she said in a rush, tucking a strand of blonde hair that had fallen from her bun behind her ear. “Come in, please.”
Even in the low light, the inside of Erica’s studio completely blew him away. All the walls were painted over. Stylized faces, graffiti text, and bold colors lined nearly every wall. He followed the line work up and around the large windows, and through to where there was a small kitchen on one side.
“This is your studio?” Julius asked with an appreciative nod as he looked around. This city was filled with hidden gems. He wasn’t surprised that Erica found one of them.
“Yeah, for now. Until I…” Erica trailed off as she flitted around the studio clearing surfaces of paint-soiled napkins and plates of half-eaten sandwiches.
“Until?”
The soft glow of the studio lights on her face stole the air from him. He would never get used to the sight. She was gorgeous.
“Until I can afford to upgrade to the studio of my dreams. The art district downtown is filled with them. It’s like they were built with the modern artist in mind. Galleries in the front and open space studios in the back. They’re amazing.”
If Julius hadn’t heard her shouting just a few minutes ago or seen the angry look that still settled in her eyes, he would have sworn they were having a pleasant conversation. He needed to know the reason for her anger.
“So… you’re with someone?” Julius blurted out, staring at the phone in her pocket just as she dumped the dishes in the sink.
For a moment Erica was silent before she rolled her eyes and threaded her fingers in her golden hair. A look of stress darkened the hazel of her eyes to brown. “I so can’t deal with this right now. Please don’t tell me you’re that guy.”
“What guy?” Julius’s neck hairs raised at the accusation in her voice.
Erica made some strange hissing sound with her teeth and stamped her foot. “You’re all the same.”
“I’m not like anyone you’ve ever met,” Julius warned, a blast of heat running up his spine. Yes, she was upset, but the royal in him would not tolerate her tone much longer.
“Please, you saw a flash of tits and creamy thighs, and I bet you thought I’d be an easy lay.”
When he didn’t answer, Erica stood incredibly still, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose the way he’d seen the king do when his patience had worn completely thi
n.
“You weren’t interested in my art, were you?”
“I admit that I was not,” he answered truthfully.
Erica’s eyebrows collapsed together; a look of fury engulfed her face. Apparently, that was not the response she was looking for.
He prepared for her balled fist to come hurtling at his face, but she didn’t hit him. Instead, Erica gave one hard laugh, then weaved through the stacks of canvases and boxes past him to grab a cup of murky blue water with several paint brushes sticking out from it and moved toward the sink. Her nostrils flared.
“So, what are you here for Mr. Craul?”
“Besides your tits and creamy thighs?” He shot back the joke, hoping to break the tension with a laugh. Erica was having none of it.
“Get out,” she cried, hurtling the cup of murky blue water at him. He dodged out of the way. It hit the floor behind him with a clack and the blue-tinged water sprayed at his feet.
“What is your problem?” He flinched, dusting a few droplets from his pants.
“My problem is you and everyone like you,” she said, her chest heaving. “You’re all brawn. Never vulnerable. And here I am, the sensitive artist, always attracted to big stuffy jerks.”
“You don’t know the first thing about me.” Julius’s voice rose to match hers.
“Fine, then prove me wrong. Right here, right now. Be vulnerable, Mr. Craul. Tell me something you’ve never admit out loud.” Erica’s arms folded across her chest. Her knee cocked out to one side as she waited expectantly for him to say something. When she looked at him like that, all the thoughts emptied from his head. “Well?”
His mind churned and the beast inside of him paced. He couldn’t think of anything. Except the one thing he should never say to a human in this realm. But he didn’t want to lose her more. He let out a breathy sigh before saying, “I’m a vampire.”
7
ERICA
ERICA STARED AT JULIUS’S serious face for half a second before her lips turned down. Tension seized her shoulders.
“Of course you are.”
“Let me explain.” Julius held out his hands as if to steady her.
“No need. It’s clear that when you say you’re a vampire, you mean you’re a bloodthirsty leech.” Erica layered on the sarcasm.
“Leech is not the term I’d use.”
“You’re wasting my time.”
When she shifted and readied herself toward the front door, Julius’s beautiful face softened into a pleading look. “Wait… I mean… Look, I’m not good at this.”
No, he wasn’t. The way he was white-knuckling his coat told her as much. He was going to have sore fingers in the morning if he kept that up. Julius looked like he was in pain just thinking of being open about any topic other than a frivolous one he controlled. One thing was certain: Julius Craul did not do serious.
“Clearly,” she said.
“Second chance?”
“Last chance,” Erica amended, her arms crossed in defiance.
Julius cleared his throat. “But first, I feel we need to have an understanding of terms before we proceed.”
“You’re stalling, Mr. Craul.”
Just saying his formal name made her realize he was here for her benefit, not the other way around. She owed him a debt. But at that moment, as he fidgeted with the buttons on his lapel, Erica felt the balance of power teeter to neutral standing before starting to tip in her favor.
“I am not. I want to ensure that if I tell you my darkest secrets, Erica, that I am returned the same courtesy.” His voice dipped low. The teetering balance of power tipped right back to him as his hands stilled against his lapels. He looked her in the eye, rooting her in place. His previous discomfort vanished, and he was in his element again. This was the businessman who was scoping out her boss’s bar. Her heart started to thump in her chest at the power he exuded. “My honesty comes with a heavy price.”
“I’m not afraid,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. It seemed like his previous discomfort jumped from him and bled into her. “Do it, and you’ll have my absolute honesty.”
He cleared his throat again. For a brief moment, Erica saw his bravado crack. Then, Julius squared his shoulders, dropped his hands to his side, and looked her directly in the eyes. “Fine. I set a three-week time limit to all my relationships.”
“I’m surprised it’s that long,” she murmured, thinking of her first real impression of the man in front of her. He looked like he knew his way around a bed very well and hardly committed to anything further than that.
“Excuse me, I’m pouring my heart out here,” he said in mock offense.
She bit back a smile, trying desperately to keep a serious face. He was actually making an effort. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, her hard exterior was softening. “Sorry. Go on. You were saying that you’ve never had a real girlfriend…”
Julius shook his head and stared at the ground. “If I’m being honest, most of the women in my acquaintance are not really attracted to me.”
An incredulous snort burst from her throat. That was extremely hard to believe. Look at him, for crying out loud! His green eyes found hers and as if on cue, a lock of his dark sandy brown hair fell into his face, framing his chiseled jaw. He was model gorgeous. And even adorned in a suit, she could tell his abs were perfection. There was no way any woman, living or dead, would pass him up. He must have been pulling her leg.
“This, I have to hear.”
“I come from a powerful family,” he explained. “And evidently, I was the only one surprised to find that the women I dated only wanted my wealth or my status. More times than not, she used my family’s name to further her agenda. So, to avoid the snakes, I hid behind grandeur, money, and charm and made them all temporary. But, secretly, I’ve always wanted to know what it felt like for someone to truly love me for me.”
Erica ran across enough of the bravado type to know that was code for he’d had his heart miserably broken the first time he trusted someone else enough to offer it. Anger curled inside her.
“Who was she?” Erica found herself wanting to know every detail about the person who broke Julius’s heart so she could bitch slap her into last week, make her apologize, then forward slap her out of existence.
Julius paused, smirking as if he could read her thoughts. “No, no. I’ve told you one of my secrets. Now it’s time for you to tell me one of yours.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Those are our terms.”
It was her turn to shift in discomfort. How did she compete with that? When he shifted his weight, Erica realized they were both standing in the middle of her studio in an impasse state. Just a moment ago, she was ready to kick Julius out of her studio and onto the curb. Now, she was intrigued by him.
“Where are my manners? You can have a seat anywhere,” she motioned to her sparsely furnished studio. Outside of the half-dead chocolate brown leather couch she’d inherited from the previous tenants, there was nowhere for him to sit. She bit her lip as she eyed the couch with disdain. Why hadn’t she replaced it?
Julius didn’t seem to mind. Like at Stick’s club, his arms stretched across the back when he sat in it, perfectly at ease. The stark contrast of his fancy suit against the cracked leather of the sofa made it look like he was on set for a high fashion grunge photoshoot.
“And…” he continued with a smirk. His gaze raked down her frame, brow cocked in amusement. “You’re stalling.”
It was getting harder to think with Julius looking at her like that.
“Am not.”
She was stalling. She leaned against her kitchen counter and faced him. Folding her arms across her chest, Erica thought of the least invasive thing to say to Julius. It was a balancing act. If she came out with something too severe, she might scare him off. Too lame, and he was going to call her out. So, she settled on the safest thing she could think of.
“I’ve always felt like a disappointment to my parents.”
“Get in line.” Julius shrugged.
“Hey! I’m pouring my heart out here.”
“Sorry, go on.” Julius fell into their banter with ease.
“My mother is an engineer, my father is a businessman, and unfortunately, I’m an artist.” Erica tried to shrug off the uneasiness that came with talking about her parents.
“Why is that unfortunate? You’re amazing.”
The reverence in Julius’s voice was not lost on her. Her insides glowed at the compliment.
“My parents don’t think so. I’m not exactly boasting material when it comes to their social soirees. Especially when their only child is an artist who can’t even pay the bills with her art.”
Crap. Her mouth ran away from her. She would probably sell more paintings if she kept her big mouth closed about not selling them. Julius rose to his feet and navigated toward a few of her finished paintings and rifled through the canvases. A thoughtful expression blanketed his face as he studied them. In an instant, the businessman was back, and Erica was reminded of why he was in her studio in the first place.
“These should be flying off the shelves,” he said as if he were trying to reconcile why she wasn’t the runaway success that she dreamed of being ever since her abstract clay sculpture won first prize in her elementary school’s art competition. “It’s clear that you have a solid product. What is your marketing plan?”
“I have an art showcase the Friday after next.”
Julius didn’t respond right away, like he was waiting for her to continue. A half a beat pulsed between them before he clarified. “How do you plan to get people to come to your showcase and buy your work?”
Erica stuttered. “Well, I hung up some flyers at school. People from my open studio are going to come and invite people they know.”
He paused as he leaned one of her works against his thigh to look at a piece behind it.
“Do you want to know the absolute truth?” he asked.
“Let me have it.” She sighed, fearing the worst.
“Your work is exceptional. However, you’re never going to sell it if you’re marketing to your classmates.”
Love Bitten (Vampire Blood Royals Book 1) Page 5
