“So be it. You areboundto me.”
“Why?”
“Because long ago. . .I saw you and I knew that I had to have you. And that was that.”
I thought I’d seen him before. . .
I still couldn’t figure out how I’d known him. “When was the first time you saw me?”
His smirk widened ever so slightly, and those green eyes sparkled with mischief and something else that I couldn't quite place. “That’s a conversation for another day.”
“I want to know now.”
“It is more important to have you become my wife. I’ve waited long enough.”
“How long?”
“So long that it is hard to be this close to you and not rip that costume off.” His gaze intensified, burning through the material of my dress and seeping into my skin.
Despite myself, I shivered under the intensity of his scrutiny.
I took my time saying the next words, “If we get married—”
“If?”
I gulped down fear. “Whenwe get married.”
He nodded. “Yes, Erica. Much better.”
“Our wedding night. . .”
A dark groan left him.
“I’ve never. . .” I sighed. “I will need time to get used to you before we. . .have sex. . .it can’t be tonight. . .”
“I’ve already planned for that.” That wicked smile deepened. “And I love that no other man has touched what is mine.”
His words sent another shiver down my spine, but this time, it wasn’t entirely out of fear. There was something else there too, something I didn’t want to examine too closely.
But I couldn’t allow myself to forget what he was, who he was. He might have shown me this moment of softness, but he was still the Devil of Shadows.
And devils, no matter how alluring, were still dangerous.
A low chuckle left him as he watched my inner struggle play out. “How was your performance as the Vampire Queen?”
That caught me off guard.
Did my stepfather say the name of the ballet?
I didn’t think so, yet still he knew somehow that I’d been a part of the ballet.
My stomach twisted. “I received a standing ovation, and they chanted my name.”
That line of his jaw twitched. “Of course they did.”
“But, I didn’t get a chance to finish the full ballet.Theydragged me out of there.”
“Still. . .” He licked his lips. “The audience should feel lucky to have gotten that much.”
