“It’s no excuse,” he continued, “but I was out of my mind with starvation when it happened. They brought you there so that I would kill you.”
Callie swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why didn’t you? If they brought me there to feed you and to turn you into them, and if you were so starved, why didn’t you kill me?”
He studied her lovely face as he savored the feel of her silken flesh beneath his palm. His gaze fell to her luscious mouth, and he almost bent his head to taste it. He longed to run his tongue across those lips and discover how she would react to him, but he didn’t think she would be open to that, considering she was staring at him like he was the fox in the hen house.
And she was waiting for an answer to her question. He contemplated how to respond to her, but he wasn’t exactly sure why he hadn’t killed her either. He’d certainly been ravenous enough and crazed enough to do so, but….
“Because the second I tasted you, I knew I had to protect you,” he admitted.
That was not the response she’d expected. She wasn’t sure what she expected him to say, but it certainly wasn’t those heart-melting words.He’s a vampire.And for the first time, she found she didn’t care. He was also a man, and despite his faults, he was a good one.
“Why?” she whispered.
He didn’t know how to explain that to her when he could barely explain it to himself and he was too damn hungry to think about it. “I’m not sure.”
A twinge of disappointment tugged at her heart, but she still hadn’t known what she’d expected from him.
“I do know that whoever’s in there won’t recall me feeding on them, and it won’t hurt them. I shouldn’t have hurt you either time, but I was so far gone I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry about that, and I hope you can one day forgive me.”
Callie pondered his words before replying, “I already do.”
He’d made a mistake, and she couldn’t continue to hold it against him when she’d made plenty of mistakes in her life too.
He couldn’t stop himself from grinning as relief washed through him. She was still uneasy around him, and he didn’t blame her, but at least she didn’t hate him.
“I will never take your blood again, unless you give me permission.”
She wouldn’t ever give him permission to inflict that kind of agony on her again, but she found herself asking, “And then what would happen?”
When he stepped closer, she swore the air crackled with tension as his chest brushed hers. She tilted her head back to take him in. He was a good seven inches taller than her, but she didn’t feel intimidated as he stood over her.
After the pain he’d inflicted on her and everything she’d seen him do, she should be terrified of this man, but her pulse didn’t beat faster with terror. No, instead, it raced with excitement.
“Then I would make sure you enjoyed every second of it,” he murmured.
The gravelly tone of his voice did funny things to her insides. Frightened by her sudden, overwhelming desire for him, she gulped and stepped away. “I see.”
No, you don’t, but you will,Lucien thought.
However, he didn’t express those words. She was already wary enough of whatever this was between them; he couldn’t risk pushing her further away. However, he would taste her again, and the next time he did, she would be willing. He would make sure she received only pleasure from it.
“Why didn’t you take the memory of what happened away from me?” she asked.
Lucien opened his mouth to reply before realizing he didn’t know. Why didn’t he take the memory away? It would be a lot easier to convince her to let him feed on her again if she didn’t recall the pain, but he couldn’t bring himself to manipulate her in such a way.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Uncertain how to take this, Callie frowned at him. “Do you plan toMen In Blackmy mind at some point?”
Lucien blinked at the strange question. “What? I don’t know what that means.”
“Haven’t you ever seenMen In Black?”
“No.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m not one for movies or TV shows or any kind of technology.”
