“Yes,” she said firmly. “If I understand correctly, you did nothing wrong. Your valet made an offer, and you accepted. What I witnessed was nothing more than a consensual exchange.” Her eyes lidded. “This bite of yours. Does it hurt?”
He chuckled. “Yes, but it is also quite pleasurable.” He lowered his voice, although there was unlikely to be anyone else listening. “You’ve felt the touch of my fangs once already.”
She raised her right hand. “Our wedding night.”
“Yes, and when we…” He gestured to her skirts.
Her cheeks turned bright red and her spectacles fogged.
He put his hand over his heart. “You have my word that I will not do it again.”
She stared at her palm for several seconds before dropping it to his lap. “What if Iaskedyou to bite me?”
He dug his fingers into the arms of his chair to stop himself from reaching for her. “Absolutely not.”
*
The vehemence ofMarcus’s refusal made Winifred stand and put her hands on her hips. “What is wrong with my blood?”
His nostrils flared. “Do not make this about you.”
She wasn’t sure why his rejection bothered her. Perhaps because now that she knew that his bite was pleasurable, every time she closed her eyes, she saw him with his arms around his valet. Or because knowing he wasn’t human made it impossible to rid herself of an insidious thought that she would never be enough for him. He’d lived forcenturies. Compared to that, she might well have been an entertaining plaything to use until she grew too old or frail to be of value.
There was one other possibility. She could be displacing her shock and fear from learning vampires were real into an emotion that was easier to process. Unfortunately, while it was relatively easy to analyze her own mental state with cool detachment, it was significantly more difficult to change her behavior. The rational part of her was willing to make observations, but it would not take away the pain in her heart.
Maybe seducing Marcus would.
She crossed the room and crouched so that their heads were at the same level, then pressed her lips against his. Two slight lumps confirmed his fangs were still out, but he kept his mouth firmly shut. She tried again, kissing him with more force. He moaned deep in his throat.
“Choose me,” she whispered. “Let me give you what you need.” Then the image that was seared on the inside of her eyelids would vanish, and the churning in her gut when she imagined Marcus remaining the same while she aged and eventually died would stop.
“You don’t understand,” Marcus said in a tight voice. “Drinking from Smith was a last resort. I could have killed him.” He tilted his head and rested it on her shoulder. “Your blood is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It is too dangerous.”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Then make me yours. Consummate our union.”
It wouldn’t get rid of the nefarious voice in her head that insisted a vampire could never truly be with a human, but it might silence it for a while until she had time to examine her options.
Marcus hefted her in his arms and carried her to his bed. First came her bodice, lifted over her head. Then her corset, skirt, petticoats, and hoopskirt. Finally, he crouched and made her place one hand on his shoulder while he removed her slippers, then rolled down her stockings.
“Your feet are lovely,” he said. “Do you ever apply balm?” He nibbled her heel. “Your toes would look delectable slathered in oil. I could do it for you.”
She was too lost in the pleasurable feeling of his hands massaging her shins to answer. Being so exposed while he remained fully clothed made her feel like he could shatter her with a glance. She touched the top button of his shirt.
“No,” he said before placing her knees on his shoulders.
She pursed her lips. “I want to see you.”
“Next time,” he said. Then he ran his fangs along her inner thigh, and it no longer mattered. The conflagration he’d sparked in her abdomen threatened to consume her.
“Do you know what I felt when you pressed your lips to Smith’s throat?” she asked. “Envy. I was jealous you’d picked him over me. I feel it even more now that he has given you something you won’t accept from me.” She curled her fingers in his hair. “Stop holding back. I don’t want to be worshipped. I wantyou. All of you.”
Perhaps more than that, she wanted things to go back to normal. She didn’t want to fear her own husband, but until he released his tightly held restraints, she’d never know how much he was keeping from her.
“I’m terrified of hurting you,” Marcus said. Hekissed each of her toes. “I’m afraid that if you see the real me, you’ll understand how evil I truly am and you’ll run away the first chance you get.”
“I won’t,” she whispered. Despite her tumultuous emotions, she felt the same way now as she had when she’d arrived. There was nothing to fear in the dark. True monsters, like her uncle, did not need to hide themselves. They were comfortable in the light because they knew they’d always be safe from the consequences of their actions. It was Marcus’s very reluctance to reveal his nature that confirmed she’d been right about him all along.
He might have been a vampire, but he was no monster.
