Part of me wanted to hug him, to shuffle closer and?—
What the hell was I thinking? Of course I didn’t want to be closer to him. Not in a hugging kind of way, anyway. He wasn’t…
He wasn’t what? Suitable? For me? Oh, but royal vampires were?
Damn this! Fuck my stupid brain for going down this path.
I killed it quickly.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” Declan said, “but I hope the king gets his one day. I really do.”
I agreed, suppressing a retch.
The thought of Silvanus dead didn’t operate well inside me anymore.
Damn.
I’m so sorry,I thought at the wolves in this cave.
Like me, their true selves had been shunned by society. Unlike me, they were loyal to the cause, still clinging to the dreams of better days ahead.
Deep down, I knew I should come clean and beg for forgiveness. Drive home the truth of Aidan.
Ha! I wouldn’t be leaving this cave if I did.
“So, what happens now?” I asked.
“You tell us,” he answered. “You have to get back to your life and kill that Aidan guy. But we’re in the middle of nowhere.” He stroked his chin. “If you go directly south, you’ll reach the first outpost two miles off the southern side of the wall. But it’s a trek.” His smile was bright, and I noticed his dimples for the first time.
Built to kill with a face to melt your heart, along with your underwear. The man was yummy, one to make you look twice and then maybe a few more times after that.
Don’t go there…
“We can help you,” he added. “There’s plenty of furs here you can wear. Our prison wardens keep us supplied with stuff, so don’t worry about freezing to death.”
“Which he’d get over, apparently,” Jenny threw in.
Declan’s head snapped around, his growl forcing her to dip her head in obedience.
She wasn’t wrong to throw dirty looks my way. I was a lying fucker, a real traitor to my people.
I couldn’t be this person. I had to wash some of the shame away, purge these feelings for the vampire king, get back on the better track.
But I don’t want to…
I want to be?—
I couldn’t finish the thought.
“Okay there?”
Damn Declan’s dimples for getting my cheeks warm.
“Sweetcream.” A confession began to crawl up my throat.
This is how I’ll make things right.
“What’s wrong?” Declan asked.
