Irene
My steps were uncertain as I followed the angry vampire inside. Alex entered a study where the rich brown desk and the glow from a blazing log fire created a soft, cosy atmosphere—a stark contrast to the harshness of what had happened. Leather-bound books filled the shelves, and the smell of old paper thickened the air. The pull of our bond kept stretching with tension.
“Have a seat.” After having heard his commanding voice in the yard, he was gentle now.
I didn’t sit. “You didn’t need to kill him.”
His dark eyebrows drew closer, and a hard glint flashed in his gaze. “You aren’t the head of the Dark Court. You don’t know what I need or don’t.”
The tone didn’t lack kindness, but I wanted to disappear, like a young student scolded by her governess.
“I warned Logan, and he ignored me. I couldn’t banish him from the court. He would have killed at will.” He tugged at his gloves. “And he threatened you. That was unforgivable.”
I sat down and wiped the sweat from my forehead. Life in the Dark Court was more brutal than I’d expected. I wasn’t fond of Logan, but Alex was right. The streets were safer without him. Logan had attacked Cara viciously only because she’d been bleeding. If Alex hadn’t stopped him, he would have killed Cara. And he’d been incredibly fast. I could only imagine what Logan would have been able to do on the streets, preying on defenceless people.
Alex raked a slow glance over me, eyeing my dirty white silk gown. “You need new clothes.”
The change of subject stunned me. “What does that have to do with my learning to control my power?”
“I want to go to the city with you. If you agree, I want to visit your house now that the police don’t guard it anymore. A visit might trigger your memory and help us find Sean.”
I folded my hands in my lap. “Why are my memories of that night clouded? I try to remember the details of the attack, but they elude me.”
“The confusion is the result of your transformation. The memories will become clear with time.” He wiped the blood from his chin. The cut on his face had already healed. “I’ve recently remembered that my sire is a four-hundred-year-old vampire. Not that I know what to do with the information.”
I clenched my gold cross. “Why did the cross hurt Logan?”
“Because he meant to hurt you. Any religious symbol would protect you from evil vampires.”
“But the cross bothered you when we were at St. Mary’s Hospital, and you’ve never been evil.”
He fiddled with a pencil before speaking. “I wanted to drink your blood so much I was a threat to you. If I learnt ratherquickly to control the thirst, it’s thanks to you. I forced myself not to suck you dry the first time I’d fed from you, and that forged my will to control myself.”
“Why me? Why did you manage to control your thirst with me?” The bond between us softened as if he were caressing me.
“Because I care for you. Very much.” He started to stand up. “Ask Myrtha to help you with the gowns. We’ll go to London tomorrow.”
“Alex.” Perhaps I imagined the quick shiver going through him when I used his name. I waited for him to sit down. “Yes, I find you frightening, especially after today.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“Mostly because I can’t detect your feelings. You have no aura. And you’re strong and fast. I hadn’t realised how much I relied on my power to trust people until now. Without it, I’m lost. I don’t know how to behave or what to think.”
“Today is the wrong day to say it, but you can trust me. Once we know each other better again, I hope you’ll trust me.”
I stroked my injured arm. The cut stung.
He worked his jaw as he stared at my bandaged arm. “Your healing power is slow.”
“The skin itches and burns.” I grimaced as the sting intensified. “I’ll ask Darius to help me.”
“I could…” His Adam’s apple bobbed on a swallow. “I could heal it in a moment.”
“How?”
“The same way I close the puncture wounds from my fangs after I feed.”
“Which is?”
