Page 70 of Awakened Light

“But I’ll see you again in a few months, right?”

“Yes.” I nodded as I looked up into his eyes. “I promise I’ll remove the curse. I’ll send word.”

“But I won’t be able to do this, will I?” He slid his fingers under my chin, leaned down, and kissed me. It reignited the fire I’d been struggling to put out.

“No,” I whispered as I leaned up and kissed him again.

“That’s too bad,” he whispered between kisses. “Because I’m going to be thinking about it when I see you again.”

“I will, too. I’ll always be thinking about this.”

I kissed him again and held it even longer.

“I hope Uradech knows you’ll be thinking about me even when you’re with him.” Thorne kissed me so hard my knees wobbled beneath me. But his strong arms kept me upright as he finished his assault on my senses.

As he slowly pulled his lips from mine, he left me panting in his arms, desperate for more.

“Change your mind,” he said as he pressed his forehead to mine. “You still have time.”

I closed my eyes and leaned into the weight of him. “I will always love you, Thorne.”

Feeling my resolve slipping with each moment in his arms, I knew I would never leave him if I didn’t go now. I rose on my toes and kissed him one last time, the salt of my tears mingling with the taste of his lips. Without another word, I broke us apart and rushed to the boat we’d left on the shore. With a quick push, I got it into the water and climbed over the edge.

Sobs wracked my body as I dug the paddles through the soft waves, forcing myself to stare at the water instead of looking up at him. But as I moved off the shore and settled into my rhythm, I made the mistake of looking up one last time. Thorne leaned against the tree, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched me go. With a slow lift of his hand, he bid me goodbye as I disappeared into the fog, and out of his life forever.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Thorne

“ANOTHER?” THE BARTENDER’S deep voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts as he pointed to my glass.

I pushed it forward, keeping my eyes glued to the worn spot on the countertop.

His massive tattooed forearm slid into my line of sight as he took my glass away. When it appeared again a few moments later, I grunted my thanks and took the thick red drink disguised as a Bloody Mary. As we did at most clubs we frequented, we handed them our bottles of blood to keep cool and influenced bartenders to think it was special Bloody Mary mix and not to notice any of our vampire quirks. Once poured into the opaque glasses we brought along with us, and topped with a few garnishes, even the nearby patrons didn’t notice the unusual beverages. It was a trick we’d learned centuries ago, and one that I intended to make the most of tonight.

Tonight, I needed blood.

Lots and lots of blood.

The last four nights sitting alone in my room unable to sleep all day and running through the countryside at night to blow off steam hadn’t erased an ounce of the agony Catrain’s absence had left inside me.

Not. One. Bit.

In fact, each day we spent apart seemed to increase the already unbearable anguish.

Annella, Aiden, Emilia, and Mark had dragged me out to this club tonight, hoping perhaps a night of distraction could ease some of the pain.

It didn’t.

I tossed half a glass of blood down my throat, then slammed it back on the bar.

“Easy, tiger,” Annella said as she slid into the stool beside me. “You’re gonna break that glass. Or the bar.”

“Good,” I grunted.

“You wanna dance? Maybe even get some fresh blood? We could pick out a nice girl for you to take a few sips of.”

Just thinking about drinking blood from someone other than Catrain made my stomach twist into a never-ending knot. It only reminded me of the pleasure I felt when I drank from her, and the way her body responded to my touch as I slid my fangs inside her neck.