Page 43 of Hunger & Harmony

Glancing at the water, I then awkwardly toss it onto the vanity. It bounces off the glass top, catapulting onto the floor to then roll to my shoes. I grimace and gently kick it to the side.

“Sorry, you don’t drink water,” I say with a stupid laugh tacked onto the end.

Ugh, why am I acting like this? And why won’t he say anything? He’s just staring at me. With a hazy smirk and an intensity that reminds me of the first day we met, no less. Instead of insulting me, he challenges me with charged silence.

“Anything I can get you? Blood?” I ask after clearing my throat.

“Mmm . . .”

When he shrugs, I find myself running out of options to stay.

“Mystery flavor juice box?” I try with an awkward grin.

That earns the tiniest smile. Barely there, and gone before I can believe it happened.

“Well, uh . . .”

Shit. Not even a joke will crack him. My eyes search and search until I spot a towel. I snatch the white cloth off the hook before hurrying across the room.

“Here, I can help you⁠—”

I’m standing right in front of him when I feel it. It freezes me in place. Goosebumps burst over my skin, and I stare down at Niko wordlessly, standing still between his long legs.

The precise sting doesn’t frighten me. Phantom fangs hover over my neck, but I don’t want the touch so faint anymore. I move closer.

His eyes burn into mine. Burgundy brightens into crimson, and I swear, I can see my wanting expression in his blown pupils. He’s warning me. I know he is. But I choose this; I want this.

Forgetting the towel entirely, I let it drop to the floor. What’s the point in pretending? My fingers reach for him on their own now, stopping just short of his chest to adjust his open collar.

“You shouldn’t.”

His hand catches my wrist. Not to stop me, despite his words. He says that, but he holds me like an anchor. Not pushing me away, but pulling in closer. Is he truly telling me to stop? Or himself?

“Why not?” I whisper.

“Cadence.”

Is that the first time my name has been on his tongue? It’s never sounded like that before. Like a lyric. A warning. A plea.

I’m getting greedier. So is the pressure between my hips.

Before my rational mind can catch up, my fingertips brush the edge of his collarbone, right where marble meets silk. His shirt is cool, but his skin is colder. And under my touch? A shiver visibly rolls through his lean form.

He lets out a low, broken sound. Not quite a laugh, and not quite a growl. I move my thumb across his collarbone, slow and deliberate. The heat spikes. I swear, steam hisses where our skin meets.

With a short curse under his breath, Niko’s grip on my wrist tightens before he swiftly flips our position. My eyes fly open when I realize he’s on top of me, my control dissolving as he leans in.

“This is why not.”

The air leaves my lungs. What replaces it is his intoxicating cologne. If he leans in an inch, maybe less, our foreheads would touch. A single tilt of my chin, and my lips would meet his.

He doesn’t. Neither do I.

Not before there’s a knock at the door.

“Your Majesty!” Lorelai hollers from behind the thin wood. “We’re loading up soon.”

As quickly as it happened, he’s releasing me like it never did. His irises dissolve back to their darker hue, and he shrugs on his mask again in one fluid movement. Niko makes way for King Niklaus.