Page 49 of Those That Defy the Realm

“Ican get him to stop.” Henry’s voice from beside my shoulder makes me leap about a foot into the air.

“Gods damned, I didn’t hear you come in.” I’m working at the ranch today. Checking on the progress the pack is making. It’s a weird project, seeing as the owners are carrying out the physical labour themselves, but I guess they want as few people on the property as possible when they’re a group of vampires that don’t want the world to know that they exist.

It helps me because I don’t have to deal with liaising with workmen. And Rory’s pack are good at getting stuck in and learning whatever they need to in order to make sure this renovation project goes smoothly. Between them they have a surprising knowledge of plumbing and electrics, although I guess the truth of that will come down to the building regulations officer when he visits in a few weeks to sign off the first stage is up to code.

I was working peacefully in the old common room until Henry decided to test my heart’s strength. The room has been stripped out completely, and the back wall has been braced and taken out, ready for the extension framework and foundations to be put in. I’d thought Rory was in here with me, but I must’ve missed her leaving as I was double checking the measurements on the plans one final time.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I wasn’t trying to be quiet.” Henry places his hand on my arm in a reassuring way, but the second his fingers touch my naked skin, my whole body erupts in a wave of heat. He quickly retracts his fingers as if he felt it too.

“It’s fine, my pulse will return to normal soon.” It’s the wrong thing to say. I’m wearing a casual top with straps only an inch thick and a neckline that isn’t indecent for work attire but paired with the fact my hair is currently pinned under a large clip, my neck is very much exposed. The summer heat is kicking in now and I hadn’t wanted to wear a shirt this morning knowing I’d probably sweat through it.

The way Henry’s eyes divert to my throat, however, has me questioning my choices. His tongue swipes over his lower lip and I catch sight of extended canines in his top jaw. He’s not looked at me quite this way before. The heat in his eyes is achingly familiar and sends a pang of sadness through me because I won’t be experiencing what comes after that look again.

There’s a raw hunger I’m less familiar with, however, also swirling in his auburn irises. They’re striking, even more so than usual, with the light shining onto his face.

Raising a hand to my throat, I clear it before speaking. “Probabaly shouldn’t mention anything to do with my pulse around a vampire should I?”

My words break his concentration and he blinks, the intensity in his gaze gone when his eyes reopen. “Sorry, I haven’t eaten yet today.”

It’s the afternoon but I have zero clue about a vampire's eating schedule, so I offer a hum in agreement before switching to a safer topic. “What did you want to say? When you came in?”

“Oh, right. Ash. I can get him to leave you alone if you want.”

The group chat had been so active over the last couple of weeks, I sometimes looked at my phone to find over fifty notifications filling up the screen. Henry’s witty comments would be sprinkled across the conversation but it seems that Ash can literally narrate his entire day, step by step, and keep the chat going all by himself.

“He is persistent, I’ll give him that.” As well as the real time updates of his comings and goings, there are always a few messages each day that say something about a particular food he is going to cook for me, or a place on this island that he wants all three of us to visit, from shops in the city to mountain hikes on the ridge that ran through the centre.

“Yeah, I’m learning that too.” A smile breaks out across Henry’s lips and the corners of his eyes crinkle.

Are they talking privately as well? I shouldn’t care but I’m suddenly uncomfortable in my skin and my heart has a weird fluttery feeling that makes my entire chest ache.

It would be better if they just got together and left me alone. They’d probably make a relationship work. It’s the added factor of my cursed soul that would eventually shatter us into pieces and leave us all heartbroken and trying to pick up the pieces.

“Do you want him to stop?” Henry asks again, and I see my out. The door is right there. And I know if I say ‘yes’ right now Henry will walk away as well.

The word is there, right on the tip of my tongue. The voice in my head is pushing me to open my lips and say it. It’s for the best.

“No,” I say, the fluttering in my chest winning out. I don’t want to be left out of whatever this is.

Henry looks surprised but his smile grows even wider and his eyes light up like I’ve just performed a miracle. His fingers reach up and lightly brush my cheek. “You are very hard to figure out, Claire Montgommery.”

“I…” I want to tell him something, give him a reason, an explanation for my hot and cold behaviour. “I’m scared.”

“Scared? What of? Of Ash? Or me?” Henry’s smile dims but he doesn’t drop his hand where the pads of his fingers now rest gently along my jawline.

Swallowing, I try again to explain. “This can only end in heartbreak, Henry. Sex is easy, sex is fun. What Ash is pushing for is more. Doesn’t that worry you?”

Henry’s gaze is so intense I almost look away. But I’m here now and even though my palms are sweating and my heart is now beating an out of tune rhythm, I’m getting tired of trying to pull away. I must be a masochist because even though I can see the pain on the horizon I’m finding it impossible to resist the male in front of me.

“Yes.” His response isn’t what I expect. “But isn’t that part of the thrill? We’ve had so much fun together already and I was sad when I thought it was over. I know the odds might not be stacked in our favour but how can you be certain it’ll end in heartbreak before it’s even begun?”

He gives me the perfect opening. Shifting my weight from foot to foot and knotting my fingers together at my waist, I can’t look at him as I take the leap and tell him my truth.

“Because I’ll ruin it. Neither of you see it now because we’ve only been messing around, but if we start dating or whatever, you’ll soon realise I’m not worth it.”

I have to clench my jaw as tears start welling in my eyes. I refuse to cry, to let the emotions raging inside me escape.

“Claire, what in all the gods are you talking about? I know we had a rocky start but there’s nothing I’ve learned about you that makes me hesitant to give this a try.”