Page 41

Carefully, I remove the lace, tracing my fingers over the bite mark Vesper left there. Our bonding mark. It glows faintly like pretty blue magical shadows.

For months, I stood in front of Gregory’s sterile, cold bathroom mirrors, holding ice packs to my face, using foundation to hide the bruises, and feeling like a fragile, pathetic shell of myself, wondering where it all went wrong. Gregory made me feel small. He made me believe I was weak and helpless. He made sure I was completely dependent on his goodwill to survive. He took the confident, vibrant soul I used to be and beat it into something I didn’t like.

I lean my hands flat against the cold marble sink, looking deep into my own reflection.

I am not weak.

I didn’t just survive Gregory’s abuse. I escaped it, walked into the lair of a crossroads demon and a shadowy cryptid, and didn’t back the fuck down. I wasn’t rescued like some damsel in distress. I fought to live. I took Vesper’s dark obsession and turned it into my strength. I bargained with a three-hundred-year-old monster, reclaimed my fucking dignity, and willingly chose to be by his side.

I touch the mark on my neck. I’m not a captive here. I’m not a trophy or a prisoner. I’m Vesper’s equal, I can feel it in our bond. I’m cherished, protected and cared for. Ever since meeting Vesper, I’ve changed. Not back into that colorful, sweet person I used to be, but into something bright and vicious. Something equally beautiful, but lethal. If Gregory thinks he can march up this mountain and drag me back down into the fucking dirt, he’s going to realize far too late that the pet he thought he caged has morphed into a monster who craves his blood.

“Thinking dangerous thoughts, little bird?”

I look up in the mirror to see Vesper standing in the doorway behind me. He’s bare-chested, tight briefs riding low on his hips, his glowing crimson eyes soft as he watches me through the mirror. The cold, ruthless demon is completely gone, replaced by the man who held me with his shadows.

I turn around, leaning my back against the marble, a slow smirk spreading across my stained lips. “Just thinking about how much work it’s going to be to get this red shit off my face,” I reply.

Vesper walks across the stone floor, his movements silent and fluid. He stops right in front of me, reaching out to cup my jaw in his hand, his clawed thumb gently wiping a streak of red from my chin.

“Don’t wash it off yet,” Vesper murmurs, his voice a low, sensual purr that goes straight to my cock. “It suits you. You look like a deadly vampire hunting for his next kill.”

“Maybe I am.” I lean my face into his palm, enjoying the contrast of his pale blue skin against my warm face. Red lipstick is smeared on his lips too, proof of our wild night together. We really do look good together. A pretty vampire and his deadly demon.

Vesper leans down, pressing a tender kiss over the glowing mark on my neck. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. Really fucking good. Honestly, I feel whole,” I admit softly, wrapping my arms around his waist. “For the first time in years, I feel happy.”

He tightens his grip around my waist, lifting me slightly off the floorboards, holding me against him as if I were a precious, delicate thing.

“Yesterday was amazing,” I continue, looking up into his glowing eyes. “Shopping with Oakley… seeing him laugh, seeing how happy he was that I escaped my ex… it felt like picking up a piece of my life that I thought was gone forever. You gave that to me.”

Vesper’s crimson eyes flash, a subtle ripple of protectiveness flickering through his eyes, but he doesn’t pull away. “And Killian? Did he behave himself?”

I bark out a laugh, shaking my head. “Like a true gentleman. In fact, I think Oakley spent more time making eyes at your friend than looking at the clothes we were shopping for. They couldn’t stop flirting.”

“Flirting, huh?” A rare, amused chuckle rumbles deep in Vesper’s chest. “Killian’s my best friend, but he’s always guarded. Don’t let that amused façade fool you, because that wraith carries a heavy burden. If your friend distracted him enough to actually flirt back, then I owe Oakley a debt.”

“I bought something for you, by the way,” I say, my voice dropping into a playful whisper as I tug gently on his horn. “While we were out. Something sheer. I think you’re going to like it.”

Vesper’s crimson eyes flare with sudden, dark heat, his grip on my waist tightening. “Something like what you’re wearing now? That kind of something?” His claws trace a sharp path down my chest, sending a shudder straight down my spine.

“Of course,” I purr, kissing his jawline before pushing gently against his chest to set my feet back on the floor. I lead him back into the bedroom, swaying my hips with deliberate slowness. I find my black book bag on the floor, fish out a tiny package, and hand it to him. He eyes me curiously, shock rippling across our bond.

He pulls out two black lace bracelets, more like dark ribbons than anything else. The material matches the sheer choker I wore for him. I wrap one around his wrist, a sudden wave of nervousness tightening in my throat. It’s delicate and feminine, something Gregory would have mocked and thrown away. I slip the matching one onto my own wrist.

I open my mouth to speak, wanting to tell him I wanted something that represents both of us. Something light like shadows and pretty like he makes me feel, but sudden shyness catches in my chest. I glance up at him through my lashes.

His crimson eyes glow brighter than usual, swirling with a possessive heat. “You got this for me?” he whispers.

I nod, swallowing hard. What the hell is wrong with me? It’s not like I bought him a fucking wedding ring. But still, deep down, this means everything to me.

A soft smile tilts his lips. “It’s beautiful, Bell. Like you. Thank you.”

Happiness bursts across our bond. I catch my reflection in the dark window, realizing that not only am I naked under this sheer robe, but we both look like we have blood smeared across our lips. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

***

An hour later, I’m fully dressed in dark leggings and an open-collared baby blue shirt that leaves my mark exposed for anyone to see. I walk down the grand stone corridor of the main wing alongside Vesper, my boots clicking firmly against the polished floorboards.