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“Basically, you’re telling me if I walk away I’ll kill you?”
“We don’t know that…” He hadn’t moved. Seth kept his head resting against the back of the couch as though they were discussing something of little importance rather than his life.
“Seth, don’t lie to me. At least pretend you have more respect for me than that. Treat me like I was something more than just a free meal or two.”
Seth lifted his head and stared into her face. “Fine. Does it make you feel better to know that I know if you walk away I will die? That I will slowly starve to death because no other blood will ease my hunger? I’m prepared to accept my fate.”
“But… I could…” Her heart wrenched at the thought of losing him.
“No. Don’t even think about it,” he snarled. “I won’t let you stay in my life because you feel an obligation to me. I’d rather be dead than know the only reason you’re here is to feed me.”
“Seth…”
“No. That is not negotiable, Willow.”
“And just how do you plan on stopping me if that’s what I decide to do?” she asked, her tone growing harsh to match his.
“Simple, I’ll refuse to drink.”
“Yeah, because it worked so well last time you tried to refuse me, right?” She was too angry to worry about blushing over the memory of how she’d enticed him to drink.
“Why do you care?” he roared. “I’m nothing more than a monster to you. Why do you care if I live or die? You walked out on me. You can’t do that then just pretend like everything is fine. I won’t let you stomp all over my poor ‘undead’ heart again.”
“What?” She wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
“Nothing.” He stormed out of the room.
Willow followed him into the kitchen. She couldn’t have heard him correctly, right? I stomped on his heart?
Seth gestured to the pile of chocolate on the counter. “If you still want chocolate, I grabbed plenty. I wasn’t sure what you liked…”
“Whoa, back up there, vamp-boy. Did you say you won’t let me stomp all over your heart again? As in, I’ve already stomped on it once?”
“Does it matter?” He played with a chocolate bar and refused to look at her.
“I do care. I don’t know why. God knows I don’t understand it. But seeing you so weak last night, knowing that you needed help… I couldn’t just walk away.”
“Great. Just what every man wants to hear.” Sarcasm dripped from his every word. “I don’t want your pity. Don’t worry about me, I’ve survived for eight hundred years without you in my life, I’m sure I’ll be just fine after you leave. And I assure you, now that I know precisely how you feel, I will not ‘terrorize’ your dreams any longer.” Seth turned and walked away from her again.
This time Willow didn’t follow him. She grabbed one of the chocolate bars and made her way to the elevator. There was too much to think about right now. She needed some time and space to consider what she had learned. And something deep inside her insisted Seth needed some space as well.
With an oddly heavy heart, Willow pressed the lobby button. This time, before she left the building she grabbed a business card giving the address, just in case she decided to try to check on Seth.
Climbing inside a taxi, she kept the card firmly inside her hand instead of placing it in her pocket.
When they arrived at her building, she was thankful that she’d worn jeans and remembered to take money with her. After paying the driver, she hurried to her apartment, lost in her own thoughts.
When Roxy opened the door, Willow surprised her sister by simply walking past her, ignoring all of her questions. She strode to her bedroom and shut the door, locking it just to be sure Roxy didn’t barge in.
Seconds later she was glad she’d taken the time to turn the lock as her sister banged on the door. “Willow! Open this door this minute. Tell me what is going on right now.” Roxy kept demanding answers as she hammered on Willow’s door as though she were trying to break it down.
Taking her cue from Seth’s behavior earlier, Willow shouted, “Leave me the hell alone.”
She knew her sister wouldn’t be prepared for her anger, but she needed time to herself to decide what she wanted. She was right, almost instantly the pounding stopped.
Willow paced inside the room like a caged animal, questions and feelings almost overwhelming her.
Can I be with a man who only sees me as a meal? Dinner and dessert, anytime he wants it?
