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Arms wrapped around him in the blink of an eye, and Nolan leaned on a muscular chest. He never even saw Christoph move from his chair. One second, he was sitting and in the next, he was holding Nolan upright.
“The witch is confusing you,” Christoph repeated, his voice soothing, but Nolan refused to let him deeper into his head.
He shoved hard on Christoph’s chest, broke free, and stumbled away a few steps. “I’m not confused. I didn’t choose you, and I don’t want to be your pet. Sky is my friend. He was the one who helped me when Owen got into trouble with your clan. He was the one who explained all the insane shit about vampires and witches. The only one who is trying to confuse and control me isyou.”
As he spoke, he frantically searched the room, his eyes skimming over the shadowy outline of furniture and paintings hanging in heavy frames on ornate wallpapered walls. Dear God, this place looked expensive and ancient, as if it were something from an old European castle. How long had he been unconscious? Was he even in Connecticut?
Didn’t matter where he was. As long as he could get out of this place, he could find his way to Sky. Even better if it was still daylight outside. At least Christoph couldn’t follow him.
“I was there before that witch showed up.”
Nolan didn’t have to see the vampire. He could hear the sneer twisting up his words. Some of the sweet, patient veneer was wearing away.
A footstep echoed off the tile, drawing Christoph closer to him. Nolan took two quick steps away from the vampire, trying to keep some distance between them, even though he didn’t know where he was going.
“Don’t you remember?” Christoph whispered, sounding as if he were speaking directly into his ear. Nolan hurried away, crossing the room to stand in the doorway to a bedroom. His heart jumped into his throat and he stood frozen at the sight of the king-sized bed covered in a black and gold duvet. Not good.
Christoph continued speaking, the amusement returning to coat his words. “That night in the club, you were so lost and confused. You didn’t know who was threatening your brother. You were ready to bargain or even punch your way to a resolution.”
“Who cares?” Nolan snapped. He broke free of the sight of the bed and turned on his heel to go back the way he’d come. There had to be a door somewhere that led out of this nightmare. But he stepped straight into a waiting Christoph, who smiled with a pale glint of fangs.
“Do you even like your brother, Nolan?” While his smile didn’t change, it felt like Christoph was laughing right in his face.
“No! No, I don’t! Are you happy now?” He planted both of his hands in the middle of Christoph’s chest and shoved, but the vampire merely rocked a bit on his heels. “I haven’t liked Owen for a long time. He’s arrogant, reckless, and selfish. He takes advantage of me because I’m his only brother and he knows that I’m always going to be there for him. Owen doesn’t care how much of a mess he makes of my life, so long as he gets what he wants.”
A line formed between Christoph’s sharp brows, and he cocked his head to the side so that he could stare directly into Nolan’s eyes. “Then why do it? Even if you didn’t believe in vampires, you had to know your life would be in danger. Why did you come to Phoenix that night?”
“Because…because he’s my brother. He’s the only family I have left.” Each word fractured as it fell off Nolan’s tongue, leaving behind shards to cut his throat. He was a fucking idiot. Owen played him again and again, and he’d let his brother do it. He’d been a fool.
Christoph’s cool hand laid on his cheek, and he brushed away a tear with his thumb. His voice was a caress that left Nolan closing his eyes. “And that’s why I chose you, Nolan Banks. You’re so wonderfully loyal. You don’t know how rare that is in my world. How rare it is in all this world. Loyalty is a finer treasure than rubies and diamonds. Someone like you needs to be protected at all times. From now on, I will be the only family you’ll ever need. No one will ever take you for granted or threaten you so long as I exist.”
Nolan squeezed his eyes shut even tighter and ground his teeth together. He’d be lying to himself if he said Christoph’s words didn’t whisper every hope, dream, and fantasy he’d ever harbored. To have someone to protect him. Someone who made the decisions and took care of things so that everything wasn’t resting on his shoulders.
But all of Christoph’s sweet promises came with a price—whether the vampire admitted to it or not.
“After a time, when you’ve proved your loyalty to me and my clan, I’ll change you into a vampire. You’ll remain at my side forever,” Christoph promised. His tone made it sound like he honestly believed he was bestowing the very best gift on Nolan. There was some small part of him that was honored, and maybe even tempted. But that didn’t compare to the fear beating a kettledrum in his chest.
Or to Winter’s words that were echoing through his head.
No one in their right mind wants to be a vampire.
“Please, Christoph, let me go home. I don’t want to be in your clan. I don’t want to be a vampire.”
“Hush now,” Christoph whispered. “You’re tired.” Christoph pulled him close and cold lips pressed to the center of his forehead. “I’ll take care of everything. You’re home now.”
Chapter8
Skylar Wallace
Sky sighed as he pulled his tiny blue car up to the sprawling mansion the dead second the sun finished sinking below the horizon.
Of course the Variks owned a mansion.
In particular, the king of vampires lived in a mansion.
Should it be a surprise that a vampire had money, though? If he were immortal and had wandered the earth for hundreds of years, Sky would hope he’d learn how to make some big stacks of cash in that time period.
Sky wouldn’t say he was poor, but there were certainly some leaner months mixed in with the good months. But the idea of living hundreds of years and scraping by was simply exhausting. Having retail therapy cash stashed away for a bad day was always helpful.
