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The corner of his mouth curved into a sardonic smile. Her name rolled around in his head for a moment. It was a pretty name, simple, but as with all mythical creatures who resided in the human world, names held much meaning. “Adeline. That’s an interesting name. ‘Nobility’ in the old language, correct?”
A subtle dip of her chin gave it away. “Yes.”
“Tight-lipped, are we?” He asked, pushing off of the window and stepping closer to her.
Adeline held her ground and straightened her back. He stepped even closer, and still, she didn’t shrink away. Which meant she hadn’t figured him out yet, either. That was good. It could work in his favor.
“Adeline, of noble birth. Vampire huntress. What coven do you belong to?” He narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her. They were almost chest to chest, even though he was twelve inches taller than her. Her eyes stared at the pulsing vein in his neck.
Even better, he thought.Push her to the edge. See how easily she snaps.
He stepped closer, still, and watched as her nostrils flared and her pupils dilated twice their size.
* * *
Adeline held her ground despite his imposing stature towering over her shorter one. His presence filled the room, his shadow enveloping her, so she stood taller. She figured she could still kill him within the blink of an eye if worse came to worse.
Or, at least, she thought she could if she’d had a proper feeding and not the measly little morsel of rabbit from earlier. Yes, the garlic-laced bloodmade her feel a little sluggish, but it wasn’t going to kill her like the fables of old said. All things considered, she was feeling much better with the fresh blood.
She clenched her hands at her side so tightly that the tips of her fingers turned numb. His eyes flicked down to her fists, and his lips quirked into a crooked smile. The man leaned back, then, and crossed his arms.
How was he so relaxed? He was hiding something, and she was in no shape to get into an altercation with him.
Adeline breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves when the thick scent of fresh-cut wood wrapped around her. There was something else there, too, but her senses weren’t as heightened as usual, and she cursed the lack of healthy blood again. She relaxed her fists and flexed her fingers, the numbness crawling up to her wrists.
“You fed that rabbit garlic, didn’t you?” she asked, dodging his earlier question. The world swayed slightly, and she blinked a few times. When the cabin stopped spinning, he had taken a step back from her. The air felt cold without his broad chest so close, and she shivered despite her best efforts to control her body. Adeline took another deep breath, and the scent of pine opened up the floodgate of memories that swam before her eyes. Were they hers, or did they belong to the rabbit?
A dark, ancient forest, misty and shrouded in magic…
Hers.Damn it all.
“Yes,” he said, and it sounded like his voice was in three places at once.
“And something else…” Her tongue felt sluggish in her mouth, as if a weight had been placed inside, and she couldn’t get it out. She rolled it around along her teeth. The man tilted his head, regarding her thoughtfully. He was chewing something in his mouth, and a perfumed breath escaped between his lips when he exhaled.
Dried berries on the ground, littering the pathway home…
Was this the rabbit?Maybe.
“Mmhmm,” his deep voice flowed through her like water, caressing her while it pulled her under.
“Clever.” Her hand reached behind her, and she grabbed onto the lip of the sink. Adeline leaned back, letting it support her weight. The numbness had moved from her fingers to her wrists and now her forearms. “It won’t kill me, you know.”
She fell to the forest floor, screaming for anyone to help her…
He chuckled, the sound vibrating down her spine. “Oh, I know.”
The man reached into a little leather purse tied to his belt, withdrew a handful of something, and placed it in his mouth. He chewed far too loud for her sensitive hearing.
Her knees shook, and she spat out a curse as she landed on the floor.
Her black robes falling around her, the hood covering her face…
“It won’t kill you, but it will at least keep you incapacitated until I figure out what to do with you.”
“What should I do with you?” the voice hissed in her ear. Pain seared through her body, her stomach, her neck…
His shadow fluttered across her vision, and he knelt before her, close enough for her to peer into his gold and amber eyes. Her body shook with fear, reminders of the last time she had been so weak and at the behest of mercy. This strange man wouldn’t kill her, would he? Adeline tried to shake her head to clear her mind of the thoughts that shouted warnings at her, but her neck was numb.
