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The only shelter she found was with a strange man living alone—someone who was somehow knowledgeable on the lore of her kind.
It was all a bit too much, even for her. The coincidences were all a little too uncanny for her liking. She laughed shakily and stood up. Taking another look around, she figured she might as well look for some wine - the only liquid she could even stand to drink besides blood. The velvety liquid was able to quench at least part of her cravings. She opened the few cupboards near the sink, but it was only dry goods and some root vegetables. A glass container of juniper berries rested near the sink, and she had half a mind to dump them into the fire. Her hand hovered over the lid of the jar. As poisonous as juniper berries were to vampires, she couldn’t bring herself to do it for some reason.
Her eyes flicked to the front door and then to the small window where Rolf paced back and forth, his hands threaded through his hair. He tilted his chin to the porch’s roof and closed his eyes. She watched for a little longer and then returned to the wardrobe, intent on the two drawers Rolf had briefly looked at during their conversation. Or, rather, her emotional deluge. She still couldn’t believe she had willingly shared so much information with him.
She was a highly trained assassin for one of the oldest European vampire covens. Adeline knew better than to divulge precious information -especiallyinformation that could be used against her in the future. Something about his eyes, though, pulled everything out of her. The way his face so openly watched her. The energy had shifted between them since she woke up. He had given her the juniper and garlic-infused blood, and she was still rightly upset about that since he knew that vampires couldn’t consume juniper without becoming completely immobilized.
The man was an enigma, to be sure.
As silently as she dared, she reached out and pulled on the handles, sliding the top drawer out. Rifling through, she found nothing except a few trousers and some underthings. She closed it softly and moved to the bottom one. The second drawer opened only a few inches before it got stuck. A faded red wool cloth rested inside, its pattern and stitching vaguely familiar. Adeline jostled the handles and tugged a few times, trying to open it a little further, but it wouldn’t budge, so she slid her hand down. She pulled part of the arm of the coat from its hiding place. It was caked in dried blood and familiar scents but faded from time. She lifted it to her nose and inhaled.
Vampire blood and…
The door opened behind her. The cool night air was a caress against the back of her neck. Her spine straightened.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Rolf’s voice barked.
Adeline turned and met his hardened glare without fear. If he thought that would scare her, he was sorely mistaken. She lifted her chin defiantly, holding up the arm of the coat, and said, “I was looking for wine. But found this instead.”
Rolf strode across the room and grabbed Adeline’s wrist, yanking her upright and pulling her to the side. With his other hand, he slammed the drawers to the wardrobe closed. It rocked backward from the force, the doors slamming back into place.
“You won’t find any wine in there,” he snapped. His grip tightened on her wrist, and he pulled her close enough that their noses almost touched. Rolf growled down at her, punctuating each word, “Leave. My. Things. Alone.”
Her weakened body was easy for him to move, and she swore once she had the chance, she’d drink some of his blood - even if it was laced with juniper and garlic because she hated being tossed around like a rag. Adeline seethed and yanked her arm from his grasp. Her nails elongated into sharp points as her anger reared its ugly head again.
“You could have asked nicely,” she hissed, clicking her nails together at her side.
“I didn’t think it needed to be said out loud.” Rolf scoffed but didn’t back away. He glanced down at her hands and met her eyes with a smirk. “Did you find anything interesting?”
She raised her hand to strike him, but Rolf’s hand caught her wrist in mid-air. Her obstinance was hard-earned and a source of centuries of pride, so she fought against his resistance. Her arm shook with the effort to break free of his grip and have her nails meet his face. The longer he stood there, holding her shaking arm, the angrier she got.
Still, he stood his ground in front of her, his muscles hardly having to work at all. As angry as she was for him grabbing her so roughly and keeping her from lashing out, she leaned into his body heat. She could hear his heart pounding, and then her eyes wandered again to the veins in his neck. They pulsed with his pounding heart, and they looked so tempting. Her teeth sharpened, and she flashed him a wicked smile.
But then…
Rolf dropped her arm and brought his hands up to the curve of her jaw. His callused hands scraped her skin, sending lightning sparks down her spine. He threaded his fingers through the hair at the base of her neck, and his intense glare softened, drifting from her eyes down to her lips. He tugged her closer, and she braced her hands against his chest to avoid falling into him.
Oh.
Her heart leaped into her throat, and she swallowed thickly. The sharp points of her nails pressed into his taut muscles. His broad shoulders filled her vision as her body instinctively molded to his. She brought her hands up to rest against his chest and felt his heart beating rapidly beneath her palm.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Rolf cut her off.
“You have to know,” his voice was a heady whisper that brushed against the darkest corners of her soul. “I cannot - should not - be doing this. But, by the gods, I can think of nothing else I want to do more.”
He bent his head, his lips hovering above hers, as he waited. His eyes locked onto hers, and she could feel his whole body pleading to give him an answer.
“You—” she started, but her throat felt too tight to speak.
Rolf nodded and tightened his grip on her hair. He tugged her head backward, and she watched his pupils dilate as she licked her lips. Heat pooled in her center, and she could find no excuse to say no. He was clay in her hands, and they were trapped in a cabin with nothing better to do. She might as well have some fun. If she was lucky, she might be able to drink some of his blood and get her strength back.
His hands slid down to her waist, and he pulled her even closer, if that was at all possible, pressing her against him. She could feel how eager he was and raised an eyebrow at the feeling of his cock straining between them. Her nipples hardened against the fabric of her chemise and corset. She was ready to rip off this man’s clothes and—
Adeline shook her head, confused at what her body wanted to do. She flattened her hands against this broad chest and leaned back to stare at Rolf. “You want me, even though you know what I am?”
ChapterEight
Because you have no idea what stands before you,he almost said, but instead, he whispered against her lips, “Even knowing what you are.”
