Page 72 of Stalked By Seduction and Shadows

Everything my spectacular, stone-cold bitch of a mentor Sadie had taught me flew out the window when it came to this helpless, frail human. And I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Let my inner circle think whatever they wanted about it. I would never let anyone hurt my Little Flame again. I would rather Durian wipe me from this earth and take my city than watch her suffer such unspeakable violations just one more time.

I no longer cared about logic or reason, not when it came to her. I didn’t care that she wasn’t turned, or that she was a mortal. I would not let her go. Not even if she begged.

Because when I thought she’d died in my arms, I felt my soul reach for hers, and I swore to the gods that hers had reached right back.

By the time a blood witch had been located, confused and mightily pissed off, she was no longer needed.

The healers had been sure that Scarlett would need a transfusion in order to survive, but somehow, the magick at our disposal had been enough to mend her back to consciousness. Everyone was calling it miraculous, but I knew better. I’d told Scarlett not to give up. She was merely following orders.

“Rune?” she asked, her small hand in mine. “What?—”

I brushed fingers through her dark waves of hair. I saw the exact moment her memories resurfaced. The exact moment her mind drifted from fear to pain to complete and utter emptiness.

That was a look I understood well.

I scooped her from the bed, ignoring the words and baffled stares of the healers and vampires as I left with her to my private chambers.

Tears fell silently from her eyes as she stared into the nothingness, her body trembling slightly. She closed in on herself, making herself as small and hidden as possible in my arms.

When I lay her down on the carpet before my grand fireplace, I made no move to touch her. I let her shake and stay there motionless and silent even as it broke me inside. I would not touch her unless she asked.

I brought her water and bread, setting both by her hands before backing up a couple feet to sit near her but not too close.

The minutes ticked by, and she still lay quiet and trembling, those blue depths barren.

“Scarlett.”

Her glassy eyes sparked to life at the sound of my voice. It was time to bring her back up to the surface, back to the realm of the living. All of her—body, mind, and soul—needed to understand she was safe now. It would take time, but I had all the patience in the world.

“Can you take a few sips of water for me, please?” I asked.

Her eyes drifted to the tall crystal glass. For a moment, I thought she was going to stay locked away from me, drift back into the past and bathe in its deep wounds.

But Little Flame had always been a fucking fighter. Given the choice between life and death, my Scarlett fought for life every damn time, no matter how hard she’d been knocked on her ass.

Scarlett sat up and held the glass to her lips and she chugged the whole thing. The cup returned to the carpet with a small thud.

I smiled. “Good. The bread next, please.”

When her eyes found mine, my stomach flipped like I was riding a descending shadowbird. Her attention and trust were the light of the sun, and I couldn’t help but scramble toward it.

She started to eat, and I carefully reached for her empty glass to refill it. When my hand came close, she flinched.

I stopped.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

I shook my head. “No. Do not apologize. You owe me nothing. Not even your proximity. If you want me gone, a healer can take my place.”

She stared at me blankly for a moment as her mind churned and churned. When her lip curved slightly, it was as if she’d given me the entire world.

“I don’t owe you my proximity?” she asked, raising her brows and tearing off another bite of bread with her teeth.

I grinned. “No. It’s not owed. It’s just thoroughly enjoyed.”

“Your penchant for stalking does seem to have its perks,” she said, her smile fading.

---