Page 240 of Evil Hearts

His shoulders stiffened, the pain still raw even centuries later. “A vampire named Polina attacked our estate. She slaughtered my entire family—my parents, my siblings. I tried to fight her off, but she was too strong. She left me for dead, bleeding out on the floor.”

Amelia’s heart clenched, aching for the unimaginable loss he had endured. She reached out instinctively, her fingertips grazing his arm in a gesture of solace. His skin was cool to the touch.

Dimitri’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, as if he could see the ghosts of his past playing out before him. “But I didn’t die. When I awoke, I was like her—a creature of the night, cursed with immortality and an insatiable thirst for human blood. I was forever changed. Cursed. The thirst for blood consumed me. I had become the very monster that destroyed my life.”

He turned to face her then, his expression haunted by the burden of his sins. “I hunted Polina down, driven by vengeance. When I found her, I drove a stake through her heart. But it didn’t bring me peace. Nothing ever has.”

Amelia swallowed hard, her throat tight with emotion. She couldn’t begin to fathom the depths of his pain, the centuries of loneliness and guilt he had endured. Yet, standing there with him, she felt a connection she couldn’t explain. A longing to ease his suffering, to show him that he wasn’t alone.

“I’m so sorry, Dimitri,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine the hell you’ve been through. But you’re not a monster. You’re a survivor.”

He met her gaze, a flicker of surprise in his face. A heartbeat passed between them, the silence dense and oppressive.

“You don’t know the things I’ve done, Amelia. The blood on my hands.” His voice was low, shaded with self-loathing.

She held his gaze steadily, unflinching. “We’ve all got darkness inside us, Dimitri. It’s what we do with it that matters.”

A mirthless laugh escaped his lips. “And what have I done with mine? Centuries of isolation, of feeding on the innocent to survive. You should run from me, Amelia. Run and never look back.”

“Did you ever...kill anyone?”

“At first, yes.” His gaze dimmed, haunted by the memories. “I had no control over my urges. But over time, I learned to suppress them, to live on the fringes of society. I sought a cure, but none exists.”

“All this time, you’ve been alone?”

“Yes and no. I told you had a wife and child once. That was over a hundred years ago. And I’ve had various lovers over the years,” he admitted, finally meeting her gaze again. “And then I met you.”

Amelia felt a vibrant tremor in her heart’s rhythm. The distance between them seemed to shrink as she took another hesitant step forward. “Why me, Dimitri? Why reveal all this to me?”

“Because you are different, lyubimaya. You see beyond the facade, into my very soul. And because...I care for you deeply.”

Her breath stalled in her lungs. The room seemed to pulse with the volume of their emotions. She wanted to reach out, to touch him, to bridge the gap between their worlds. But the enormity of his revelation held her back.

Amelia stepped closer, her chin lifted in defiance. “Prove it,” she whispered. “Prove that you’re not just playing some cruel game with me.”

His eyes bored into hers, searching for any hint of deception. “Very well,” he said, his tone bittersweet.

He moved with preternatural speed. Before she could react, he stood beside her, his presence overwhelming, but she met his scrutiny without wavering.

Gently, he took her wrist. “May I?” he asked, his voice a seductive murmur.

Amelia hesitated, then she nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from his formidable, glowing blue stare. “Yes.”

“You’re playing with fire, Amelia Lancaster,” he said, his thumb grazing her skin.

“Then show me who you are.” It was both a challenge and a plea. “Let me in, Dimitri. Let me see the real you.”

With deliberate slowness, Dimitri revealed his fangs, the sharp points gleaming in the dim light. His grip on her wrist tightenedand he brought it to his lips. Amelia braced herself, her body stiff and compressed.

When his sharp fangs pierced her skin, a searing pain shot through her body, followed by a rush of euphoria and passion. She couldn’t understand the conflicting emotions swirling within her—fear and infatuation joining simultaneously like a tumultuous storm. Every inch of her body responded to his touch, tingling with a primal urge that she couldn’t resist, as if they were two halves of a whole coming together in a passionate embrace. It was as if she could feel his centuries of loneliness, his longing for acceptance, his love for her.

Eventually, he withdrew, licking his lips clean of her blood. Amelia staggered back, her heart reeling from the experience. She grappled with the overwhelming truth before her—the definite attraction, the deep-seated affection, the terrifying actuality of who and what Dimitri truly was—a fucking vampire.

“Now you know the truth. The choice is yours, Amelia. Stay with me, or walk away. But whatever you decide, know that I will forever cherish these moments we’ve shared.” He sighed. For a long moment, he simply stared at her. Then, with another sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m tired, Amelia,” he confessed, his eyes sliding shut. “Tired of running, of hiding, of the endless thirst. This is why I told you that I was unworthy of you…of truly and completely loving anyone.”

Amelia backed away, her thoughts a tangled mess. She felt torn between the intoxicating lure of her feelings for Dimitri and the sheer terror of what he represented. The decision loomed before her, daunting and irrevocable.

She clenched her fists at her sides, the conflicting emotions surging within her and threatening to consume her. She gazed into Dimitri’s eyes, once so captivating and now filled with a vulnerable longing that wrenched at her heart.

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