Page 49 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

Would she leave me now?My mind raced, all euphoria at her presence dying under an onslaught of panic.Was this the calm before the storm? Should I shore myself up for more anguish?My breath quickened, and my grip on Phoebe tightened.

I took a few deep breaths,Erik’s words ringing in my head. If I was too controlling, I would lose her. I couldn’t lose her, not again.The desperation that coursed through me earlier was simmering right beneath the surface.

“Why did you stay, Phoebe?” I blurted hoarsely, dreading the answer. Empowered for three days, and she hadn’t disappeared. Could this powerful witch, with the strength to tear reality, to be across the world in a second, havepossiblystayed for me?

She trailed her fingers along my chest, hiding her face. With a touch, I brought her chin up. Her eyes were flashing, but I was too agonized to attempt to interpret. Was she as lost as I?

“You sacrificed yourself for me, Lucien. I’ve never had anyone do that for me before. I couldn’t leave you after that.”

Still nothing about staying.

“Are you going to leave now that I’m healed?” I steeled myself for her response. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

“Do you want me to?” she whispered, worry lacing her tone.

“No!” I yelled, sitting up, so we faced each other. Every movement was agony, but this could be the most important conversation of my immortal life, so I endured with gritted teeth. I traced my fingers along her freed wrists. “I had planned to take the cuffs off, but...” I sent her a pointed look, and she had the decency to blush.

“I thought you wanted to keep me powerless forever,” she admitted.

I considered it.

“I fucked it up,” I muttered, the truth spilling from my lips. “I have trouble with logic around you, Phoebe. All I can think about is you, and when you said you would leave me, I—” I broke off, just the memory stealing my voice. She placed her soft hands on my face, cradling it, stopping my mad inner ramble. As long as she was touching me, the madness was muted.

“I...leaving you...it... It’s just that the people after me are powerful, very powerful, and staying in one place for a prolonged period…” she trailed off, her hand on my chest shaking slightly. “I realized as I was climbing along the mountain that I didn’t really want to leave.” She buried her face against my chest more, but I could feel her cheeks warm against me. “I have been running for so long it’s hard to stop. To bestill.”

“Will you tell me what happened?” I asked, sensing a delicate bridge of trust was growing between us. When she hesitated, her body tensing, I rushed to add, “You don’t have to.” I couldn’t push her. I had to remember I was taking baby steps.

“Ireallywant to tell you, Lucien, but I’m not there yet. I’m agreeing to stay with you for the...foreseeable future. Can’t that be enough for now?” she entreated, desperation ringing in her voice and her eyes shining up at me. When she looked at me like that, there was little I wouldn’t give her. I bit back a sigh, hating that she included the qualifier. She still didn’t trust me, not fully.I leaned back, pulling her tightly against me. I needed to feel her breathing against me.

“For now,” I agreed, though I was desperate to understand her, to know absolutely everything about her. “Just give me till the coronation.” Two weeks to win her. “If I fuck up, you’ll talk to me instead of running.”

My tone was harsher and more commanding than I meant it, but this was too important for me to be gentle. She glanced back up at me, one red brow raised, and asked, “You are still going to throw a coronation for me? Even though I haven’t fully committed?”

I nodded. “Yes, I am. Because even though you have not fully committed to me,” the words tasted like acid, “I hope that seeing the event—”

“Might change my mind,” she murmured, laughing softly. The feel of her soft body against me was awakening other parts of my battered body. My erection was already tenting the sheet between us, which she noticed with a smile. “Seems another part of you is feeling better,” she murmured, her eyes going hooded with desire.

“Always,” I growled. “You need only breath for my body to be ready for you.”

“We should probably wait till you feel better.” Her hand patted my chest, sitting up more. “You need to feed again.” She reached for a mug of blood that was sitting on the bedside table, handing it to me. The smell almost made me hurl, but I needed to be healed to resumeactivitieswith Phoebe.

I threw back the blood with a grimace, closing my eyes and bracing myself for the taste. But I couldn’t keep it down, choking as I coughed the small amount back into the mug. Phoebe turned to rest on her knees, worry crossing her face. “Is something wrong? You didn’t have a problem earlier.”

That was because I was unconscious, but with her this close, my body refused to take blood that wasn’t hers. I sighed and passed the blood back to her so she could place it on the side table.

Her brows drew down over her bright eyes, her teeth catching her lower lip. “Do you need fresh blood?” Then, like an offering conjured from my darkest desires, she tilted her head to the side, offering her neck to me. From some unknown well of strength, I resisted the need to sink my fangs into her neck, turning away from her.

“I don’t want you to offer it to me because you feel you have to,” I muttered.

She tilted her head to the other side. “I’m not. Do you not want to drink from me?” she asked, her voice laced with hurt.

“Phoebe, the only thing I crave more than your blood is your body. I don’t want you to feel compelled to offer either.” I swung around to face her, wincing as I did. Her pale cheeks were tinted pink, and the color only deepened at my gaze.

“I like when you drink from me,” she whispered, her voice going husky. It was all the permission I needed.

I groaned. Already hard for her, I could barely contain myself as I sank my fangs into her neck. She gasped and then moaned. Even over the intoxicating smell of her blood, her arousal was perfuming the air. I was an animal around her, driven by pure instinct. Despite the pain it caused me, I pushed her back onto the bed, wrenching down her top to free her breasts. She moaned as I roughly pinched each nipple, and I dug my fangs deeper into her neck in approval. I wasted no time in ripping open the jeans she wore and delving into her heat. Phoebe was wet and ready for me. I moaned against her neck at the naughty things she whispered as I fed my fingers into her.

“My pussy has missed you. It aches for you.”

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