Page 48 of Dark Souls

Like a punch to the gut, I dropped my arm in shock and stepped back, putting some distance between us. I’d never felt this drawn to a woman before. I purposely never let anyone close. My guard was always up. But there was something about this girl that had me forgetting myself. She had no idea who I was or what I was capable of. If she did, she’d hate me. Turn on me.

“Interesting drawing in your journal.” I kept my tone low and calm, giving nothing away, but I didn’t miss the brief panic flash in her eyes as she glanced at her book over my shoulder.

“You read my journal? That’s private! Christ, what is this? Do I just appeal to deranged sociopaths or something?”

“What can I say? You intrigued me. I wanted a glimpse inside that mind,” I said, lifting my finger and pointing at her head with squinted eyes.

“Yeah? I’ll show you exactly what is on my mind right now.” She lifted her middle finger at me before strutting over to the journal and slamming it closed.

“So, are you going to tell me why you are drawing pictures of extinct Demonski Upirs?”

“No. Are you going to tell me how you knew where you’d find me tonight? Or we could start with you telling me your name.”

“It seems we are at an impasse.”

“Whatever shall we do?” She folded her arms across her chest, but humour danced in her eyes. The tension in the air thickened, turning into something dark and delicious as we held each other’s gaze. Her confidence and bravery were damn attractive but also foolish. I wasn’t someone she should be sparing with.

“Didn’t your mother ever warn you not to talk to strangers? Let alone lock yourself in a cabin with one. I could be anyone. About to do anything to you.” My voice deepened with gravel as the thought of her being so careless with her life made my blood boil.

She rolled her eyes. She rolled her fucking pink eyes. I couldn’t believe it. Has anyone rolled their eyes at me before? Not for a long time. Not since I became the Devil’s Dealer. No one dared.

“You are hardly a stranger. Or at least you won’t be soon,” she stated, as if the meaning behind her words was obvious. She stepped past me into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of wine. “I hope you like red. That’s all that’s here. I drank the white earlier.” She paused, peering around the fridge door to look at me as I scowled at her, trying to understand what the fuck was going on. “And let’s get one thing straight before we go any further. I am not into controlling men. In fact, I am a controlling man’s worst nightmare. If you tell me I can’t do something, I’m fucking doing it, just to spite you. So, think twice before you tell me I’ve probably had enough to drink to drown a sailor. Because yes, that might be true, but I’m having another, anyway.”

I stared at her, bewildered. She had me in a fucking chokehold.Who was this girl?She was unlike anyone I had ever met in my life.

“What?” she asked as she placed two wine glasses on the table and poured. “Didn’t your mother ever warn you that it’s rude to stare?”

“Maybe. I don’t remember. She died a long time ago.”

She paused. “Shit. Sorry. Now I feel like a total asshole. How’d she die?”

“Do you always talk this much?”

She made a scoffing noise that could have almost been a laugh. “No. I don’t, actually. I rarely talk to anyone, only people I like, and even then people have described a conversation with me as hard fucking work. I guess being high as a kite helps but I don’t know… maybe I just feel comfortable around you already.”

Okay. She was high? That would explain a lot. Especially the fact she had me completely wrong. I wasn’t a man anyone felt comfortable around. She held out the glass to me and shook it a little; the wine sloshing over the rim when I didn’t take it.

“I don’t drink wine.”

She placed it down, keeping her curious eyes on me as she took a sip of her own. It was only now that she’d pointed out how wasted she was that I noticed her slightly swaying as she stood. Her hand leaned down on the table to steady herself.

“I guessed it wouldn’t be your first choice of beverage.” She smiled, lifting her finger to point at my face. “Your eyes. Red. You need blood.”

I kept my jaw clamped shut. I could have told her that my eyes were permanently red because I was always in my vampire form no matter what, but then she might freak out, and I needed her calm. Without my humanity, I never stopped feeling hungry. I lived with the thirst. It was just another form of pain but one that at least I could control.

“I don’t have any blood bags, I’m afraid,” she said, walking around the table towards me with a seductive prowl. “But if you are really thirsty, you can bite me. As long as you’re willing to fuck me after.”

My eyes bulged, fangs tingled and cock throbbed. Was that not the sexiest proposition I’d ever had? Fuck. This woman.

“I’m not biting you.” I didn’t trust myself.

She took a slow sip of her wine, studying me with those unearthly eyes over the rim of her glass. “But you’re thinking about fucking me?”

“I’ve thought about fucking you at least five times in the last five minutes. It’s a tempting offer, but you have no idea what you are signing up for.”

“Don’t I?” She smiled sweetly, faking the innocence that she clearly lacked.

In a split second, she was right in front of me, grabbing the front of my top and pulling me into her. She leaned up on her tiptoes, brushing her nose against the hollow dip in my throat and I screwed my eyes shut, fighting the urge to push her away and pull her close at the same time. I never let anyone touch me like this. And even though she was only holding onto my top, she was treading a very thin line.

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