Page 22 of Bewitched By the Voodoo King
My eyes skimmed over the room that definitely wasn’t Adelle’s and wasn’t the guest room I’d been placed in. The roomwas dark and masculine. Across from the bed was a massive stone hearth that took up the entire wall. It could easily fit four or five caldrons in it. A piece of chalk lay discarded on the stone before it, and right beside it was a closed grimoire.
The realization hit me like a splash of cold water, chasing the warmth of silk and smoky scent right out of my bones.
I looked down at the sheets, at the perfectly folded blanket at my feet, and the glass of water on the nightstand.
Someone had taken care of me.
Rune.
This was Rune’s room.
And that scent—ancestors, that scent—it wasn’t cologne. It wasn’t anything I could buy bottled in a perfumery. It washim.
I buried my face in my hands.
I had kissed Elias in the middle of a bar like some wide-eyed tourist, then apparently passed out and was rescued by my brooding, magic-wielding, emotionally unavailable intended.
Kill. Me. Now.
But beneath the mortification, something fluttered in my chest.
Because he hadn’t left me on the floor. He hadn’t dragged me back to the guest room or dropped me off with Adelle. He’d brought me here.
Tohisroom.
Tohisbed.
He tucked me in like I mattered.
A knock sounded on the heavy door—two firm taps.
“Maple?” came his low voice, calm and unreadable through the thick wood. “You awake?”
I stared at the door, heart thudding.
Yeah. Definitely awake.
Unfortunately.
“Come in,” my voice croaked out.
The door swung open almost hesitantly before he peeked around the side of it. “How are you feeling?”
Where did I even start?
I stared at him in a pair of suit pants and his shirt partially unbuttoned. I would have been lying to say I didn’t stare at the beautiful abs peeking through. His dark skin glistened, and I wondered if it was my mind playing tricks on me or if he was slowly trying to seduce me… Was he getting dressed? Was he getting undressed? Oh man, had something happened between us the night before?
My face flamed. “Uh.”
His lips twitched into an almost smile. “Don’t worry, nothing happened between you and me, or you and the vampire.”
I blinked at him. “What?”
His laugh was deep and beautiful, but also extremely obnoxious given the circumstances. “You didn’t know you were wrapped up in the arms of a vampire last night, did you?”
I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth. “No, not exactly. We don’t really have many of those back at home.”
His brows bounced. “You’ve never met a vampire?”
