Page 49 of A Love So Deadly
“Like turning me into your slave?”
“If I wanted. But it lets you live a much longer life. And you’d be mine under my protection.” He says it so matter-of-fact. Like it isn’t a freaky notion at all. “However, I don’t take on humans. I don’t fuck them?—”
“You just did,” I say while I sit up. My body aches in the most delicious way.
“I haven’t in a long time. A very, very long time.”
Lucian’s voice is soft, pure seduction, and he runs his knuckles down my spine as he collects my clothes and helps me dress.
“You’re…you’re a vampire.” It’s an accusation, an invitation, because I want to know more. Every secret he possesses.
I’m fascinated by him.
It’s almost like he can read my mind’s because he starts, “Come to my place and I’ll tell you?—”
He stops as his phone rings. Taking it out of his jacket pocket, he presses the speaker to his ear to listen. I can’t hear a thing, but it must be bad news because his demeanor changes fast.
Lucian hangs up. “We have to go. Something’s happened to Penelope.”
“Your gran?” It’s absurd—I realize it the moment the words leave my mouth. If he’s a vampire who was around centuries ago, how old would his grandmother be?
“No,” he says sharply and heads for the door. “My ex. Nell.”
Chapter
Sixteen
Lucian
“Nell? Nell?” I sit by her bed. Her thready pulse is a dagger plunging into me.
For fifty years, we were together, until she said no, until she didn’t want my blood, the elixir to a longer life with me.
Fifty is… Fifty’s a lifetime for humans. But it felt like a blink to me.
But even though our relationship has ended, we’ve spent the last twenty years as friends, all the while refusing to have a drop from me.
I hate to admit it, but she has a special place inside me. Maybe she always will. She has a piece of my soul or heart, call it what the fuck you want, so watching her age and face her mortality has been…hard.
It’s too painful to think about her dying. I…can’t.
“Nell, it’s Lucian. It’s me.” My fingers hover over Nell’s bruised cheek, trying to hold back the anger. Her face is swollen, her lips dry and cracked. I want to rip open a vein and feed her.She’ll heal in moments. It’ll be quick and relieve her of any more pain. But I promised her. I promised…
Not this. I never promised this.
She doesn’t answer. Her eyes are closed, but the small movements of her chest assure me she’s still breathing. Even if the sound of her heart is only a quiet hum.
I clench my fist. Andrew and Vittoria are downstairs. I ignored Vittoria’s raised brow when I came in with Elliot. It spoke volumes, but I wasn’t in the mood to explain anything to her. I’m still not.
I look down at Nell again. She’s so vulnerable. So weak. The years have aged her, she’d say, but even with the gray hair, the wrinkles, and the age-spotted skin, I still think she’s as beautiful as the day we met. But it’s another reminder of the path I’m on with Monty.
She’s human, too. She’ll age. She’ll die…
My chest squeezes.
I’m going to fucking kill Benicio.
He knew Nell was my weakness. I don’t know how he found out, but his threat at the party was clear. I just thought it had been an empty one and my extra protections around her would help.
