Page 27 of Bleeding Love

“What does that mean?” I frowned. When she didn’t answer, I looked at her only to find her sleeping. Her magic coiled around her—around us both—eager and alert, but it didn’t attack me. I couldn’t decide if this was a good or a bad thing. “Celeste?”

She didn’t stir even at the sound of her name, her heartbeat now quiet and slow. Holding her closer, I strode down the dark, empty street while the smell of fire filled the air, even as the magical barrier hid the house that was currently burning to ashes.

Chapter 12

Celeeste

Iwokeupwitha vicious pounding in my head and a mouth so dry that it was like I had a glass of sand poured down my throat. Yet as horrible as that felt, the moment my mind was clear enough to remember what happened last night, I was rushing to my feet.

My head spun, and I sat back on the unfamiliar bed, pressing my palms against my eyes. It was quiet, unnervingly so. There was no sound in the room or outside, save for the hooting of an owl nearby.

Once the world stopped tilting, I let my hands drop.

I was in a cabin that was barely furnished, if not for the wide bed, a rickety cupboard, and the table with two chairs under the only window. A fireplace stood opposite the door leading outside, and to my surprise, a steady fire was burning in it, warming the air and throwing dancing shadows against the walls.

There was no sign of Roman anywhere, and one look at my wrists told me he hadn’t put the cuffs back on. Praying he hadn’t done something else while I was unconscious, I reached for my magic. It came easily, filling me with power until the anxiety and pain shrunk to tiny specks in the back of my mind.

My energy spread through the room, but even as it reached the door and passed it, I felt no ward. Had Roman abandoned me? Had something happened to him while I was unconscious? Was he…

My magic stumbled onto another creature outside, feeling its icy cold presence like snowflakes on my naked skin. He sat by the side of the house, away from the entrance, as if hiding. I didn’t need to see to know what it was—whoit was. But what was he doing?

There was no way he didn’t hear me get up. Was he giving me space, or was he telling me to leave? Why had he killed another vampire, someone who he knew and who clearly considered him a friend if he dared drop in unannounced, just because he threatened me? I knew that vampires were territorial, but that was…excessive even for him. Killing another vampire could get him executed. I wasn’t important enough to him to risk his immortality. Or was I?

I had barely risen to my feet when the floor beneath me creaked loudly. I looked at the door, but it stayed shut—he didn’t move from his spot either. There was a box on the table that smelled suspiciously like food, but I ignored it as I pushed the heavy curtain and peeked outside.

The moon hung high in the sky, its light illuminating the forest surrounding the place. The trees were closely knitted together, their branches intertwined until there was no end or beginning. I could see nothing past the blanket of darkness they threw on the ground.

I could go. He wasn’t stopping me. Even if he tried to hunt me after I ran, I had my magic and I was open where I could use everything to my advantage. But…but…

There would be hunters out there looking for me. There might be witches too—they had probably found out I wiped that witch community after they offered me a sanctuary, only to try to bind my magic in my sleep. It hadn’t been my intention to kill them all, but they pushed too far and I had no mercy left for those who turned on me. Especially my own kind.

And now…there might be vampires after me as well. I’d always known they were curious about my immortality, but I hadn’t realized there was a bounty on my head. They weren’t ones to rush things; they had all the time in the world, but sooner or later, they’d come. And if they figured out one of their own died because of me, they might just get the extra motivation they needed to move their ancient arses.

And then there was Roman. I wasn’t sure if it was his friend’s death or something else, but he seemed disinclined to continue toying with me. And even though he looked like he was giving me the opportunity to leave, he had called mehis. His prisoner, his prey, his blood source, his…it could have meant anything, but the way he had said it had startled the other vampire enough to apologize. It had driven Roman enough to break the rules.

“Are you going to stay there all night?” I asked out loud.

Letting the curtain fall, I returned to the bed. I was just sitting down when the door creaked open and Roman stepped through the threshold, carrying kindling under his arm. I blinked at the sight of him—I was so used to seeing him wearing clean, impeccable clothing every time he was around that looking at him in just a loosely tucked shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows and the front hanging slightly open, took me aback. He looked even paler than before, his eyes a shade of dark red, almost black.

Hungry. Or angry. They could switch colors, but when they were hungry or extremely agitated, the red shone through. His expression was closed, eyes lingering on me just long enough, as if to make sure I was in one piece. He closed the door and headed toward the fire. Crouching with his back to me, he threw a few of the kindling in and nudged them with the poker.

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if he was leaving himself open on purpose. Was this a show of trust, or did he just not care if I attacked him again? Not that I had any weapons here and I couldn’t exactly pierce him with my magic, but acting like he wasn’t distrustful of me after I had almost succeeded in killing him before was strange.

Ever since I met him, this had always been the biggest reason I was wary of him. With humans and other creatures, it was usually easy to tell what they thought or wanted. But Roman? He was an enigma that baffled me even after living several lifetimes.

“There is food on the table,” he said without looking at me. “Eat.”

I glanced at the box before striding to where he was. I stopped by his side, staring at him intently while he ignored me. A minute passed, then two, and he sighed, rising to his feet and turning to face me.

His eyes were entirely black when they met mine, the flames hollowing his sharp features and making the shadows over his face even darker. I had met numerous dangerous creatures in my life, some of them powerful enough to kill me, and Roman was sure one of them. I didn’t have to see his fangs or red eyes to know he was deadly. His nature showed in the way he stood perfectly still, in the way his chest didn’t move with the need to breathe, in the way his eyelids drooped slightly, as if he knew he didn’t even have to keep them open to fight.

Yet, as I stared at him, the fear didn’t come. I wanted it to come, I willed it, but my body remained slack, my magic sliding right over my skin with mild curiosity.

He looked like he had no intention of ever speaking to me, but I had no such compulsion.

“Why?” I asked, studying his face carefully so I wouldn’t miss even the slightest reaction.

Instead of answering, he reached toward me. My first instinct was to pull back, but seeing how his eyes remained black and his hand moved with a speed slow even for a human, I forced myself to stay still. He didn’t touch my face like I expected; his hand paused over my neck before unfurling the bandage there.

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