Page 26 of Bleeding Love

I opened my mouth to tell him she couldn’t, but stopped. Couldn’t she? Considering how much she had been messing with my head, maybe she could. All those assassination attempts could have been a misdirection while she gradually worked a spell on me—a spell that would make me so drawn to her that I’d eventually let her out.

I glanced back at the woman, searching her face for confirmation. She stared warily at Vincent, but when she caught me looking, her eyes locked on mine. This time, it wasn’t hate I saw in them, or even anger. It was hope. Tiny, desperate, beautiful hope. It startled me so much that I didn’t notice Vincent move until he strode past me. My fingers dug into his ruined coat, forcing him to stop, and he looked at me with a mix of exasperation and annoyance.

“I don’t fancy myself dying, so I was just going to put the cuffs on her. She healed herself enough so she wouldn’t die and she is weaving a spell as we speak. You can feel it, can’t you? Who knows what is going on in that pretty head of hers?”

Celeste swallowed loudly, her hand moving from her wound to rest on her heart. The injury had closed, although the skin was bruised and painful-looking. But it was the hand over her chest that worried me. Was she planning to stop her heart? I doubted I could get to her fast enough if she released her spell.

“Get out,” I whispered, pushing Vincent toward the door. He staggered back, staring at me with wide eyes. “She is not going anywhere.”

Vincent shook his head in disbelief. He then proceeded to straighten his coat as if he were just about to leave a disappointing dinner engagement.

“Very well then, I shall leave you to it,” he said in a sour tone. “Find me when you come to your senses. Unless she kills you by then, in which case, it’s going to be your own goddamn fault, mon ami.” He stepped over the rubble that had fallen from the wall he’d flown through and paused at the door. “I have no choice but to inform the Elders about her whereabouts. I’ll keep your name out of it for now, but they will come. And it will be much better for everyone if you bring her to them willingly—otherwise, they will still take her, but instead of a reward, you’d be branded a blood traitor for going against their orders.”

Celeste’s heart raced. I heard it, and so did Vincent. He smiled knowingly at her, then gave me a parting nod, turning to leave. My body moved on its own and before I knew it, I was at the door. Vincent turned, his teeth flashing threateningly as if he knew what I was planning, but he was too slow.

I felt his ribs shatter under my nails, skin and muscles tearing while I wrapped my fingers around his heart. His eyes widened, but I gave myself no room for hesitation. Yanking my hand back, I tore his heart out, keeping it in the air as cold, black blood dripped on the floor.

His mouth kept moving, and it seemed like he was trying to speak, but before any sound left his lips, he dropped to the ground. He had barely stopped twitching when his veins bulged, spreading like a stain. His body swelled and swelled until there were several vicious tears opening through it.

I turned just in time to avoid the blood splattering me in the face as the corpse burst.

Celeste let out a surprised gasp. She looked even paler than before, leaning harder against the wall and gawking at the mess of flesh and blood that had painted the hall red. There was a slab of entrails lying on the floor almost by her feet. I could feel something wet sinking into my clothes, but I ignored it and strode toward her.

Her eyes were weary yet unafraid, but what surprised me more was that even when I reached her, she didn’t hurl a spell at me.

“We need to get away from here. Someone will come to look for him,” I said. She just stared, not even flinching as the sound of blood dripping from the ceiling filled the silence. “Stay here while I cover our tracks.”

I headed toward the stairs, painfully aware of her eyes following me. I listened for any sounds on the upper floor, marking three heartbeats in the room at the end of the corridor. I headed their way, making sure not to betray my approach before I stopped in front of the door. They were compelled not to leave, and they had enough of my blood in them to comply, even when they heard the commotion downstairs. It was a shame. I had grown used to them.

Still, I couldn’t leave them alive. There were some that could break through a vampire’s compulsion. It wasn’t worth the risk.

I pushed the door open. They all rose from their seats, looking at me with a mix of fear and relief.

“Master?” the girl asked after she stopped biting her lower lip. “Is everything…alright? We heard a scream, but you told us…”

She died before she could finish her thought. A quick snap of the neck. Clean. Merciful. The two men jumped back, eyes wide with horror. By the time I killed the first one, the other was screaming. I got hold of him just before he reached the door, sinking my teeth into his neck.

His blood tasted stale in comparison with Celeste’s, but I needed the strength if I were to go through with this. I couldn’t allow myself to stop and think about the consequences for long, or I might hesitate and…

I dropped him on the ground and picked up the half-burned candle resting on the table by the window. I looked around the room, listening to make sure none survived. When I heard nothing, I threw the candle on the bed, watching the flame catch on the fabric.

I strode out and headed back to the staircase. Pausing at the top, I listened for any sounds coming from the other levels until the faint beats of a single heart made me relax. But when I noticed Celeste’s body on the floor, I rushed to her side.

She didn’t resist as I picked her up in my arms. I glanced at the door, at the almost invisible spell that stood just outside of it. If we left the confines of the ward, she could run away, but if we stayed…

I stopped at the threshold and stared at the dark street. Her breath caught, but she stood perfectly still for a moment, before wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head over my shoulder.

“You killed him,” she whispered so quietly, a human wouldn’t have been able to hear her.

I looked down at the pile of flesh and blood, seeing no trace of the man I had known for over five hundred years.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she had charmed me. Maybe I should have listened to him.

“He shouldn’t have threatened you,” I replied and stepped through the ward.

She inhaled sharply while I braced myself for her attack. Her magic surged, turning her skin almost unbearably hot, but I just gripped her tighter, waiting to see where she would strike.

“You are a strange one, Roman,” she mumbled again, her arms tightening until her face was so close that her nose grazed my neck. It was an odd sensation, having someone else’s teeth at my throat, especially a witch who had tried to kill me several times. Yet…I didn’t hate it.

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