Page 30 of Bleeding Love

My chest felt tight while I listened to her heart, waiting for it to falter and reveal her lie.

It never did.

“Just like that?” I frowned.

“Just like that,” she echoed, releasing my hand.

My mouth felt dry, but as I started speaking, the words came easily.

“I swear never to take your freedom away or ask for anything you are not willing to give.”

Her eyes widened as if she hadn’t expected my oath, even though she was the one who demanded it. Several emotions passed through her face in a flash—panic, elation, satisfaction, and finally, joy. Smiling from ear to ear, she slid her warm hand to my cheek, running her thumb over my cheekbone. I froze at the strange sensation, so I wasn’t prepared when she rose to her toes and kissed my cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispered before stepping back. I moved to grab her when I noticed her picking up the fork and the meat pie. I let her sidestep me, then listened to her walking to the bed and settling upon it with a grunt. When I turned to look at her, she was already eating with the ferocity of a wild animal.

“Sit down or my neck will break from staring up at you. You really have no manners.”

I snorted, looking pointedly at her face, where some of the meat pie had smeared over her cheek. She didn’t seem to understand my look, because she returned to her food with all the uncaring of the world.

I sat at the foot of the bed, staring at the wall with bewilderment. That’s not how I thought things would go when I brought her here. I expected her to run—or to end up dead by my hand. I definitely didn’t see us sitting quietly on a single bed while she chewed on meat and potatoes next to me. Most certainly didn’t expect to give an oath to a witch in return for… her compliance. It felt bitter, wrong.

When the sound of her chewing grew quiet, I looked at her. I found her sitting against the headboard, the container resting in her lap.

Asleep. She had fallen asleep without warding herself or telling me to leave. Was she a fool? Oath or no oath, I could kill her in an instant if I wanted to. I could drain her before she woke up. I could…

‘Give me your word, Roman, and I will believe it.’Her voice echoed in my head and I found myself getting to my feet and drawing closer to her.‘And should you betray me, I will consider you the monster you think yourself to be.’Taking the tray away, I put it on the ground, so I could get her to lie down comfortably. She barely reacted when I lay her head on the pillow, pulling the tattered blanket over her.‘Until then, you will be Roman to me.’Her beautiful face flashed before my eyes as I brushed her hair away from her face. Before I could pull back, her slender fingers wrapped around mine. Her eyes fluttered open, staring at me through the fog of sleep.

She tugged me toward her, the movement weak and unsure. I blinked in surprise, glancing at the narrow space beside her. Her lips parted as if she was about to speak, but the only thing that came out was a soft, pleading, “Roman.”

I tried to ignore the strange sensation that spread through my stomach as I slipped into the bed with her. Her back pressed against my chest, and a moment later, her heartbeat was the only sound I could hear in the entire world.

Chapter 14

Celeste

Ihadgonecrazy.That was the only explanation.

Making deals rarely ended well for me, and this one had to be very high on my list of questionable decisions. But it had made sense last night, and meeting Roman’s hungry gaze had made it feel right.

I was being hunted, and I needed more time to recharge my magic enough to handle anyone, without having to sleep with one eye open. And I knew that I should hate him for attacking me, for locking me up in that house, for touching me without my permission, but…I was too tired to hate.

I had been hunted, assaulted, killed, and betrayed so many times. I had learned not to take it personally or be affected by people’s hate. That hadn’t been the reason why I had tried to kill him. It was because he had done the one thing nobody else had—took away that which had always been mine, life after life.

My freedom…and my magic.

But he had given me his word that he’d never do that again. He had killed to protectmeeven at the risk of his own life. Most important of all, it was clear what he wanted from me, and that was something I could easily give. Something I could use. Something I could benefit from. Something I could even enjoy, for it had been a long while since I had a lover who could bring me to the edge of madness and plunge me into perfect bliss with a touch of his fingers. And I wanted to know what more he could make me feel.

I knew there were risks. He could give in to his blood frenzy and drain me before I could stop him. He could decide to kill me because I annoyed him, or because his Master ordered him to. I expected him to at some point. But for now… for a little bit…I didn’t need to be alone.

I had been alive longer than any creature on this earth and most of that time I had spent by myself. Running, hiding, living quietly in the hope that the world would forget about me. Time and time again, I told myself it was for the best, that at least this way I was safe, but it was in those moments of quiet and solitude that I felt like I was truly dead. It was those moments that always made me venture out, searching for the warmth and connection I once had. And I had found it, many times, only for it to be taken away from me. Sometimes it was the hunters, sometimes it was the witches, sometimes it was me. So I learned to leave before the fallout and keep those precious memories before they were ruined by betrayal or heartbreak.

Still, after all this time, it felt strange to wake up in the dark with a body pressed against my back, and an arm wrapped possessively around me. He was cold and the blanket I was covered with barely made up for it. His chest was hard, perfectly unmoving, and his leg had somehow ended up tangled with my own.

The sun was still up, waning toward the horizon if the faint light that barely slipped through the curtains was any indication, so he was probably sleeping. Vampires were weaker during the day, so he’d likely remain dormant until night fell. Just enough time for me to figure out how to make this arrangement work. And how to deal with the more pressing matters at hand.

Shifting very slowly so as not to wake him, I tried to push away the knee that was resting between my thighs. Roman’s hand tightened around me, pulling me back so hard that I gasped when my back hit his chest. His leg slid further between mine, and his lips brushed against my neck. A cold chill crawled down my back as he dragged his teeth over my bristling skin, but contrary to my expectations, he didn’t bite.

I tried to convince my racing heart to settle, but I failed miserably. A low, guttural sound tore from Roman’s throat as if he could read my thoughts. Or smell them.

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