“The chase will be fun, and the outcome is guaranteed—I’ll catch you and claim a prize before we go in and share the happy news with our families.” I looked back at him, my stomach sinking when he licked his lips. “Hunting you down in the dark will turn me on. Now that the engagement is official, we might as well consummate the occasion.”
It no longer mattered that I had nowhere to go and nobody to help me. I wasn’t attracted to Jonathan and refused to allow him to take my virginity against my will. Running was my only choice, and that was exactly what I did. Fisting my skirt in my hands, I kicked off my heels before lifting the hem off the ground. Then I took off, moving as quickly as I could.
I heard Jonathan laughingly start to count behind me, and his confidence spurred me on. Grateful for the years I spent running cross country and track, I raced through the gardens, looking for an opening that would get me off the property. I spotted a small gate ahead to the left just as Jonathan called out, “Ready or not, here I come!” Once I reached the exit, I quietly opened the gate and shut it gently behind me, hoping the hinges wouldn’t squeak and give away my location.
I squeezed through a hedge, and tears of relief filled my eyes when I saw that I was in another garden with paths that led to a large stone house that looked like a castle. Racing toward the imposing home in front of me, I was panting for air as I stumbled up to the door and pounded on the hard surface. I offered up a silent prayer that someone was home, but I was wholly unprepared for the vision before me when the door swung open.
2
Kieran
I was rinsing out my cup from breakfast when I heard a banging that sounded like it was coming from the back door. It led to a vast garden that was surrounded by tall hedges for privacy.
Whoever was knocking was trespassing, and the interruption wholly annoyed me. Especially since I’d sent my staff home for a few days, wanting some privacy. I sighed and rinsed my mouth to make sure there was no red residue from the blood I’d been drinking. Then I popped to the back door. I twisted the lock and swung it open, only to stumble back at the sight before me.
Big blue eyes stared up at me, filled with terror, and I felt an overwhelming need to rip apart the person who’d caused it. Pouty, pink lips trembled as tears slid down her cheeks, stained with color from exertion, made even more prominent by her pale skin. Luminous blond curls surrounded her, hanging all the way down past her bottom. She was of medium height, with a willowy body covered in a filmy blue material that flared out from her tiny waist into a long, full skirt. And if I’d been able to feel any sort of arousal, I imagined that I would’ve been drooling over her full but perky breasts.
She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in nearly a millennium.
“Help me, please,” she panted as she glanced over her shoulder. I took a deep breath, and that’s when I smelled it. She’d been touched by a nightwalker, and my instinct said that was who she was running from. I opened the door wider and stepped back, allowing her to enter. She hesitated for a beat but looked up into my face and stepped into my lair.
Lair? That was an odd turn of phrase, I thought. I must not have slept well.
I glanced outside, and my enhanced night vision picked up movement in the hedges between my garden and the neighbors’. No nightwalker would dare breach my property unless they had a death wish, but I was furious to have them lurking around. I slammed the door shut and turned to see the girl staring at me with wide eyes and biting her plump bottom lip. “You’re safe here,” I assured her gently.
She nervously brushed her hair over her shoulder and glanced at the door once more. The dim lights from the sconces lining the wall made the large diamond ring on her finger twinkle and momentarily distracted me from the familiar birthmark on her neck. The vampire she was destined for was probably the one who had slid that ring onto her finger while he waited for the right time to sink his fangs into her neck. Disappointment sliced through me at the knowledge that she belonged to someone else. Even though it wasn’t like I could keep her happy if she didn’t. I imagined that a woman wouldn’t want to stay with a man who would never physically desire her. I shook off the ridiculous thoughts and focused my attention on the matter at hand.
“What if he comes for me?” Her voice wavered, and she clasped her hands tightly in front of her.
I looked her in the eyes so she would have no doubt of my sincerity. “No one will get to you while you are under my protection.” She looked slightly relieved, and I felt the need to soothe her completely. “What is your name?”
“Thana,” she whispered. Gorgeous.
“I’m Kieran. How about I make you some tea, and you can tell me what has you so frightened?” She nodded, but her fingers continued to twist together, so I reached out to untangle them.
The second our skin touched, my body came to life with a bolt of electricity as though I’d been struck by lightning. “Fuck,” I muttered right before my breath got caught in my lungs. Arousal spread through me like a wildfire in a
