He wants me, I realize, and not just for dinner.
When Connor finally breaks the kiss and pulls away, his eyes are bright. The fierce pull inside me that draws me to him against all my better instincts, reflects back at me from his gaze. He chuckles softly, his voice a little rough.
“I don’t usually kiss someone after I feed from them, but… fuck, I really wanted to do that. I’m sure all the guys say this,” he murmurs with a crooked half-smile as he raises my hand to his lips to kiss my knuckles. “But that’s never happened before.”
I open my mouth to say something—but what? My usual snappy comebacks to dudes who feed me lines in bars don’t feel right, not with him standing there looking at me like I’m something precious.
When a few long seconds pass and I don’t say anything, the tension between us begins to build again, as if fed by my silence. Connor’s expression turns more serious and intense, and he starts to lean in again, moving in for another kiss as my heart thunders away inside me.
“May I cut in?”
The voice behind Connor is cool and smooth, deep and precise. Even though I’ve only spoken to him once, I recognize who it is immediately.
Bastian.
Goose bumps prickle across my skin as my breath hitches. Connor’s smile falls, and his shoulders tense as he draws back a little. He clearly wants to tell the prince to fuck off, but the “request” was more of a command, and we all know it. After a long pause, the blond man steps away from me but keeps his gaze fixed to mine.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I get the distinct impression that if I say “no,” he won’t leave. He’s asking if I’m okay with being alone with Bastian, and if I tell him I’m not… would he disobey a direct order from his prince?
I blink, stunned, but nod at him. I don’t know how to feel about the protective look on Connor’s face, and I’m not sure I want to start some shit between these two vampires. Normally, I’d love to watch two bloodsuckers fight it out, but it could only end badly in this case. It could risk blowing my cover, and more than that, I have a feeling Connor wouldn’t last long in a fight against a vampire as powerful and experienced as Bastian.
The thought of watching this sweet, gentle man get his ass kicked makes my stomach twist unpleasantly, even if he is a vampire.
“Yeah. I’m okay,” I manage to say. “Thanks.”
Bastian waits for Connor’s respectful—if terse—nod before taking my arm. Connor hesitates again before reluctantly turning and heading back toward the great hall.
I assume we’re going to follow him, heading back to the revelry and dining, but the prince sweeps me right past the big doors and on down the corridor. Memories of James’s attack rush through me, bringing a sick wave of panic with them. I shut it down quickly, but not fast enough. Bastian cocks an eyebrow at me, then looks away, and I can tell he noticed the change in my demeanor. He doesn’t comment on it, but I’m not sure that’s better—because now I have no idea what he’s thinking.
After guiding me through the corridors with a sure stride, he takes me to a door that I haven’t explored yet. It matches every one of a dozen or more doors on this side of the hallway, and at first, I think it’s just another little sitting room, like the one James dragged me into. But it opens into a narrow hall instead. From what I’ve mapped out in my head, I’d guess this hall cuts right through the heart of the palace.
Another narrow corridor cuts across this one, forming a cross. Ha. How ironic. On the far side of the intersection, there’s an elevator, something I haven’t seen anywhere else in the palace yet. There’s a keypad in place of a call button, but it isn’t made with steel buttons like some older keypads, which sucks. If it were, I might be able to guess the code based on the wear pattern. This one is a touchscreen, which I haven’t learned any tricks for yet.
Bastian stands between me and the screen while he punches the code in. I can’t see what he’s pressing without making it obvious that I’m trying to, so I keep my peace, not wanting to draw suspicion. There will be other chances for me to try to glean the code. Or at least, there better be—because this elevator might be my best chance of getting out of here with Nathan.
A second later, the doors slide open without a sound, and he steps aside, gesturing for me to go in ahead of him. God, I wish he’d say something. I can’t read his face or his body language. It’s a lot harder to make my feet move when I don’t know if I’m stepping into an ambush.
Apart from the metal doors, the elevator is glass. Not that it does me any good right now—there’s nothing to see outside but the concrete shaft—but my heart leaps with excitement anyway. On the off chance that he’s planning to take me above ground, it will show me where I am. And, possibly, a way to get out.
I try to appear perfectly innocent and only vaguely interested as the vampire prince follows me into the elevator and pushes a button. He grants me a small, tight smile, which is the most expressive I’ve seen his face be since he caught me wandering the halls on my first night here.
Shit. That’s probably why he stole me away from Connor. He’s probably taking me away to punish me for wandering around the other night.
I have to suppress a shudder at the thought. I don’t know what vampire
