“No.”
“How could you resist such a tempting meal?”
Sebastian couldn’t tell her the truth. Before he could formulate a response he realized he didn’t need to. She knew.
“You’ve fed from the girl,” she said, and her eyes narrowed. “Did you drain her completely?”
“No.” He offered no more. He saw her hesitation and wondered at it. She could have attacked him the moment he stepped through the doorway. The pistol she held in one hand might have done him minimal damage. Even loaded with silver, the pistol would do him no real harm. He grimaced at the memory of the ball from Dawes’s weapon piercing his chest. It hurt like the devil, he could not deny. But the moment he had ingested Melora’s blood, his wound had healed and the pain dissipated.
However, the sword Tatya gripped at her side with the opposite hand would do him greater harm. Especially if she tried to decapitate him with such a deadly weapon. He regarded her cautiously. She was no amateur. She had done this before.
“You are not the same as the others,” she said, taking another step nearer, but watching him like a hawk eyeing its prey. “I’ve never come across a vampire such as you.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve watched you for some time now. You travel to London when the hunger strikes. You feed upon villains and thugs who would do harm to others. You…resist the urge to feed. I’ve never met a vampire who attempted to suppress the blood-urge.”
Sebastian sighed. He had thought his activities had gone unnoticed by even those he found watching him. They were better than he thought.
“Do you mind…?” Sebastian asked, nodding toward the man he still held. “Even a vampire’s arms can grow weary.”
Tatya hesitated only a moment before waving the pistol toward the bed. Sebastian took his time settling his burden onto the bed. Tatya watched him closely, checking on Dawes to confirm he still held breath.
“What did you do to him?”
He shook his head. “Not I.”
“The girl?” Tatya asked, surprised. “Miss Merriweather is more than she seems. She’s far from the innocent I imagined her.”
“She’s innocent, still,” Sebastian said. His temper flared briefly at the insinuation, as if she had sullied herself in some way with her association to him.
“Take no offense. I merely meant I underestimated her. I thought she was a simple human, but she’s more than that, isn’t she? She uttered some sort of slumber incantation. A witch, perhaps?”
Sebastian stiffened at the implications he heard in her voice. She was surprised, but satisfied. His own eyes narrowed as he regarded her.
Tatya laughed, soft and brief. “Have no fear, I’m no witch hunter. I stick to vampires…like the ones who murdered my family.”
He faced her fully, watching her warily. “I did not…”
“I know you had nothing to do with my family,” she said. “But I cannot in all good conscience allow any vampire I discover to roam free. Human life cannot be disregarded so completely. I cannot allow you to kill anymore.”
“I…” Sebastian hesitated. It was more than he could hope for, surely. Melora’s willingness to allow him to feed on her had undone the restrictions with which he had bound himself. He could hope…pray… “I don’t think I will…if she stays. Melora’s blood…” How could he admit this to anyone? Especially to one such as Tatya, who would rather see him dead than feed off any human, witch or not. “Her blood is special.”
“Witch blood,” Tatya said, tilting her head as she considered it. “An interesting combination.”
“I’ve killed before,” Sebastian said, warily. “This is true. But I haven’t killed in a very long time. I take what I need and move on. Even those deserving death do not meet their end at my hands.”
Tatya lowered the pistol she held.
“I know,” she said, nodding. “We came here to speak with you, not to destroy you. We were curious about you. When we saw Miss Merriweather, I feared we had been mistaken about your tendencies. Seeing this, however,” she pointed to the still breathing Dawes. “I am convinced. I still wish to speak further with the girl.”
Sebastian sighed, realizing he had been holding his breath. He had no desire to hurt this woman, but he had been prepared to defend himself as well as Melora if needed. He was grateful to hear there might be an alternative.
“She’s sleeping.”
“I know. I checked on her before I decided to wait here for you.”
Tatya had been with Melora? Even after this illuminating conversation, the thought sent chills through Sebastian. Melora could have…
“Go to her,” Tatya said, perhaps seeing his distress plainly on his face. “We’ll talk more in the morning.” She set the pistol on the table next to the bed but continued to hold the sword as she sat beside Dawes, glancing at him in concern. Obviously, she could extend her trust only so far.
Sebastian said nothing as he nearly ran to his room, where he had placed Melora in his bed. He found her just as he left her. Sleeping contentedly and snoring ever so softly.
The tightness in his chest eased.
She was safe. He leaned on the edge of the bed, looking at her, truly seeing her for the first time. She was beyond beautiful. He reached out, touching his finger to the smoothness of her cheek, sensing the tingles of awareness with the smallest caress.
Witch blood.
But it was more than that. It was Melora herself that warmed him, made him think of things he had never considered for himself since he had become a vampire. Things like friendship, companionship, love…marriage.
He shook his head, but he couldn’t release the images those words conjured in his brain. Instead, he checked the wound on her neck. Unlike the one he had given himself, she had two small puncture marks marring her perfect flesh. The bleeding had stopped, but he knew he should clean it and bandage it in case of infection. When he was done with that, he pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat, content to watch her as she slept and wonder if her dreams mirrored the ones he now created for them in his own mind.
****
She shivered. It was the snow. The storm. It blinded her and bit at her flesh. She moaned in pain as the cold nipped at her fingers and toes. And there was darkness all around her. The snow blinded her. She couldn’t see…
“Melora,” Sebastian’s worried whisper woke her. She sat up, disoriented. She looked around as a wave of nausea crept over her. It was still dark. She couldn’t see anything but she was certain she had heard him. It was so dark…
Where was she?
“Sebastian?” Even she could hear the panic in her voice.
“Shh…” His fingers found her hand, then traveled up her arm and onto her shoulder. The slight pressure urged her back down onto the bed. She obeyed, too frightened by the dark and the cold to do anything else. She focused instead on Sebastian. He was here. He would keep her safe. It was a phrase she chanted in her mind.
“How do you feel?”
The mattress dipped as he sat down. Her fingers found his arm and clung to him, holding him tightly to her.
“Cold,” she said. It was true. She shivered still. Had someone opened a window wide to allow the brisk snow-filled air to chase away all the warmth in the house? There were plenty of blankets surrounding her, yet she felt exposed to the frozen night air.
Sebastian’s fingers trailed a path of fire across her brow as he felt her chilled skin. She shivered again, this time from the contact.
“You’re so warm,” she murmured, and at that moment all she wanted to do was wrap her body around his, to take his warmth and claim it for herself.
“I took too much blood,” Sebastian muttered, then quietly cursed. “I took too much.”
“I f-feel f-fine,” Melora stuttered. She pulled at his arm, tugging him closer to her. “I’m just cold. Lay with me. Keep me warm.”
He hesitated. It felt like forever, but at last he pulled back the blankets and crawled in beneath them. His arms
were around her within moments, and she sighed in bliss. This was heaven.
Unashamedly, she wrapped her body around him. She couldn’t stop herself. She was frozen through, and he was as cozy and warm as a fireplace. She snuggled closer to him, burying her face within the crook of his neck.
He stiffened. But when she whispered his name, with such tenderness and longing, she felt him relax and dip his head down to hers, kissing the hair on the top of her head.
She nestled her face into his neck, inhaling the sweet aroma of his skin. The fire from his body encased hers, and soon she felt the fire spreading into her belly. Desire shot through her, thrilling her. She enjoyed the contact of his skin, the current that ran from him to her and then back again. It was as though they had been made for one another.
Melora should behave as a maiden, shy and horrified of such close contact with a man, but as she mulled the matter over in her desire-hazed mind, she disregarded those strictures of society.
She was a witch.
He was a vampire.
Why should human morals interfere in something so basic, something that simply felt so right?
She kissed his neck.
He groaned, a pleasure-filled noise that spurred Melora to kiss him again, and again, caressing the skin of his neck with her mouth. Slowly, she moved her lips along his jawline and onto his mouth.
His arms were around her, pulling her, urging her to come closer, until she slid her legs up and over his. She wiggled her body until she lay on top of him and deepened their kiss. They moaned into each other’s mouths. With the steady vibration rumbling from his chest, Melora thought he sounded more like a cat than a vampire. She moved over him, absorbing his heat as he helped her chase the cold away.
Then her fingers found the buttons on his shirt. Slowly, while she kissed him, she plucked at the buttons until his shirt was freed and she could easily tuck her hand beneath to find equally hot skin there, scorching her hand.
“Melora,” he warned, breaking from their kiss to look into her face. “Do you know what you are doing?”
She nodded as her hand roamed down his chest and against his abdomen. The hard muscle felt like a sturdy wall built to discourage invaders. His muscled flesh did the opposite for her. His body drew her toward him, compelled her to get closer…closer. Her traveling fingers pulled at his trousers, Sebastian growled in pleasure when she slipped her hand inside and wrapped her slim fingers around his thick member.
“Oh, Melora…are you certain?”
“Oh, yes,” she whispered against his lips.
He groaned and gently eased her back against the bed. His mouth was on her lips, her cheek, her chin, then down her chest until he found a breast. He encased her nipple within his mouth, suckling it, licking it, blowing his hot breath against it.
“Sebastian!” she cried, writhing in pleasure against him. She wanted something, she needed something. Something only he could provide. She dragged her fingers up and down his naked torso. She hadn’t even noticed him undressing, but suddenly he was naked on top her. She smiled, thrilling at the feel of his hot flesh. And then she felt a tugging on her shift and a ripping noise filled the dark room. He tore her shift down the middle and then his hands were all over her, caressing her ribs, her belly, her hips, parting her legs, kneading her thighs, and then she felt his hardness penetrate her.
“Oh, Sebastian!”
She encased him, wrapped around him, pulling him deeper. She thrilled at the power she felt as he slowly withdrew and then plunged back. Again and again they repeated the movements, and the tingles she felt from the contact of so much skin against skin sent her riding a wave of emotional and physical sensation. He grunted, low and guttural, loving her as he took her on the journey into bliss. And then, when she thought she could take no more…light burst beneath her eyelids, blinding her with bright luminescence, and he stiffened at her pleasure-filled cry and joined her with his own deep groan, and she felt the throbbing within as he filled her.
It took several moments for her heart to resume its normal rhythm. Sebastian rested his head onto her shoulder, nuzzling the skin with his lips.
“Are you still cold?”
“No,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him tight against her. “With you here, I feel fine.”
****
When she opened her eyes, the sun spilled through the cracks in the curtains, lighting the room. She blinked against the light and turned away from it. Pain stabbed at her neck and she gasped.
The rustling of movement stirred from a chair beside the bed, and the mattress sank as weight was put upon it. A warm masculine hand curled around her cheek, brushing strands of hair that had tangled into her face during her sleep. She smiled as she breathed in the smell of him.
“Are you in pain?”
“Not anymore,” Melora said. She looked up at him. He wore a fresh shirt and cravat, and a clean pair of breeches encased his firm thighs. His skin was no longer translucent, and the tension she had seen around his eyes yesterday had vanished overnight. He looked refreshed and renewed.
Happy.
“You look…” She was about to remark on the changes she could see when she looked into his eyes. His eyes were a darker shade of blue than the ice color she had grown accustomed to, and they gazed directly into her own. She gasped as she watched his eyes focus upon her face.
He smiled.
“You can see?” she asked, awe filling her voice. She lifted her hand to caress his face, trailing her finger around his right eye and onto his cheek. “You can see.”
He nodded. “Apparently witch blood is full of magic, as well.”
She smiled, warmth filling her to her toes. She licked her lips with the urge to kiss him.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, mistaking her response to him. “I’ve had Harrison bring a tray of food.” He gestured to the table, but she ignored it, staring at him hungrily instead.
When he turned and interpreted the direction of her thoughts, he hesitated. “Any regrets?” he asked, uncertainly. She felt his hands brushing over the bandage on her neck. He must have bandaged the wound while she slept.
She shook her head, ignoring the slight twinge the movement caused.
“The snow has slowed,” he said, turning to glance out of the cracks in the curtains. “Perhaps by midday the storm will have passed. It could be a while before we could arrange passage to the village nearby.”
“Are you so ready to be rid of me?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Never. But I don’t want you to feel you must stay if you have no desire to. You are free to leave whenever you wish. And have no fear of your uncle,” he added. “You need never be bothered by any unwanted matrimony plans made by him.”
“What about you?” She asked, her worry recurring as she thought about any interaction between him and her uncle. “If he learns about you… He’ll want…”
He shook his head, halting her mid-sentence. “There is no need to fear. You had no knowledge of what I was until we touched, remember? I’ll just be certain to never make any contact with him. I can wear gloves, or refuse any offers of handshakes. I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“I do,” she whispered, relaxing again. “I do trust you.”
“Good,” he said, leaning over her, caressing her lips with his. They were warm this time and felt very human against her. She reached up, running her fingers through the silkiness of his hair. He broke their kiss and leaned back. “Do you trust me to make a proper woman of you?”
At her look of confusion, he clarified, “You have been compromised. Three people have witnessed you under my roof with nary a chaperone in sight. And last night… Well, I hoped you might help me rectify that situation by agreeing to be my bride.”
She smiled. “The wife of a vampire?”
“The witch of a vampire,” he acknowledged, grinning.
Melora didn’t hesitate. She nodded, and they kissed again. Before they could further their kiss, she pushe
d him back, suddenly remembering.
“What about the vampire hunters?” she asked. “What is to be done with them?”
His eyes darkened. “There will be dangers. Those will be one of them. I have kept my secret for a long time. This has only been the second occurrence of anyone learning the truth of my existence. There might be more in the future. I vow to protect you, but it is true you may be in danger from those hunting me.”
She shook her head. “I am not afraid. Together we will be safe enough. I meant what of Mr. and Mrs. Morrison? And Mr. Dawes? They are not bad people. They are doing the world a service by hunting those creatures who wantonly kill humans.”
Sebastian nodded. “We will speak to them. Make them understand. I cannot guarantee their co-operation.”
Melora considered some of the potions in her valise. “I might have a potion for forgetfulness. Perhaps I can add it to their morning tea?”
Sebastian grinned again. “A vampire and a witch,” he said. “We can conquer the world if we wish.”
“I’ll be happy simply to conquer your heart.”
“You have that, my love. It’s already yours.”
Sebastian leaned over her, kissing her, and Melora’s arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. She let the sensations he invoked work their magic on her, taking her away from her dark thoughts. She was fairly certain he could manage the vampire hunters; after all, he had been dealing with them for some time. Her uncle, however… She knew Sebastian had no frequent dealings with witches…especially those like Uncle Arden.
Chapter Seven
For the next three days, Melora was certain she had entered some sort of dream, and she was content to remain there for the rest of her days. Their interview with the Morrisons and Mr. Dawes went better than she could have hoped. After she apologized for knocking them senseless with her spells, they inquired about her abilities and also sought more information from Sebastian. They were fascinated by the strength of will he possessed.
Sebastian remained wary of them, but he gave them no reason to fear. With these people, all their secrets were open to discussion. And the announcement of their plans to wed were met with astounded expressions, but none of them negative.
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