Page 42 of Skin Trade

“Just walk and get changed. That’s all. It’s easy.”

Music pumped from the club below her, all those floors down. Her body didn’t immediately obey. But what was the alternative? Turn and go back to his room?

Forcing herself, she went to the dresser and let her robe drop to the ground. Her body hummed and invisible fingers whispered along her skin with such need. That man … that vampire … he was enough to test even the saintliest of women. But he hadn’t done anything.

She was like a schoolgirl with a crush and the boy had just smiled at her. All dizzy with it in her head. She had to get dressed.

Amongst the clothes Sky had brought her were a pair of stylish patterned palazzo pants. She put them on. They hung nicely at her hips and went well with the low-cut heels she’d been given. She gave herself a twirl, in the mirror, trying to tell herself that she was examining her image for her own sense of pride, and not because of what Seth might think.

She finished the look off with a small t-shirt that ended just below her midriff. It wasn’t anything glamourous, but it was better than her rebellious jeans and Converse.

When she brushed her hair out, she was about to pull it back and tie it into a ponytail. She had to with Creven. He liked to pull hair, liked to make them scream with it. It was less painful when it was pulled back in a bunch. Biting her lip, she pulled her hair down around her face, letting it hang on her shoulders. She might not have known Seth for long, but he didn’t scare her that way. She left her hair down. Pinned only a small part of it back with a clip and smiled to herself.

When she was ready, she went back to the bathroom, but part of her hesitated. What if she snuck out of her room? Went out the other door and found herself dinner. She wanted to, but also, she didn’t.

It wasn’t him she was avoiding, not really. Not if she admitted it to herself. He’d find her anyway. She clenched her fist around the handle, let herself mentally pause for a count of three and then pushed it open.

Seth was in the bathroom, leaning over his sink. “Oh, God. I’m sorry.” She went to close the bathroom door again, but he waved her in. “I didn’t hear you in here.”

He ran his brush around his teeth and mumbled something to her she couldn’t catch.

For whatever reason, the sight of him standing there, brushing his teeth made her want to laugh. “I have never seen a vampire brush their teeth before.”

Seth spat into the bowl, bent over so he could put his mouth under the tap and rinsed. “Have you ever looked into the mouth of one of the thirsty?”

“No.”

“You don’t want to.” He wiped his mouth on the towel hanging from the rail on his side of the bathroom. “You were ready fast. I just need to put on a shirt.” He was topless still, but at least he had put pants on. Black pants... the sight made her breath catch, but what was worse was when he turned to grab his shirt off the hanger on the back of the door. His back was a mass of lines, all criss-crossed along his skin in pink and white lines. She stepped closer to him, her natural need to reach out and touch him.

“What happened?”

He turned on her, snapping her hand out of the way and catching her by the wrist before she could touch him. “Don’t.”

Vampires don’t scar. Not when they got their injuries once they’d crossed over. Those marks must have been from when he was human. They were awful. So many of them, some across each other.

As he held her wrist, his eyes blazed in a way she had only ever seen her mother do when she was mad with her father.

“Sorry. I just … when did …”

“A long time ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

He lowered her hand, and she couldn’t help the desire to touch the wounds, to heal the look in his eyes.

“I was six years old. Is that what you want to know? The bastard son of a whore.”

“Seth … I didn’t mean to. If I …” what could she say?

“We all have scars, Payton. Even I do. Some people have them inside, others have them outside, but they’re there. You think I do not care about your friend. I do. But I do not feel sorrow for her passing. Sometimes, dead is better. Surely you know that yourself.” He shrugged his shirt on with enough force that it was a wonder it didn’t rip. He grabbed his tie, flung it around his neck and stalked out of the bathroom, leaving the door open for her to follow.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Seth led Payton to one of the restaurants on the ground floor of his building. It was grand, but then everything was. Nothing with Seth was ever less than perfect. She may not have seen all there was to see about him, or even the entire building, but she knew it would match the worthiness of his position in the world. Bastard son of a whore or not, he had risen, and it impressed her.

“We’re not sitting?” she asked when he led her through the restaurant and out to the kitchen area. So many smells wafted out to her, making her already empty stomach try to crawl out and feed itself.

“Do you want to eat with the other patrons?”

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