Page 23 of A Song in the Night

I hold my breath as Noah reaches for a strand of my hair and tucks it behind my ear. His voice lowers as he says, “I pulled away because I want you, Charlie. I want to ravish your body and claim you as mine so hard and so many times that you won’t be able to walk for a week. At least.”

I blink at him, clamping my jaw shut so it doesn’t fall open.

“I pulled away because I want you,” the vampire repeats. “But you deserve better than me.”

Of all the things that could have come out of Noah Forrest’s mouth, I never would’ve guessed or prepared for this. I feel myself suck in a shallow breath, my stomach erupting with flutters and quakes. If he’s trying to douse the flames between us, his words have had the opposite effect.

“Then be the person I deserve,” I manage after a long, tension-filled pause. “It’s not that complicated, Noah.”

His eyes darken. “I’m not like that boy, Charlie. I’m not kind, or tender, or devoted. I won’t bring you flowers or take you to restaurants. But I saw you standing on the auction platform, and we didn’t know if we’d have enough to save you. I knew at that moment. I knew how fucked we were, because if Sylvia hadn’t won, I would have fought every master in that square to get to you. But I’m not capable of a relationship and you’re not the kind of person for something casual.”

I open my mouth to protest… and the argument dies before it’s fully formed. He is wrong about my capability for a casual relationship, considering that’s exactly what I had with Cain. It’s different with Noah, though. I’m already too invested, too interested, too hopeful. Adding sex would only make our situation even more tangled and impossible.

I clear my throat and try to summon a smile. “So where does that leave us?” I ask finally.

Noah tilts his head, wearing an inscrutable expression. “It leaves us right here, princess. Now drop and give me twenty.”

“Smooth transition,” I say dryly. “And no way. I’ve earned myself a cup of coffee.”

“Fine.” Noah throws his arm around my shoulders, holding me against his side as we walk toward the stairs. “That’s me. The king of smooth.”

I roll my eyes, playing along, but the weight that’s been living deep inside my chest since Drew was killed feels even heavier. “More like the king of being a pain in my ass,” is all I say.

Noah just laughs, and I hope it prevents him from hearing the sound of my heart cracking.

* * *

In spite of the closeness we just shared, Noah spends the rest of the night ignoring me.

He keeps his dark head bent, his brows furrowed. The only sounds between us are rustling papers and the creak of his chair. Time and time again, I catch myself glancing at him, wishing he’d look back and say something. I can’t help longing for the back-and-forth and the rare glimpses of kindness he’s shown me. But with every passing hour, it feels like Noah rebuilds the wall between us, brick by brick.

Sylvia doesn’t return.

Near dawn, the vampire pushes back from his desk and stands. Without so much as a glance in my direction, he crosses the room in four long-legged strides and snatches up his coat.

“Heading home?” I dare to ask, wincing at the timid note in my voice.

Even now, Noah doesn’t look at me. He pulls up his collar and reaches for the doorknob. “Following up on a lead. Don’t wait up. When you head back to the boardinghouse, stick to the public streets. No more alleyways. Text me when you get there.”

Before I can respond, he steps into the hallway and closes the door behind him. Leaving me entirely alone. Again.

A sound reaches my ears, stark in the utter stillness of the office, and I jerk my head up. Nothing moves. There’s no knock at the door or footsteps in the hallway. Frowning, I lower my head and start typing again.

The sound happens again.

This time, I get up. My instincts come alive, hissing in my head like a nest of snakes, and I scan the room again. As the quiet returns and lingers, I stay where I am, waiting. When the sound occurs a third time, I glance sharply at the window, realizing that it’s coming from outside. Has my attacker come back? The glass is too high up to peer out, even if I were to stand on the couch. My first instinct is to stay put, ignore it, and convert more of the files before heading home for the day. But what if it’s a client? What if I cost Noah and Sylvia revenue?

The thought sends me into the hallway and down the stairs.

I see the source of the noise in an instant—someone is throwing bits of dirt and rock at the window. The figure wears a heavy cloak, making it impossible to see who it is. I don’t want to startle them, so I close the door harder than necessary as I venture into the open.

“Hello? May I help you?” I ask, raising my voice slightly to bridge the distance between us. If I catch a single glimpse of that wolf mask, I’ll run back inside and lock the door behind me.

The figure whirls around, and I catch a brief flash of her face before she tugs her hood into place and bolts.Ratha. It’s the water nymph who came to the office yesterday. There’s something on the ground where she was standing—a wooden box, much like the one Alexei made for me, except this one is bigger.

“Wait,” I call out. “You forgot something!”

At the same moment I take a step forward to chase her, sunlight spills over the rooftops. It hits the ground at my feet, forcing me to move backward. I watch Ratha hurry down the street and turn a corner, vanishing from sight.

---