Page 41 of Fanged Temptation

While she was gone I fiddled with a nearby lamp, adjusting the brightness until the room glowed with a low, soothing light. Then I rummaged around the gargantuan wardrobe and pulledout a set of silk pajamas, slipping into them and breathing a sigh of relief at the feel of the soft fabric on my skin.

After a short while, Leah emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a plush white robe. Her damp hair clung to her neck, and her eyes were still haunted. She hesitated near the doorway, looking anywhere but directly at me.

“Feel better?” I asked hesitantly.

“Cleaner,” she allowed, her voice cracking. “Otherwise… I still feel… everything.”

“I’m sorry.” My voice dropped to a hoarse whisper and I plopped down on the edge of the bed, pulling my knees to my chin. “I’m sorry about Myrtle and I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry for drawing thosethingsinto your home.”

When she didn’t respond I continued, keeping my eyes down, “I think… I think it’s time I tell you everything. Iwantto tell you everything. But…you might not like me much if I do.”

She hesitated for a moment, then approached slowly, padded steps thudding on the polished floor. “Okay.”

She perched on the bed beside me, and my pulse thundered as I braced myself. I fiddled with the tassels on the duvet, trying to steady my trembling hands.

“Leah,” I began, my voice wobbling, “the reason I left you back in San Francisco—it’s… more complicated than you might think.”

She nodded, her gaze unwavering, though the tension in her posture told me she was bracing for the worst. “Go on.”

“It wasn’t just about my family. Sure, they were overbearing, controlling, and just generally terrible fucking people,” I continued, twisting the tassel around my finger. “That was part of it, but… they wanted me to marry someone. They had my whole life planned out for me and marriage was first on the list.”

Leah frowned, confusion flitting across her features. “Marry someone?” she echoed, clearly not expecting that turn of events.

“Yes. A man my parents had chosen, some influential person in my… circle. They expected me to just go along with it, and I considered it. But he had a reputation. A frightening one. And I didn’t want to spend my whole life under my parents’ thumb just to go on to becomehisproperty in some twisted arrangement.”

Her expression shifted and color drained from her face, lips parting in silent shock.

“So you ran,” she said quietly.

I nodded, swallowing around the lump in my throat. “I ran. I fled to New York, thinking I could start over and get away from them. But I never got to say goodbye to you.”

I hesitated, forcing myself to meet her gaze. “My family, they started to notice…well, you. All the time I spent away from home. They were suspicious, and I knew if they believed you mattered to me… they could hurt you, or use you against me. So I just left. It killed me to do it, but I was convinced you’d be safer if I just disappeared.”

Leah’s brow furrowed, an odd, burgeoning horror brimming behind her eyes. “All this time… you were protecting me?”

“That was the plan.” I let out a shaky laugh that held no real mirth. “I thought I was doing the right thing. Of course, it never occurred to me how much that would hurt you, or how it would haunt me.”

Her eyes shimmered with emotion, but her voice stayed tense. “You were engaged…”

“There’s more. And this is gonna sound really fucking ridiculous and you’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but–” I closed my eyes for a moment, steeling myself.

“I’m–I’m kind of like a… a vampire,” I finally said, the words tasting foreign on my tongue. “My whole family is. That fiancé of mine, Gregor—he’s one too, and powerful. He’s ancient. Those wax models that attacked us tonight were sent by him. He’s the one who's been tracking me down.”

Leah’s expression twitched—fear, disturbance, something else. But to my surprise, it wasn’t the vampire confession that seemed to truly disturb her; that much was clear.

She wore a haunted look, but she didn’t seem particularly fixed on the idea that I drank blood. Instead, she’d looked more anguished by the idea of an arranged marriage, my family’s control, and Gregor’s violent pursuit.

I pressed a hand to my temple, trying to calm the riot of nerves in my chest. “I know it’s a lot. And I’m sorry you got dragged into it. I’m sorry I never told you any of this before.”

She let out a trembling breath, arms folding around herself as she tried to process it all. “Your fiancé sent those… those wax things?” Her lips pressed into a tight line, eyes flicking briefly with anger. “Maxine, that’s… God, that’s horrible.”

A tear slipped down my cheek, and I reached to wipe it away. “I didn’t know what else to do,” I admitted, voice breaking. “I left to keep you safe. And now… after everything, I’ve only put you in danger again. I’m so sorry, Leah.”

For a moment, she sat in silence, her head bowed. I braced for her rejection or terror, but when she looked up again, her gaze was full of pained understanding rather than condemnation.

“You should have told me sooner,” she whispered, her voice rough at the edges. “I could have helped you, I could have handled it. I wish you had let me decide for myself.” Her eyes flicked away, and she let out a shuddering breath. “I had no idea you were engaged.”

I stared at her, my heart hammering in my chest. She shifted on the bed, running a hand over her eyes and exhaling a wavering breath. My mind spun.Did she not hear the whole vampire thing?

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