Page 14 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Thrall

"What does that even mean?” I snapped, not liking the way he was acting like he had no choices here. "Just get out. If you don't want to be here, then go."

"Ineedto be here," he said, voice harsh and the sound of it, rough and hoarse, was driving me insane.

I growled at him, my fangs still elongated from drinking from Elowen. "Get. Out." I moved closer and let him see the threat in my eyes. I could feel the predator lurking beneath my skin and I wasn't sure I could hold it back even if I wanted to.

He laughed and the sound was a low rumble that made my nostrils flare as he moved back into my space. "Make. Me."

My hands fisted in his t-shirt and I felt a spring in my muscles, like I had strength that was just waiting, begging to be used. But instead of throwing him out, my body had different ideas.

I dragged him against me and snarled. "Leave."

"No," he murmured simply and this time I yelled in frustration before driving my lips against his. God, what was I doing? What was happening? The tether between us that I recognised as our bond was taut, lit up like it had been doused in gasoline and we'd just lit a match.

Hayes' mouth was savage, hungry, punishing and I kissed him back just as hard.

"I don't like you," he panted, voice hard even as his lips moved back towards mine. "I don't trust you." A hard kiss took our breath away as his teeth clashed with mine and my lip was caught between his as he tugged. "But I'm stuck with you, and right now the heightened blood lust you're experiencing is drowning me."

I shook with need that I couldn't distinguish, was this lust or hunger? Or were they one and the same?

"We can pretend we're in control," he continued, his voice so low and guttural that it would have sent me running if I had been human. "But this blood between us owns our souls—youown my soul—and right now there's nothing I can do about that except keep you in here with me."

"Because the bond protects you somehow?"

He nodded, his mouth too busy travelling a wet path over my throat as his hand fisted in my dark curls to reply.

"But it wouldn't protect them,” I said, nodding to the door he'd locked and he nodded again, his hands spanning my waist like he needed to touch all of me. The feeling was, unfortunately, mutual. What a locked door would really do to keep me in here was negligible, but then I suppose that was why Hayes was here, distracting me.

"How long until it fades?"

He shook his head and I arched beneath his touch. Fuck. This didn't have to mean anything. People fucked all the time and it didn't mean anything. But we weren't going to go that far, were we?

"What would happen if you drank from me?" My voice was breathless and he froze above me, sitting atop my thighs as he looked at me, eyes darker than usual.

"Right now, it might kill me."

"Or?"

"Or we'd make the halls bleed red." I considered that with a tilt to my head and he smiled slightly. "I'm not going to drink from you, and not just because you're chock full of Elowen's blood."

"Why then?" The burning in my veins was fading and he'd noticed it too.

"It's like I told you before," he said as he tugged my hands out from under his shirt, and swung his leg over me to climb off of the bed. "I don't like you."

Fucker.

"I think the worst of it has likely passed." He moved away from the bed like it was on fire and I grimaced, attempting to sit up and shocking myself when I couldn't. My body felt heavy, like I was being pinned down by the air itself.

My eyes narrowed. "Are you doing this?"

He shook his head as he tugged his boots back on. "You need to rest. Your body is crashing. Sleep, Leonora."

I wasn't sure why I obeyed, but my eyes slid closed and the last thing I heard was the click of the lock in the door as Hayes left.

ChapterSeven

By the time I woke,it was dark. I wasn't really sure how I could tell the sun had gone down—maybe it was a vampire thing. Like an itch under my skin that I hadn't realised was there until it was gone.

From what little I could remember from my childhood, I knew it would only get worse the older I became. The sunlight affected all undead vampires to an extent, but age and power played the biggest part in how well it could be tolerated. I hoped it was a long way off for me though, I would miss the sun eventually. I'd been a little uncomfortable outside earlier, after I'd jumped from the tower, but I didn't really have a gauge to compare the discomfort to know whether it was normal for an undead as new as me.

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