Page 32 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Thrall

Rowan’s face lit up when he saw me though, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was glad I hadn't ruined whatever was between us, especially because I was worried about him. I frowned, realising it had slipped my mind that I 'd actually seen him after the library—in the corridor after I'd run from the wolf, when he'd lied to me.

I squinted at him as he approached and his smile faltered slightly. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"What?" I rearranged my expression and shook it off. "Oh. No! Sorry, I was just thinking about the other night. In the corridor?"

His face looked blank and then he nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course. What about it?”

Something about his response seemed strange, like he couldn't remember the encounter. "You were outside right?"

"Just a stroll," he said easily and I kept my smile in place even as my worry reignited. That wasn't what he'd said before and, unlike me, living vampires did need to actually sleep—so who went for a casual stroll at four in the morning? I'd have to mention it to Hayes, maybe he knew something I didn't about what was going on with Rowan.

For now, I would let it go.

"Listen," Rowan said, pulling me to a stop next to one of the alcoves in the wall. "You don't have to do this today. There are other techniques we could try first. Meditation. Hypnosis. I've been doing some reading and—”

"Well don't you two look cosy," a familiar voice remarked and a slight flush coloured Rowan’s cheeks.

"Jealous, darling?" I smirked at Hayes as he leaned against the wall opposite, watching us with a frozen look in his eyes."You should have seen us earlier," I taunted, leaning in close to Rowan so my lips were a hair's breadth from the pulse jumping in his throat. He swallowed hard and the wave of fury from Hayes made some part of me purr in satisfaction. I pulled back, not keen on inciting actual bloodshed between them. "We're going to see the mage, Rowan. If you don't want to come, then fine. But I don't want to waste my time meditating when the mage is more of a sure thing."

Promise of the bite fading, Rowan frowned but nodded. Hayes didn't look any happier as he stalked across the hall to capture my arm in his. "With me. Now."

Rowan’s eyes widened and I threw him a helpless look as Hayes pulled me into one of the large, empty rooms that usually held classes on the first floor.

The door slammed hard behind us, the frame rattling in protest against the harsh treatment and I raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind?"

His hand closed around my throat and I laughed, knowing he couldn't hurt me. Not truly. "Have you touched him?" The words were a snarl and I couldn’t tell if his jealousy was over me or whatever he had shared with Rowan in the past.

"You mean like this?" I murmured, brushing my mouth against the underside of his sharp jaw, letting my breath feather across all the sensitive, sweet places that called to me. My fingers coasted down his chest and his breaths seemed uneven, a quiet growl escaping him when I dug my fingers in and then stroked away the sting.

"Or like this?" I moved my mouth up to his, our breath filling the space between our mouths as desire hovered in a fog that shuttered my brain for a second. I kissed him, parting his mouth with mine and claiming his tongue for my own, nipping and sucking and drinking his reactions in before I broke the kiss with a savage thrust to his chest. "No," I said eventually and there was a flash of relief on his face, softening his eyes, until I continued, "Not yet." Hayes scowled and I laughed. "If you want him, I won't get in the way."

His face was unfathomable, the bond strangely closed off all of a sudden as he watched me lean casually against the wall. "And if I want you?"

I blinked, unsure if he was being serious.And if I want you?Such an innocuous question, covering up so much more. "You don’t," I said eventually and he was silent, just accepted my words like they held no importance. Maybe they didn't.

I loved to taunt him, liked to get as far under his skin as I could—and I knew he did the same thing to me.That was the beauty of knowing someone wouldn't ever leave. He could have my eternity, but giving him my heart? Well, he would need to work a lot harder for that.

An emotion I couldn't identify lit up his eyes and he relaxed as I wondered which of my thoughts he'd inadvertently picked up on.

"All of them," he replied, grinning when I scowled and I was thrown for a moment by the smile. I’d seen him smirk and taunt, but I wasn’t sure I’d seen a real smile from him until now. It was… more breathtaking than I wanted to admit. Like the very air smiled with him.

"You're quite the romantic," he commented and I flipped him off as I turned for the door.

"Shut up. Let's go see a man about a murder."

* * *

It wasstrange to be out of the castle, and to know that the last time I'd been truly out amongst humanity I'd been alive. So much had changed in a relatively short period of time and it would only keep changing the longer I stayed undead, the more powerful I grew—and if I got my memories back... well, I wasn't sure who I'd be then.

It felt like the world should have changed somehow, too. I was dead. Fuckingdead,and everything was the same, the world kept spinning. I was the one who was different and I was still working out if it was for the better. I had no idea who or what I might have left behind, who I might be missing or who might be missing me, and it was discomfiting to know someone out there might be worried, searching for me, mourning for me.

By the time we reached the mage's house I was more than ready to get back to Ashvale, if only so I could stop seeing what I was missing in the human world. It wasn't that I envied the humans, exactly, being a vampire was pretty fucking great. But having a choice in the matter would have been nice. I think that was what hurt me the most—watching humans and even the living vampires laughing, strolling around, taking all of thatchoicefor granted. The journey had been strangely tense, or maybe that was just me. Rowan and Novalie had chattered on in the back seat while Hayes drove and I stared out of the window. He didn't attempt conversation, which I was grateful for. I wasn't sure I had the bandwidth to spar with him at that moment. Weirdly, just sitting silently next to him was comfort enough, and I suspected Hayes knew as much.

I'd been so busy mourning humanity as we drove that I hadn't given much thought as to what I expected from the mage—it wasn'tthis,though.

A regular house on a tiny street that was well-lit, almost cottage-like with a small green door and romantic grey brickwork. It was...normal. And so was the guy who answered Hayes' knock. I wondered a little belatedly how Hayes knew this person, but it was probably pointless of me to ask. Hayes was tighter-lipped than anyone else I knew, or, at least, as far as I could remember.

The mage was tall, with a dark mop of curly hair that covered the tops of his ears. Younger than I'd have imagined too. Of course, I wasn't necessarily picturing a long beard and a pointy hat, but the faded jeans and flannel shirt open over a grey tee just felt... weird. I was supposed to put my faith in this guy?

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