Page 57 of Auctioned for Her Blood
“Afraid so.” He grins. “Looks like you’re stuck with me till sunset.”
I laugh.
“What’s funny?”
“I’ve always been afraid of the dark, but you’re afraid of the light.”
“It’s more than just fear, little dove. Sunlight is one of the few things that can kill me.” Rising, he steps beside the window. His body braces, every muscle tightening, and then he swipes his index finger through the beam of light.
His head jerks to the side in shock. Then he flicks his finger through the sunlight again. “Strange.”
I step up to his side. “What’s strange?”
“The sunlight. It didn’t burn me.”
I stretch my hand toward the beam, and yelp, pulling it back in pain.
“Ah! What?” My hand is sizzling and the smell of burning hair and flesh fills the room. My knees crumple in pain, but Ryker catches me in his arms before I fall and carries me to the bathroom, cradling me in one arm as he turns on the tap with the other.
He passes my hand under the cold water, but the burn has already subsided, the sting almost gone, and I watch in awe as the wound fades to nothing.
We stare into each other’s eyes. Clearly he’s as shocked as I am.
“Am I…” My chest tightens around a ragged breath. “Am I avampirenow? Because you bit me?”
He shakes his head. “That’s not how it works. Transitions are dangerous and take days, sometimes weeks. Nothing we did last night would come close to causing that.”
“Then what’s going on?”
He carries me back to the bed. “I have no idea.” I slide my hand over a ragged scar on the front of his shoulder, wondering what caused it, but wanting to know so many other things first.
Turning toward the window, he slides off the bed. “Stay back.” He holds up his hand toward me.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going near that window again.” Even though I miraculously healed, the burn’s pain is seared into my mind—no way did I imagine that—and I never want to feel that kind of agony again.
Ryker tests the sunlight, first with a flick of his finger, then more boldly placing his entire palm in the path of the light.
“Holy shit.” Taking hold of the curtain’s edge, he turns back to me. “Get on the other side of the room. Stay away from the light.”
I don’t need to be told twice, and move to the side of my dresser. After seeing I’m safe, he pulls the curtain a few inches away from the window, and sunlight streams through, bathing his naked body in warm light and redoubling my admiration of his physique. But while his sunbathed body is impressive, it’s the expression of pure joy and wonder on his face that truly captures my attention.
“The sunlight doesn’t burn?” I ask, and he looks toward me, shaking his head.
“Why did it burn me?”
“I don’t know.” Closing his eyes for a moment, he draws a long breath as if he can inhale the sunlight, then he lets the curtain drop and carefully adjusts it so that no more light can peek through.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Shaking his head, he reaches out his hand as he walks toward me, and I fall against his hard body as his arms envelop me in their power and warmth.
“I wish I knew.” He kisses the top of my head. “What’s the curtain situation in the living room?”
“They’re shear.”
“Aw, then I guess we’re stuck in bed today.” His hand traces down my spine, and my hips shift against him in reaction.
“I can think of worse ways to spend the day.” My hand explores the solid mound of his ass, a few scars there too.
