Page 15 of When Bones Whisper
“You okay?” Nathaniel asked.
Craning her neck, she peered up at him, observing the stern look on his face and how his brows were set in a constant furrow, as if the world was always disappointing him.
“That wasn’t terrible,” she said, although the nausea building in her stomach begged otherwise.
Her fingers grazed the tips of his dark locks, and she had the sudden urge to delve her fingers into them.
What was she thinking?
It was that damned vampire charm. Much like other creatures she’d read about, vampires were predators with allure. Like the sirens in her fictions, who would entice sailors with a beautiful song before devouring them.
“Good,” he said gruffly. “Welcome to Sallow Manor.”
She craned her neck to look behind them, while keeping her arms around him. A stone manor emerged from the dissipating fog, the roofs a silhouette of tall spires and towers. Her eyes flicked up to the stained-glass windows inlaid in sweeping gables and the carved mouths of gargoyles trickling rainwater.
Nathaniel walked through the heavy layer of fog clinging to the steps leading up to the double doors, before walking inside and up the sweeping staircase. Shadowy halls adorned with portraits narrowed as he veered right. At this point, she felt silly for still being in his arms. She could walk from this point, but the break from any physical exertion was nice.
Without warning, he sped up and hurried them down a corridor and into a guest bedroom. He dropped her suddenly, andshe flung her arms out, but was relieved to find a soft mattress to break her fall.
“G-good God,” she stammered.
“Nathaniel,” he corrected from the doorway.
With a tsk, she steadied herself by grabbing the edge of the mattress and sat upright. At least he had the decency to give her some space, if only several feet. Although a small part of her missed the closeness, which was insane. Something was definitely wrong with her. Or him. No,definitely him.
A faint scent of lavender and freshly washed linen surrounded her. She glanced around at the neatly tucked ivory sheets and blanket, and the intricately carved wooden posts of the bed. The smell was coming from a bouquet of lavender placed on top of a wooden dresser. She wasn’t sure what she had expected at the home of a vampire, but that was not it.
“You did not vomit,” he said, his voice strained.
Her piercing eyes flicked to his, and she asked, “Does that happen often to the people you abduct?”
“Yes,” he stated, deadpan, “but I didnotabduct you.”
Her lashes flickered as she gripped the sheets in her fists. All she could think about was Duke, and the staff she’d left behind to fend for themselves. She squeezed her eyes shut and blew out a long exhale before opening them again. “No, but I also had no choice in coming.”
“I got you out of there before the witches could murder you.”
She tilted her head slightly to the left and pursed her lips. “How altruistic of you.”
“I do not pretend to be a savior, Miss Lovett, but it does not matter. The fact remains you would be dead if it was not for me.”
“Would you like me to thank you?” she asked, swallowing the frustration in her voice.
In truth, she was not really mad at him, but the situation she’d found herself in. Duke was gone. Her home was gone. Even though she’d crossed a terrible line to get her estate back. It was all for nothing. Anger bubbled through her core, searing each emotion in a cloud of resentment.
“No. I only require your compliance,” he said, and she clenched the fabric of her nightdress in a fist. “You must remain here until I have taken care of the Avery witches.”
“Will you allow me to return home after?” she asked, her arms shaking from the rage of losing everything.
“No.”
“So I am to die?” she asked, her voice rising an octave, tears threatening to spill over. “Youdowant to become mortal, although like I said before, you are wrong about the method of getting there.”
She studied his every move. The way he watched her, carefully, with ancient, hollow eyes, and the muscle feathering in his jaw when he met her stare.
No one wants to live forever,” he said.
“Says the immortal vampire who does not feel pain.”
