Page 7 of A Kiss From a Revenant
His grip on me never falters. Instead, he stares down at me with a bemused expression. That enrages me even more. He is not willing to help me, and now he is keeping me against my will. I fight against him, but it is of no use.
The creature chuckles again before shaking his head.
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been amused. Quite a novel feeling.” He pulls me closer, our bodies nearly touching. “Go on, tiny human. Tell me why you’ve summoned me.”
With a deep sigh, I cease my struggling. This is my one chance to get what I need from him. Mother always warned me that creatures like him were fickle and their amusement could turn into annoyance in an instant. I should take advantage of his goodwill while I have it.
“There is a woman in town—she and her children are suffering greatly at the hands of her wretched husband.” I lick my lips. “If you would agree to help me, I could lure him out for you, and you could kill him just as you did Lord Gunnar last night.”
The revenant’s face twists, and I hold my breath, waiting for him to decide he’s heard enough and chooses to make a meal out of me instead.
“If devouring that disgusting man last night has given you the impression that I’m some sort of undead vigilante, then you have the entirely wrong opinion about me, human.” I lower my brows as he presses on. “And what would my reward be for aiding you in dispatching this man? His festering blood—rotten from his putrid soul.”
I can’t hide my cringe. “Well, yes—I have some gold if you would like that as payment instead.”
The creature's eyes roam over me. I feel his burning gazelike a caress. It’s different from the way Gunnar would look at me. My reaction to it is different as well. I don’t dislike how it makes me feel—I don’t want to hide from him. I must have truly lost my mind. First, I summoned a demon, and now I am letting him gaze at me with unbridled wanting. The urge to flee is also suspiciously missing the longer I stare back at him.
Licking his lips, his eyes blaze red.
“What about you?”
My body becomes warm and heavy. Without his grip on me, I know I would collapse to the ground in a puddle.
“What about me?” My voice sounds rough to my own ears.
The revevant skims his finger up my wrist, digging softly into my pulse point.
“The only way I’d be tempted to enter into this arrangement with you is if you offered me your blood as payment.”
A gasp puffs from between my lips.
“I—I don’t wish to die.”
Despite my desire to save Isabelle and her children, I don’t want to relinquish my own life for it. The revevant merely chuckles, his hand on my wrist moving higher, dancing between my own.
“It would be a waste to drain you dry in one go. I can savor it—savor you.”
His hand ghosts over my cheek before falling away.
“Still,” he says, “despite how tempting you are, I would require more than just your blood to satisfy me. Especially if there are others you wish to aid through our partnership.”
My cheeks warm at his assertion. “I hadn’t mentioned helping others.”
“But you would,” he says. “I tasted it in your blood—if I agreed to your terms, you’d seek me out to help all those you deem worthy of it. A noble feat—one I will indulge should I be compensated in a way I see fitting.”
My tongue suddenly feels too large in my mouth. FeelingsI’ve never had before swirl inside me, encouraging my body to warm. I should be quick to deny what he wants—to tell him this was a mistake and that I am certainly not on offer.
I do nothing of the sort and am startled to realize that I am considering his proposition. However, I must make certain of what he is asking before I agree.
“Speak plainly, what is it that you demand of me?”
I sound breathless. The revevant is quiet in contemplation for a moment. His eyes continue their slow descent from my head to my chest. Lingering in my places that make my heart speed up.
“Companionship,” he says finally.
His request is odd enough to give me pause. He must read the confusion on my face as he presses on.
“I have been a solitary creature all my life. Created alone inThe Woodsby my maker, I survived on the blood of animals until I grew old enough to wander. Once I was mature in body and magic, I travelled this world as a seeking appetite, my only motivation was to satiate the hunger inside of me.” His eyes burn, and I feel the warmth on my face. “Over the centuries, I’ve grown envious of your kind. Your bonds, your closeness.”
