Page 7 of Blood Vows
And the silence…the silence that was starting to gnaw at me, making me push for something.
“So, any chance a vampire would have any need for painkillers?”
He grumbled something, low and unintelligible, the sound more growl than word. I didn’t catch it, but it wasn’t hard to imagine the translation. Probably something along the lines of weak human or useless mortal. The typical lines straight out of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Ironically, one of my favorite genres…damn him.
Although admittedly, right now, it was justenemies to enemies.
Not that I was suggesting there was ever going to be anything else. I mean, seriously, what was I thinking? It wasn’t like I was about to start some kind of supernatural harem with three brothers. The thought opened another door I wasn’t quite ready to look through, as according to them, I had already been claimed by two of them.
Because if what the brothers had said was true, that I was their fated one, and if he really was their brother…then what did that make me to him?Was that why he hadn’t hurt me? Had he already figured it out and was furious because of it? Because I was the one thing he couldn’t kill, couldn’t harm, couldn’t even lock up. Was I now a new complication he never saw coming without destroying his own plans?
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t screaming in fear, why I hadn’t since the moment I’d looked into those strange, fathomless eyes. Because some part of me already knew he wouldn’t hurt me.
Or maybe I was just tired of being afraid.
“Yes, I know what painkillers are,” he said suddenly, his deep voice slicing through the quiet and jolting me out of my thoughts.
“Oh,” I managed, blinking at him.
“Good. I was beginning to wonder.” He didn’t rise to the bait. The silence stretched between us again until, finally, he muttered,
“I might be able to find some, but first, let me see your hand.” I was shocked by this, looking down at it as if the hurt was a thing of the past. Now questioning if it had ever been there in the first place, prompting me to say,
“Oh, it’s fine, and nothing to concern your…”
“I wasn’t asking.” He stated sternly, making me gulp when he held his hand open expectantly, ready to see my claim for himself. So, I rolled my eyes and placed it in his much larger hand, one big enough to swallow it whole. However, with that gentle touch of his, he curled his long fingers slightly before lifting it up for his inspection. His eyes narrowed on the red mark on either side of my finger.
“Tell me, are you always this clumsy?” he asked, making me grumble a sigh.
“Only when big Vampires stalk me in the night and sneak up on me,” I replied, making me scoff,
“I entered a doorway to my own kitchen, so I hardly think that constitutes as stalking or sneaking up on you.” He argued, making me smirk, knowing I had gotten to him. Already deciding to take it to the next level, I recommended fearlessly,
“Then may I suggest we get you a little bell to wear so I know when you’re coming…you know,like a pet cat,”I whispered this last part, making him look shocked again that I would tease him. Surprise that thankfully amused him enough to make his lips twitch as he once again fought a grin.
However, it quickly turned into a sinful smirk as he leaned down closer, tightening his hold on my hand when I tried to retreat. Then he warned,
“Call me a pet again, little rabbit…I dare you.”I swallowed hard, and he grinned at the sight of my discomfort, as if feeding from it. But then something strange happened when my headache hit once more, making me wince in pain. A sight of avery different type of discomfort that this time he didn’t look to enjoy as much, as he let go of my hand instantly.
“Painkillers.” He muttered, and there was something in his tone, like an edge of irritation that made me wonder if he was more annoyed at himself than at me this time. As if it hadn’t even crossed his mind that I might be in pain. Or that mortals even felt pain in a way that mattered.
I caught myself studying him as he moved across the kitchen, his tall frame cutting through the dim light. He opened one of the cupboards that had been too high for me to reach. And with a single motion of ease, he reached in and found a bottle. Then he walked back to me and handed me the painkillers. The contrast between what his brutal hands were capable of and the gentle way he handed them to me sent a strange chill down my spine.
I stood there, awkwardly watching, unsure if I should speak again or just vanish into the shadows altogether. A shiver coursed through me, unbidden, as I imagined what other things those hands might do. A thought that startled me enough that it gave birth to a new fear.
Because I wasn’t sure what was worse anymore, the worry that he might hurt me, or the strange, dangerous certainty that he wouldn’t.
As right now, one seemed far more terrifying than the other. And as I stood there, now clutching the hem of my sleeve and forcing myself to breathe, I couldn’t stop wondering what he had planned for me.
And whether I’d survive it…
The way I hoped I would.
4
LOCKING OUT EMOTION
Itried to wait for him to break the tension first, but when I finally hit my limit on standing there squirming under his intense gaze, I finally cracked. Then I made the mistake of stepping past him as I moved toward the fridge. That massive shoulder turned slightly, his head following in a questioning way before his voice cut through the quiet.
