Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
His flattened palm travelled up my spine until he was cupping the back of my neck, his thumb rubbing at a spot just below my ear. “Vas, I—”
“Fuck. I love it when you call me Vas.” A shudder went through him, and in turn, I trembled. The situation was so messed up I could barely stand it, but a part of me also didn’t want it to end. My body was awake and listening, every pore tingling with anticipation. Then, something unusual happened. A fizzy, warm sensation began to fill my stomach. It started like a tiny spark and continued to grow, humming with life.
“Look at you,” Vasilios growled, sending another pulse of desire shooting between my legs. His thumb continued rubbing below my ear, and I wanted to let out a moan so badly it almost hurt to keep it in.
“What’s happening?” I asked in a breathless panic. “Make it stop.”
His mouth was at my ear again, and that time his lips brushed over my skin. “It’s the mark. I think … I think it likes it when we’re close.”
Oh, for crying out loud. So that was why I was acting like that? Because of the mark?
Closing my eyes for a second, I questioned who I was and what I valued. The answer had become rather muddled during my time spent in the prison, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like not knowing who I was anymore. How I was accepting people and things I never would’ve accepted in the past.
I opened my eyes, twisting my head to peer at the slanted stone floor littered with metal spikes and the treacherous, rocky shore below.
At that moment, I made a decision.
If we survived, I needed to get back to my family and Peter, and I needed to remember all the things that truly mattered in my life. Then, the mark hummed in my chest. It was a reminder that getting back to my old life might not be so simple anymore. I had changed and I feared it wasn’t something that could easily be reversed.
18.
It took a while for the fizzing tension between us to die down, but eventually, I nodded off until a commotion woke me. It took me a moment to remember where I was and who I was with. I’d fallen asleep while standing in Vasilios’s arms. He held me while I slept? And was that a spot of drool on his shoulder?
I seriously needed a hole to open up and swallow me.
“What’s going on?” I whispered as I tried to tamp down my self-consciousness. His eyes wandered over me while what sounded like an argument ensued outside.
“I think the vampires have grown bored of standing guard. From what I can make of it, two of them want to leave, but the other is insisting they stay.”
“Let’s hope the two who want to leave win the argument.”
We continued to listen to their raised voices. The words were muffled, so I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but it sounded hostile. There was a sudden bang like someone had punched the wall, then the sound of heavy boots stomping away. Silence ensued, and then there was an audible sigh followed by muttered grumblings.
Vasilios and I shared a look.
“I think there’s only one out there now,” he whispered. “You know what that means?”
“We can take him?” I guessed.
He smiled. “Exactly.”
I lowered my arms from around his neck, my muscles aching from having stood in such a stiff position for so long. It was almost dawn, and the sky was beginning to brighten. That was another advantage for us. The vampire left standing guard would be weaker during the day.
I stretched my arms up and twisted from side to side, noticing Vasilios's concerted effort not to look at my body. We hadn’t discussed what happened during the night, how his demon mark had somehow caused unbearable arousal between us. I was still trying to get my head around the fact that it had actually happened and wasn’t just some shameful dream.
“You ready?” he asked, and I nodded.
He swished his hand over the lock on the door, and it quietly clicked open. I steeled myself, preparing for a fight, but none came. We opened the door and found the burly vampire sitting on the floor, snoring quietly. Vasilios and I shared a grin.
Silently, we crept past. I made sure I didn’t trip over the vampire’s feet because his legs were quite long. We were about to round the corner when we heard footsteps approaching, and we both stilled. The relief I felt when Sven appeared was immense.
“There you are! I’ve been searching the entire prison.”
“Hush,” I whispered. “You’ll wake the vampire.”
Sven wore a perplexed expression. “What vampire?”
“Just get moving. I’ll explain everything once we’re away from here,” Vasilios said as we hurried to the staircase.