his hands as he spoke, as if recalling all the horror they’d committed.
“I couldn’t protest Laurent’s decision without revealing Adelaide’s and my forbidden relationship, so I asked her to meet me at our spot the night it was to take place. Told her to wait there even if I got held up. Then, I rushed to her parents’ home—my home—to try to save them, but…”
“Garin.”
He startled when Lilac reached down to set her hand on his shoulder. When he turned to her, it was like he was seeing her for the first time. His brows knitted together in something almost like fear.
And then, she abruptly understood part—at least a diminutive shard—of the puzzling creature. His fickle sarcasm and anger masked pain.
Her insides slowly tightened, emotions turning jagged. She spoke slowly, openly allowing his starlit eyes to search hers.
“I don’t want you to tell me the rest of your story from there on the floor.” She bit her lip, cringing internally at her own wording.
“You want me to… stand, then?” He chuckled, looking at her cynically. “I am not one of your lowly subjects, mortal. You don’t order me around. Plus, I’d rather wallow down here, from my luxurious bed of timber.”
And then, she abruptly understood part—at least a diminutive shard—of the puzzling creature. His fickle sarcasm and anger masked pain.
“No,” she pressed, suppressing a smile. “I would like for you to finish what you were going to say, but… from up here.” She patted the mattress beside her. “If it is what you wish.”
“Are you sure?”
Lilac paused. She knew what she wanted—knew that it wasn’t his Darkling magic making her feel the things she did for him. Especially not in his weakened state; no, what she felt for him was utterly and wholly organic. He had protected her during their journey together, before and after Kestrel’s demands; her heart skipped a beat when the faerie king’s warning suddenly echoed in her ears.
By nature, vampires are protective of their prey. I advise you to keep this in mind, especially if your goal is surviving the journey.
But, through the everything, she felt some strange distant urge to protect him, too.
Lilac nodded.
Without another word, he stood with his pillow and walked to the other side of the bed, where he settled on top of the blanket next to her. “Is this all right with you?” He propped himself up on one folded arm.
There was nothing more she wanted than to curl up there, under the shield of his body. But she remained upright beside him, arms still wrapped around her knees.
“If it is with you.”
Garin cleared his throat. “Where was I… Ah. I asked Adelaide to meet me at our hideaway in the woods, then raced to her parents’ house to warn her family. I even considered bringing them to the hideaway until the raid was over. But her father knew right away what I was. He attacked me with a ready-made stake—the bugger was prepared—and we fought. He sliced his hand open on one of the hearth stones in the kitchen, right after I’d slammed him into the mantle. My mistake was that I hadn’t had blood in weeks; underneath her feelings for me, I reckoned she was still afraid of what I was—” he broke off, shaking his head. “I was trying to be good.”
“You couldn’t control it.”
“Not an ounce.”
Heartbeat in her throat, Lilac fought the urge to reach out and touch him again. Her fingers itched to run themselves along his bicep, down his refined chest—instead, she locked them tightly around her folded legs. She looked over and found him staring up at her through his lashes. Her pulse went wild.
“Garin,” Lilac said quietly. “It was an unfortunate but honest mistake. You had good intentions for her.” Her gaze returned to her own hands, and she wondered if it made her a horrible person for consoling such a creature. What difference did it make if a villain believed he was doing the right thing? Any at all?
“Please. Don’t be so kind,” he said roughly. “She must have felt something was wrong when I didn’t show up, even if I told her to wait at our spot. Or, witches have that weird intuition, I don’t know. As I was drinking from her sister,” he said with a disgusted grimace, “Adelaide burst through the door, shrieking. Understandably.”
Garin swallowed hard at the memory. “It was only then that I was able to break out of it—I was consumed entirely.”
“That’s horrible,” Lilac said softly,