a deep breath to banish the feeling of being unwanted. Again. “Darkness comes on quickly here. We should get moving. It’s a long walk from here to the brugh we’re staying in. I think we should stay there tonight. It’s safer than being in the woods.”
He reached out and touched my shoulder. “Summer, I’m trying to slow down. I came on too strong in the beginning. I want to give you time to get to know me. Am I screwing up again? It’s been a long time since I felt like this. Like an untried boy fumbling his way.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I should thank you for the pleasure. I’ve never fed a vampire before. It was nice. I enjoyed myself.”
“How very Fae of you,” he said, his amusement obvious. “I’m glad you had a lovely time. My cock is cursing me. But now my head is clearer and I realize I forgot a few steps. I should have told you how beautiful you are. I should have kissed you more and gotten my hands on you. I should have touched you and shown you how precious you are to me. You are stunning, Summer. I could stare at you for hours, but there’s more to you than a gorgeous face. When my soul brushes against yours, I am content in a way I’ve never felt before.”
This male confused me. I could still feel his arms around me, and he hadn’t gotten properly physical with me yet. I didn’t want this, didn’t want to want him. I wanted something easy, and I was fairly certain Marcus Vorenus was going to be difficult. I was absolutely certain Marcus wouldn’t be able to handle Turi. Marcus was strong, but Turi had an army at his beck and call.
Still, I almost knew what he meant. Something had happened when Marcus had drawn my blood into his body, some connection I couldn’t deny. I’d felt both strong and weak in that moment, but the weakness had a sweetness to it, a pleasantness that let me know I didn’t always have to be strong because he would be there for me.
“You don’t know me.” I couldn’t trust this feeling. Knowing I was truly a companion, that the glow that vampires could see hadn’t merely been a gift from my father’s vision of what his daughter would look like but rather a truth written into my odd DNA, had given me some peace. But it also let me know that other things had been written into my DNA, and one of them would be my attraction to vampires. I’d always been drawn to them, but nothing like the pull Marcus had. He could influence me in a way that should scare me, that did scare me.
“I know what I need to know,” he replied, dropping his forehead down to rest against mine in a sweet gesture that moved me far more than sex would have. “But I want to know everything. I want to know what’s happened to you. I want to know why there’s a sadness inside you that you can’t quite hide with your smile. I definitely want to know why you’re not with your Fae family. They promised your mother and father that they would take care of you. It was the only reason they’ve had a moment’s comfort over the years. Why are you alone? Where are they?”
I stepped back. I had a good way to save myself. It was called the truth. Once Marcus knew it, he wouldn’t be so hot to claim me as his mate. “They’re dead.”
His head came up and his gaze had sharpened. “Was it this Turi person?”
“No.” There was only one truth. “It was me. I killed them.”
His eyes flared and I knew I’d managed to actually shock the man. His hand went to his chest and then I was the one who was shocked because a dart stuck out of it.
I started to reach for him, but something stung my shoulder. The pain was brief but my vision almost immediately went fuzzy.
“Adam, I’ve got both targets down. We’re dealing with a Fae consort and a really weird vamp since he’s not wearing protective gear and his skin’s not burning,” a deep voice said.
“Summer, you must run,” Marcus managed to get out.
“Summer can’t run because she’s been given a big old dose of nighty-night juice. Summer has been a bad girl,” the deep voice said. I turned and began to fall, but strong arms