d for oxygen. Sweat prickled down my back, and every inch of my

happenin

But by Diana, something inside me wanted him t

ing nervous heat to settle low in

his effect on me, and I gritted my teeth together. Focu

esire. He was holding me becau

ood

ike I was about to jump into the frigid, white capped

ver, and water had filled my ears, the wailing of the violin

ke I was drifting in a current, and the o

The wretched vampire w

ips, I asked him, "W

len

I promp

sform." His voice was gravelly and ‎rough. E

relax, or thi

such a compromising position, on sta

. It's not poss

vibrated against my ear, sending unexpecte

hing difficult. Don't you

spoken connection between us, "but this whole thing is unnatural. The peop

I needed to be more careful wit

knew about me

hen he said, "Let's t

ine

agreed to. What else could

ed it from between his lips in a slow stream against my neck,

hold bac

e, then ‎breathed again. The smooth line

ms. Never before had

e you doing?

"Trying to ‎appeal to anot

tinct? Did h

. O

s lips ‎pressed against my neck. I'd had crushes, but that's all they ever wer

mother's status. Mama was too embarrassed by me to let me leave the protec

I was ‎destined to be alone. A spinst

ething ‎deep inside me I hadn't known

s time, he added a satisfie

ath stu

huckle rumbled

okay, I want to try one more thing." His words were slow and soft, an

‎this way, but we had to seal our pact with a

g. Waiting. Wondering

to do it, I had to

begrudgingly. "Do what

might, and I pretended he was someone else. Som

up my throat, from collarbone to the choke

ry good," he purred, a second before his lips close

he bite deepened. His grip around my waist was like steel when I ‎arched

n't stop me from imagining what h

my brow, and my grip on his hair loosened

‎the crowd as best I could with his teeth on me, searching for my sister. I need

I was good for no

The last thing I ‎remembered before blackness squeezed out

til my vision

nder my knees, another wrapped around my arms to hold a silk c

realized Bastien

ed? Where we

he dais. The people. His body agai

I'd let a vampire lick

wn," I mana

This is the second time y

ied about one shirt. Irritation and

ly make me pass out again. Now that I was in his service, I needed

t wor

teeth togeth

leading into a long hallway lit with wrought iron candelabras.

ot?" he

it makes m

held it against my neck. Temper smarting.

mean it make

as like hitting

o bid me to help them in the birthing beds, the healers who asked me to help

ut and was humiliated time and time again

ut every time I hear th

t a gasp as he strode inside and kicked it closed. The door was

e door, and he laid me down on a velvet settee before striking a match,

as he studied my neck. Wrestling the silk cloth from my

he asked distractedly. "I

of his blue eyes, which were fixed on my neck. When I did, I noticed a smear

tails talking about and seeing th

derstood. I wasn

e space between us. "Does it? I thought I w

reached for a chalice sitting on a sideboard. He poured a

year's worth of your so-ca

holding it ‎to my lips. "Are you always

in in my throat, and the vampir

you want to back out now, I'll understand." Oh

t backin

king my every movement with his head canted to one side. "Consent i

ust like you need me

hes apart. Fear crowded into my senses, but I pushed

ed you. Make

aze, not givi

ed our compact, and now he had no choice but to keep me. He migh

ery differe

e screamed off in

uffled sounds of a ‎struggle, and I pushed myself to my feet. "Get yo

rap