Does she know what I am? And if so, how does she know? I've been very discreet about my after-dark activities, and I know I've never seen this pretty little angel before because if I had, I would certainly remember her.
"I've never fainted before," she mumbles.
I cock an eyebrow at her. "Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything."
She merely looks up at me askance.
"Should I flatter myself that it was my good looks and charm that overwhelmed you so?" I try to tease her to bring a smile to her pretty face, but she perplexes me when she just frowns and looks down.
"Something like that," she mumbles again.
My brow furrows, wondering what she could mean. She's a curious one, my little Britney. First, she was blushing and hardly able to meet my gaze, and now, while she still can't hardly look at me, she seems troubled by me for an altogether different reason.
And I don't like these new vibes I'm getting from her. I'm okay with her being flustered if it's because she's attracted to me and young and innocent and unsure of what to do with that attraction, but this is something else altogether.
And I intend to get to the root of it.
She moves to sit up straighter, and I'm at her side in an instant with a hand on the small of her back to assist her.
She stiffens under my touch and pulls away from me.
"Are you okay?" I ask her. "Would you like a drink or something?" It's odd, but when mortals get flustered, sometimes a drink of water or alcohol seems to calm them.
"Sure, just a glass of water if you don't mind," she answers while she nervously twists her fingers in her lap.
I survey her for a moment longer before I turn my back and head over to the drink tray where there's water and an assortment of alcohols and decanters laid out.
I hear just the slightest rustling behind me—so slight that were I not what I am I wouldn't have even heard it. I turn in a flash and watch as Britney's eyes widen at my superhuman speed. She's wielding a wooden stake in her hand and getting ready to plunge it into my back.
I grab her wrist, taking care not to be too rough but applying just enough pressure to cause her to release the stake.
It clatters to the floor between us, and she looks up at me with anger flaring in her eyes. I blink, surprised by the rage I see there. I'd expected a flash of fear after her failed attempt on my life. That's usually what I see when I stop someone from killing me and they realize their mistake.
But not Britney. She's staring up at me bravely, her pretty little chin lifted defiantly and her eyes flashing fire.
I know it's twisted, but something about the angry flush to her cheeks and the fire spitting from her eyes turns me on like nothing ever has before.
The woman just tried to kill me, and yet I've never wanted anyone more.
I smirk and give her a little tug, pulling her to me and closing the distance between us until her body is flush with mine. I band my other arm firmly around her back and revel in the feeling of her little breasts and stomach pressed completely up against me.
I can feel her thighs touching my own, and her head tilts back to stare up at me. She's such a tiny little thing, a fact that's made even starker with her pressed up against my large body this way. I marvel at the size difference between us and the rush of protectiveness and possessiveness that wells up within me.
This poor unwitting little angel that stumbled into my spider's web…
I should be angry that she just tried to kill me, but instead, I'm feeling a thrill of life like I haven't felt in centuries.
"And there it is," I murmur as I continue to gaze down into those blazing sapphire eyes.
If I wasn't certain before that this little human is my mate, I am now. The feeling of her body pressing against mine feels too right. I haven't even tasted her lips—much less her blood—yet, one truth is clear.
Britney ismine.