ChapterThirteen
Leo awoke to a soft humming nearby. He didn't recognize the tune, but something about it helped to relax his muscles a fraction.
Blinking his eyes open, he tried to focus on his surroundings. When he recognized his own bed, wardrobe, and chairs by the fire, it all came rushing back to him—kissing Yesenia, making her come twice, and then eventually collapsing in pain at breaking his vow to her.
"You're awake."
Yesenia's face came into view, her brows furrowed. Bloody fantastic, she'd seen him at his weakest now.
And for some reason, that irritated the hell out of him. He growled, "What are you doing here?"
Her frown deepened at his curt tone. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay. Nora said you would be eventually, but I needed to see it for myself."
"Why?"
She cleared her throat and smoothed the blankets over his chest a bit. Leo willed his cock to behave and focused on her reply. "You gave me two orgasms and in return, you collapsed in agony. It was a little unfair, as I was just as willing as you were, so the least I could do was help watch over you."
Although his pain was only a low ache at this point—he must've slept off most of the aftereffects—Leo didn't risk trying to sit up and embarrass himself in front of the female. "It's my fault, not yours. I should've stopped. I knew my vow, and yet I couldn't seem to keep it."
She leaned against the side of his bed and Leo wished she'd lie next to him. Just her presence seemed to ease him in a way he didn't fully understand.
However, Yesenia remained standing and asked, "How, exactly, does this lying business work? I didn't get the chance to ask Nora as she had to tame a few fires related to the business and it would've taken Ambrose a really long time to write it all out."
He smiled slightly. "I thought you mentioned something about having vampire studies when you were a child. Didn't they teach you about it then?"
She shrugged, and it only highlighted the long, dark hair rustling against her shoulders and chest. Before he could wonder how soft it would be between his fingers, she answered, "I did have vampire, and also shifter, studies as a teen. But, as you can imagine, vampires like to keep some secrets from the rest of us. We're taught the basics, of course, to protect ourselves. But not the intricacies. Just like the finer points of fae witch magic aren't taught outside our species, at least in my time. Your books here seem to spill quite a lot, though."
Spill seemed an odd word choice, even if he could deduce her meaning. But Leo had learned to overlook her strange speech patterns and merely answer her question. Given she was living with a bunch of vampires, she deserved to know. "Everyone knows a vampire can't lie or suffer pain. However, when it comes to promises or vows, it becomes murkier."
He paused a second, waiting for dread or reluctance to come over him, but it never did. He wanted to tell Yesenia anything she wished.
Which fucking scared him even more than merely liking her presence nearby. He was a bloody Dark Lord. He wasn't supposed to reveal all to a pretty female who didn't blink twice at disobeying his orders. It had to be his instinct again.
Finding his bride had revealed a whole new side to being a vampire, that was for certain.
Needing the distraction, he continued, "If I make a promise or vow and I violate it myself, then I suffer debilitating pain that can cause unconsciousness. However, if I make a promise and someone else's actions cause it to be broken, it doesn't affect me at all."
"So it comes down to what you can control."
"Yes." He studied her gaze, happy the frown was gone from her face. Even though it was a bad idea, he wanted to learn even more about her. "What was the tune you hummed?"
"Oh, that?" She laughed. "It was a popular song from my time period. There's a lot I don't miss from the twenty-first century, but music and a radio or streaming app is definitely one of them."
"I don't know what a ray-dee-oh or stream object is. But we have music here in 1890."
She smiled and his pain faded a bit more. "I know that, of course. But how can I describe pop music to you? It's usually upbeat and catchy, not to mention the lyrics often get stuck in your head. And while the singing isn't always the greatest, you don't really care because it makes you want to dance."
The image of Leo holding Yesenia in his arms as he waltzed around a ballroom flashed into his mind. Events with dancing were often tedious and he usually avoided them. However, right now, Leo wanted more than anything to hold his bride in his arms and twirl her around for all to see.
Bloody hell.What had happened to him since kissing her in the stairwell?
Then she had to go and brush hair off his forehead and he leaned into her touch as if he were a dog who wanted to have his ear scratched. Her voice was low when she finally spoke again. "At any rate, I'm sorry about what happened. I should've told you to stop when you revealed my breasts, let alone once you started touching my ears, and yet I couldn't seem to do so."
He raised his brows. "Even though I'm not a fae witch, are you saying I have a magical touch?"
She laughed and the urge to kiss her returned full force.
Yes, he was in big fucking trouble when it came to resisting his bride for much longer.