My mind instantly puts two and two together. She's a waitress from the fancy joint just a couple of blocks up. I've "eaten" there many a time. How have I never seen this beautiful little angel before?
And that's what she is. An angel sent down from heaven. I'm suddenly filled with shame and self-loathing. This woman is young. She barely looks legal. She's pure and beautiful and innocent, and who am I to taint her with my touch?
She doesn't deserve to be soiled by a monster like me, a devil too sinful even for the depths of hell.
With more self-control than I've ever exhibited, I pull back from her. Every muscle in my body is taut as I physically restrain myself from sinking both my fangs and my cock inside her.
I've never wanted anyone as much as I want this little mortal standing so fearlessly in front of me.
And it would be so easy to take her any way I want. But the thought of seeing that pure, vibrant life draining from her eyes makes me sick to my stomach. Like I'll have really and truly committed the worst sin.
It's ironic. I've killed thousands of people and never felt an ounce of remorse for it. I just saw it as doing what had to be done to sustain myself. Call it the food chain and survival of the fittest, if you will.
But somehow the thought of draining this precious girl of life makes me feel like I really would damn myself more than I already am.
"Who are you?" She speaks in a breathy whisper, and her voice is like the sweetest melody. It washes over me and pulls at something inside me that feels suspiciously like my heart, an organ I'd long since thought dead.
I don't answer her. Instead, I cup the side of her cheek, electricity shooting through me where my fingers make contact with her petal-soft skin.
My eyes capture hers, and I allow my power to wash over her.
Her eyelids flutter closed, and I'm already mourning the loss of the light those pretty blue eyes shined on me. I catch her to my chest as she slumps.
Unfortunately, I can't erase her memory of me, but I can put her into a temporarily catatonic state.
I lift her into my arms effortlessly. I'm stronger than a mortal, but even without my unnatural strength, I can tell she weighs no more than a feather.
I can't resist stroking my hand over her cheek and testing the silky softness of that long blond hair that’s falling over my arms.
A quick check of the identification she carries on her tells me where she lives. I summon my driver with a thought.
I look back down at her I.D. as I wait for my driver to show up.
Elena Martin. "Elena," I voice her name softly, tasting it on my tongue. My eyes rove over her face that's still just as beautiful in its peaceful slumber as it was when she was awake and staring up at me with wide eyes. The name suits her.Elena.
I finally hear James pull up. He knows better than to ask questions when I step out of the shadows with a woman's tiny frame cradled against my chest, so if he's curious about what I'm doing with her, he keeps his thoughts to himself.
I tell him the address and then raise the glass separating him from us so I can stare down at her in privacy.
Her sweet scent is still surrounding me, and while it's no less difficult to keep myself from tasting her, I find the need to protect her is stronger.
It's a curious sensation...one I've never experienced before.
I don't like the thought of any harm coming to this little mortal—by me or anyone else.
When we arrive at her address, I frown as I take in the decrepit-looking old building. The interior is no better than the exterior, I note as I carry her up to her apartment.
Paint is curling and peeling back from the walls, and the smell of mixed cuisine wafting out into the hallways is more than a little nauseating.
I open her door with one hand while still cradling her close to my chest.
A quick survey of her tiny apartment has my frown deepening. The place is sparse, if neat and tidy.
I glance back down at the angel in my arms.She deserves better than this...
She deserves a castle. She deserves to be draped in diamonds and silks and given all the riches and treasures her little heart desires.
My chest tightens again as I carry her to the bed and lay her gently down on it. My eyes rove over her as I take in her black skirt and button-up blouse with a frown.