But when Stephan’s head looms closer to me, it's not my neck he goes for. It's my mouth.
And holy cow, when his lips crash against mine, it's like fire and ice crashing together, burning me up from the inside out.
I taste the coppery tang of my own blood on his tongue as he deftly delves into my mouth, kissing me until I'm breathless.
His hand comes up to hold the nape of my neck as he angles my head back to allow him deeper access.
He makes a sound that’s like a half growl, half groan, and I feel it reverberate through me straight to my core.
I moan into his mouth, and he jerks back with a curse, flinging me away from him.
I stumble and catch myself on the edge of the wall.
We both stand there staring at each other, chests heaving.
Stephan reaches one of his hands out to me, and I see it trembling.
The evidence of how much I affect him sends me trembling as well.
He catches himself when he's just a hair's breadth away from touching my cheek. He closes his hand into a tight fist and then pulls it back down beside him, the expression on his face torn. His eyes aren't glowing as red as they were, but they're still slightly red.
“Go to your room,” he orders me, but I can't move. I'm frozen to the spot, just staring at him.
When I can finally speak, I begin, “But—”
“To your room! Now!” he roars as he points at the door.
His tone spurs me to action, and I turn with a yelp and go running to the safety of my room. Once I slam the door shut, I lean my back against it and laugh maniacally.
Safety.There is no safety in these walls. He can materialize right through them like some sort of time traveler. There's no escaping him, and after that kiss, after what he just awakened inside of me, I'm not sure I even want to escape anymore.
I am so fucked.
Twenty-Four
Elena
I spendthe next few days in a weird sort of limbo. Maybe I should have tried to escape by now, but I've always been rational and realistic if nothing else. Stephan is a freaking vampire who can travel by simply willing himself to wherever he wants to go. There is no way on this earth that I'll ever be able to outrun him.
The only way I would be able to get out of here is to somehow slip off unbeknownst to him and get somewhere where he doesn't know where I'm at.
I have a feeling that he'll be able to track me down like a hound dog if I’m anywhere within a hundred-mile radius, what with my scent and everything that he's always going on about.
Fucking vampires and their incredible sense of smell. It's really a pain in my ass. No, I hate to admit it, but I've already fallen into a kind of routine.
I get up every morning and put on some of the ridiculously expensive clothing Stephan bought me.
Thank god he didn't outfit me with a bunch of stuff from the Victorian era, though there are definitely some super fancy dresses in there, like evening gowns. I don't know where he thinks I would ever have the occasion to wear them.
But there's plenty of practical stuff, even if they’re all expensive name brands I’d never be able to afford on my own.
I usually select a butter-soft pair of leggings and soft cashmere sweaters to wear. I'm all about being comfortable and wearing stuff that I have free range of movement in. I want to be ready at a moment's notice so that if I ever get the chance to bolt out of here, I can take it unhindered by restrictive clothing.
On top of that, I certainly don't want to look like I'm dressing to impress Stephan.
Even I have to admit that these leggings and sweaters somehow fit me way better than the simple ones I used to wear. I guess there really is a difference between those brand names and the off-brands I always bought.
And I can't deny the little flush of pleasure I get whenever Stephan’s eyes light on me in appreciation. It doesn't seem to matter what I wear or whether I wear my hair down or in a ponytail or even flopped up in a messy bun. He still looks at me with that look of hunger in his eyes.