Chapter 20

Olivia’s POV

For a long second, neither of us moved. We just looked at each other, and my finger was still on Damien’s lip.

Then, with a growing dread and a sinking feeling of realization, I snapped my hand away and treated in terror. I tripping in my haste, and fell down on my backside. Still, I scurried away until my back was up against the wall. I didn’t even try to stand.

“I didn’t mean to!” I said quickly.

Damien rolled off the bed and stood. He motioned for me to stand, and I hurried to, not wanting to make him even angrier.

“I wasn’t actually asleep,” he said, somewhat lightly. He wasn’t smiling but he didn’t seem as ice cold as usual. Was he even really mad? “I noticed you when you came in. I decided to pretend to be asleep, curious what you would do.”

As I looked at him, my eyes went wide. Why would he pretend to do that? What could possibly be his purpose?

Damien came closer to me, then, grabbed me my arms, and pulled me into his embrace. In a flash, he had me spun around and pressed down onto the bed, with him half rolling on top of me.

I utterly froze, entirely confused.

He lowered his face to my ear and, dropping his voice deep, asked, “Now. Tell me why you sneaked to my bed and touched my lips.”

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, fear tightening inside of my chest, making my heart thunder so loud I could barely hear myself. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It was an accident!”

“An accident?” he asked, a look of doubt in his eyes. “You accidentally came to my bedside and reached out to touch me?”

“Uh… yes?” I knew it was weak reasoning, but I didn’t want him to be mad at me. He seemed okay right now, but vampires were unpredictable. Anything could change in an instant.

Damien kept looking at me, his expression unreadable, though his voice stayed light as he said, “I don’t believe you.” He tilted his head to one side. “Your heart is beating too fast. That’s a clear indicator of lying.”

The first sign of annoyance, his lips started to curl down at the edges. “I don’t like when my pet lies to me.”

I had been lying yes, but that wasn’t the only reason my heart had been beating so quickly. Since I didn’t want him to dig too deeply and uncover the other reason my heart might race, I decided to come clean with the lie.

It might also help me stay on his good side.

Still, what I had to say was a little embarrassing, so when I explained, it was in a quick whisper.

“When I woke up at the hospital, I felt a little strange. It was avoidable at first, but when I came into the room with you, and when I saw you… I wanted to be closer to you. I don’t know why.”

Humming, Damien lifted his hand up to the side of my neck and began lightly stroking. I shivered somewhat, feeling his cold touch. My skin was also sensitive after having spent so long under a collar. Being touched there felt like the first time in a long time, especially when the touch was soft and not a sharp bite.

“It’s the blood bond,” he said.

I blinked, trying to refocus on his face and the words he was saying. It was difficult, when I just kept feeling his touch on my bare neck.

“By giving you a drop of my blood, I established a blood bond between us,” he explained. “That way, you could share my restorative abilities. Eventually, you might even receive a special gift.”

“A special gift? What do you mean?”

“Over time, I could turn you into a vampire if I so wished it,” Damien said.

I blinked, surprised. “You would do that?”

“I haven’t decided,” he said indifferently. “But I could. And with my blood inside of you and the prospect of eternity on your mind, your body will naturally be drawn to me.”

I swallowed thickly, trying to concentrate. He continued to trace his fingers up and down the column of my throat. It was so distracting.

“Do you feel it to?” I asked.

“No,” he replied. “The blood is mine, so I am not as affected.”

“Oh,” I said, and then blushed a little, embarrassed by my own feeling of disappointment.

Damien looked at me, and though his face remained passive, there was a touch of amusement dancing in his eyes. I wondered if this was something new, or if I was only able to see it now because of the blood bond.

He traced my neck only once more, then leaned back, giving me space.

“You must be tired,” he said. “Go and lay down on your blankets and rest.”

Not knowing what else to say and unsure how to wade through my mess of feelings, I decided to take the escape he had offered me. I slid out from under him and pushed myself off the bed. Moving around, I returned to my mess of blankets, made myself comfortable, and closed my eyes.

Oddly, even on the floor like this, I found myself feeling comfortable and relaxed. I felt safer than I had since I arrived at the vampire castle, and sleep found me easily for the first time in a long time.

In my dreams, Damien was still over me in the bed, but this time, rather than let me go, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He coaxed my mouth open, and slipped his tongue inside. At the same time, his hand traced down from my neck, over my collar bone to my breast, where he lightly teased me with his palm.

I gasped and moaned. Unable to hold myself back, I reached up, grabbed him by the shoulders, and held on like he was my lifeline and I was drowning in the ocean.

I couldn’t get enough of his kisses, or the feel of his tongue in my mouth.

And when I woke up, I could still feel his lips against mine, like a phantom, lingering kiss.

Damien was fully awake now. Sitting at his desk, he looked over at me. Lifting one brow, he asked, “What were you dreaming about?”

In a blast of heat inside of myself, I realized that my desire for him was not limited to the dream world. Just as I had wanted to kiss him then, I still longed for it now in reality.

My face burned with embarrassment. Not knowing what else to do, or how to fully process this situation, I stood and fled from the room.

Damien didn’t stop me.

As I ran down the stairs of the tower, I wanted to cry. In feeling this way for Damien, I had betrayed my innocent love with Jacob.

How unfaithful I was being to my fated mate!

I couldn’t allow this to continue. I had to keep Jacob at the forefront of my thoughts and only think about Damien when it was absolutely necessary.

To commit myself to this, I found a piece of paper and a bit of charcoal and started sketching Jacob’s face.

I had to remember him. I should have been doing this from the start.

Yet, before I could finish, someone tugged the paper from my hands.

My heart jumped as I realized it was Damien.

Damien frowned at the drawing before lowering it down. Coldly, he asked, “Who is this man?”