13. Violet

13

VIOLET

To pounce, or not to pounce? That is the question that filters through my mind. The way he is looking at me is different. Veiled. Not the arrogant stare from earlier.

"Hi," he says quietly, dispelling any ideas that I had of giving in to the blood lust, and other lust that is smacking me in the face.

"Hey," I reply. "Got some big books there."

He frowns, glances down at the two huge tomes stuffed under his arm and smiles affably. "Oh, yeah. Homework."

"Ugh," I mutter.

Then we go back to staring at each other.

"So, I should go and?—"

"Do you want to come in?"

He blinks.

I blink.

"Sure," he says cautiously, shifting the books and gripping his cane tighter .

I step aside and let him pass, breathing in when he brushes against me. My skin tingles, and I slam the door louder than I wanted to before leaning against it, trying to gather my thoughts. "What homework is it?"

He carefully places the books on the armchair in the corner of the room and turns to face me, leaning on his cane as he eyes me up speculatively. "Vampire stuff."

"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow and move closer.

"Yeah, you're fascinating to me."

"In what way?" My mouth has gone dry as those green eyes glimmer with something wicked but exciting.

He purses his lips before he says, "Vampires, for the most part, are made, not born. Sure, you get the ones who are spawned from two vampires, but most of you were human and turned. I find that intriguing. It's different. Ice Demons are all born. You don't get to be made into one."

My mouth drops open, agog.

I don't think I have ever been agog before, but right now, I am agog. "Demon?" My voice is a croak as the heaviness of that sits on my chest.

He narrows his eyes. "Yes."

"Like from hell?"

He snorts. "You could call it that."

"Ice hell?" I venture, trying to imagine a world that could be called that. I fail miserably. There isn't enough imagination for that .

"Hmm. What are you thinking right now?" He gazes at me like an inquisitive cat.

"Demon… one associates that with being evil. Are you evil, Caine?"

"What is evil?" He shrugs nonchalantly.

I'm back to being agog, but then I have a word with myself to grow up and stop being such a lame-arse human (turned vampire).

But when I open my mind and think about it, I guess he doesn't know what evil is. You can only know what evil is if you are subjective to it, and if he was born and raised a Demon, he just… is.

"I've shocked you," he says carefully, gauging my reaction.

I shake my head emphatically. "No, not at all. I understand. Philosophically speaking, I understand that you have no concept of good or evil. That is human morality that defines what is good and what is evil."

He looks taken aback but then smiles. "Well, aren't you enlightened then, snowdrop?"

"I try to have an open mind," I say, knowing that isn't entirely true, but also not a lie. I just didn't expect to be confronted with an Ice Demon who I have the serious hots for.

"I suppose you have no choice," he murmurs, looking around the room.

"Not really."

"How are you feeling after… earlier? "

"Okay." Lie. Shaky, uneasy and scared are more accurate.

He looks like he wants to say something but then turns his head to the side to stare at the books. "We need to talk."

My blood runs a bit cooler. That is never a good sign. Perhaps not even with Ice Demons. "Okay."

"Sit." He indicates the bed with his cane but doesn't join me when I crawl onto it. He leans against the dresser and regards me with those all-seeing eyes. I swear he can see down to my soul when he looks at me that way. I feel vulnerable and exposed, but I don't hate it.

"Go on," I prompt when he doesn't say anything for a few seconds.

"As I said, I'm doing some homework about your kind. About you. Can I ask you a blunt question, Violet?"

"You can ask; I might not answer, though."

He smiles slowly. "Wise woman. Please don't take this the wrong way, but this bond you have with your sire. Is it something that you want?"

At first, I don't think I heard him correctly. But when his stare becomes more intense, I realise that he did say what I thought he said. I try desperately not to take offence because I honestly don't think he means it in a shitty way, but I can't seem to make words, or form thoughts.

"I told you it would be blunt," he says .

"Well, you weren't kidding," I choke out. "No. No. I don't want it."

"Then I think I may have a solution to offer you."

"What?" I ask, getting to my knees as if he has offered me a lifeline in this imperfect storm, I find myself adrift in.

He taps the books with the tip of his cane. "There is a spell, well, a ritual actually, that could sever a bond between a sire and their charge. It's risky. Extremely dangerous if not performed down to the exact science."

"I want to do it," I blurt out, kneeing my way over the bed to climb off so I can grab the books.

"Slow your roll, snowdrop. We need to check this out with Blackthorne first."

I ignore him and dive for the books, but with a wave of his hand, they vanish, and I growl at him, flashing my fangs as they extend in my anger at his denial.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Violet," he murmurs, staring at my mouth and throwing me off-guard.

I suddenly wonder what he would taste like. Like a blood-flavoured Slush, I bet. I want to chase it with the fiery warmth from Flint's Dragon blood.

Caine reaches out and wipes a bit of drool from the corner of my mouth with a knowing smirk. "I'm not risking your life, Violet. We need to proceed with extreme caution."

"We don't have time for caution. I want this thing gone from my soul!" I snap. "You don't get it. It's a violation. It's intrusive and an invasion . I want it gone!"

"While that reassures me that you are not your sire's willing little charge, I will say this again, snowdrop. I'm not risking your life. His, I don't give a flying fuck about, but yours… no. Don't ask me to give you this information without fully vetting its possibilities."

"Why do you care so much?"

"That bond you have with him is borrowed, Violet. You are nothing more than on loan to him because the creature who truly owns you, the one you are destined to be with, is me. He stole you from me and I don't take kindly to theft of what is mine. I will rip you from him and then stake him before dancing on his ashes for daring to even attempt to take you from me."

His words are chilling. Frightening in every syllable, and I shiver with fear at the intensity of his tone, the possessiveness.

"I'm not something anyone owns ," I grit out.

"Who said you were? I said you were mine, Violet. Mine to protect, mine to avenge, mine to worship and ensure your safety and happiness."

"Fucking hell, Caine!" I snap, shoving my hands into my hair. "Stop with this. You don't even know me!"

"I know enough. I know that my soul craves yours. I know that when I first saw you twirling in the snow that you were the woman I needed in my life." He reaches out and cups my face, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. "When I kissed you, I knew you were mine."

I stare into his eyes and practically melt into a puddle of goo. Doesn't everyone want to hear these words he is saying? But I just can't trust that he means them when I only met him a few hours ago. It doesn't make sense.

Unless, to him, to other supernaturals, it does. Maybe fate and soul mates, love at first sight, and all that shit isn't shit after all. Look at the bond between Nathaniel and me. Hated and unwanted on my side, it is still there. It still makes me feel things I'm disgusted to think about, let alone speak out loud. I have so much to learn about this new world I've been thrust into, and I don't even know where to start.

"Why did you tell me all of this if you were going to go to Blackthorne anyway? Did you mean to, or is it only because I caught you outside my room holding the evidence?"

He tears his gaze away from my lips but doesn't let me go. "I was coming to tell you first. You have a right to know. This is your life, your choices. It's why I needed to know if breaking this bond is something that you want to do. How did you know I was outside your room?"

"I felt you," I whisper and that right there tells me all I need to know. I lower my gaze and sigh. "Fine, go to Blackthorne, but please do whatever it is you need to do quickly. I want this gone."

"I know," he says and drops his hand. "Get some rest, Violet. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

I should tell him to go, but I don't want to. So, I don't. I nod and gesture to the windows, where the sun is well above the horizon now. "Can you shut the curtains? I don't want to wake up a pile of ash."

He snickers and waves his cane, shutting them with his magick. "You won't fry. The sun won't come into this room. You are a new vampire susceptible to daylight, snowdrop. They wouldn't put you in a room that could kill you."

"Well, that's good to know, I guess," I murmur and kick off my boots. I climb on the bed and stare at him.

"What?" he asks when he lowers himself to the bed and props his cane on the side.

"I don't have any pyjamas."

"Are you asking me to make you some?"

"No, I—" I blink down at myself as it's too late. He has clothed me in a delicate silk negligee that makes me choke back a noise of indignation. I scramble off the bed, ignoring how wonderful the fabric feels against my skin. It is ice blue and falls to my ankles, showing off my curves and my puckered nipples. I shake my head as tears prick my eyes. "Don't…" I say, looking over at him. "Don't dress me how you want me."

He narrows his eyes and snaps his fingers, instantly covering me up in a set of red tartan pyjamas that are no less luxurious but at least cover me up.

"I'm not a doll that you or anyone else can play dress-up with," I snap.

"I apologise. I have hit a nerve, and that wasn't my intention; I just wanted to give you something pretty."

"God!" I say, ramming my hands into my hair and turning from him. "Why do you have to be so bloody perfect?"

He snorts. "Okay, well, that's the first time I've been called that."

"Doubtful," I sneer, trying not to be so bitchy, but he did hit a nerve. A big one.

But he is trying to make up for it.

Calm down, Vi. He isn't Nathaniel.

"Thanks, but seeing as you are so handy with magick clothes, how about you summon up some fucking underwear for me?" I turn back to face him, trying to smile, but it probably looks more like a grimace.

He chuckles. "You're welcome, and fuck. You mean you've been going commando this whole time?"

I giggle, feeling my cheeks heat up. My mood is swinging wildly, like my double Ds with no bra and I sink back to the bed. "Pretty much."

"Fuck," he says again, this time more heated. "What size? "

"36 Double D for top, size UK 12 for bottom."

"Perfect curves," he murmurs. "I can't wait to see them."

"Shut up," I mumble and dive under the covers as he waves his cane again. Two neat piles of underwear appear on the dresser next to the other clothes Eldra brought me. "Thanks. But if there are any crotchless knickers or peek-a-boo bras in those piles, I'm going to take that cane and shove it where the sun don't shine."

"Shit!" he says, waving the cane frantically but laughing as well when nothing happens. "Phew, safe."

He grins at me, and I fall arse over tit for him.

"Good night, Caine. Thank you for everything. You have been what I need here. Solid and reliable."

"Eww," he says. "Those are hardly sexy traits."

"But they are," I insist. "To me, they are."

We share a soft smile, and I turn over, closing my eyes, feeling the exhaustion of not just this day, but the last three weeks drag me under.