Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

EVER

I laughed. What else was I supposed to do?

This had to be a joke, a gimmick set up by Lord Dupont and his servants to entertain the townspeople who came snooping. He'd give them a tour and scare them a little as punishment for invading his privacy, but…

Images of the hooded figures in the woods came to mind. What about the two people I shot?

Their act might have been fake, but the bullets were not.

My mind spun, and I waited for Corvin's calm demeanor to crack, but it didn't. His expression showed nothing but utmost sincerity.

I laughed again, this time less enthusiastically. "You're joking, right? You don't really think I'm going to stay here and be your servant, do you? The only place I'm liable to go is jail for murder at this point…"

"No one will miss them." Corvin shook his head and waved a hand dismissively. "No one will even look for them. As far as anyone outside the manor is concerned, you shot no one."

"But…" His words weren't adding up. For a short while, everything had made perfect sense, from the lonely manor owner to the pristinely preserved mansion he lived in. Now, the plausible story was falling apart at the seams. "How can you say that? They're people. Of course, someone will miss them."

Corvin only shook his head again, this time taking a step closer to me. My heart shot into my throat, and I froze, locked in his dark gaze.

"I say that because it's the truth," he said. "No one will miss them because their families are long dead. My servants have been here a long time, much longer than you—or even your parents—have been alive."

I blanched, heat scorching my skin.

I killed old people? How the fuck had they moved so fast?

"I…" I had no words, my brain struggling to keep up with my thoughts.

No. He had to be lying.

The man standing before me was young—he couldn't have been older than thirty—but he spoke as though he'd lived here much longer. That, coupled with his fangs that gleamed in the light, had me considering even more absurd hypotheticals. Before I knew it, I was laughing again.

"If they've been here that long, how long have you been here, Mr. Dupont?" I asked. I didn't know what I expected him to say, but the way his mouth curled into a grin left me feeling unsettled.

What did he think was so funny?

"I've been here since the manor was built in eighteen eighty seven," he said, very matter-of-factly. "I helped build the very floor you're standing on."

The blood rushed from my face, a chill rolling down my spine, consuming me. I knew it was impossible—there was no way he'd be alive, much less looking so young—but something in his tone still set me on edge. There was too much sincerity in it.

Had he simply played this game for so long that he'd mastered his charade? Or was there actually truth to his words?

No. That's fucking impossible.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes toward the high ceiling. "Right, and I'm the King of England."

Corvin took another step closer, making every hair on my body stand on end, and heat crept up my neck. Any other smart ass remarks died in my throat as he stared down at me, and I swallowed hard. Something sinister glimmered in his eyes.

"You don't believe me?" he asked, cocking a pale brow.

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

"A shame." With a chuckle, he ran his tongue over his unusually sharp incisors again, and my stomach soured. Something was very wrong with Mr. Dupont, and I didn't want to stick around and find out what it was.

"Well, this has been great," I said, backstepping toward the front door to put more space between us. "But I really have to get going."

The corner of Corvin's mouth lifted into a smirk. "You can try, but as I've already told you… you belong to me now. You will remain here to take the place of the servants you robbed me of. It'll be nice to have a new face around here. Some new blood ." The way he drew the last word out had me tasting bile, and I took another step backward.

The man was insane. That was the only explanation I could come up with, and I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it sooner. Corvin Dupont had lost his mind and was clearly living out a deranged fantasy alone in the woods. I needed to get out of here now .

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, turning for the front door. "I'm not interested in whatever game you're playing."

Adrenaline flooding my senses, I took several quick steps toward the door, but before I could reach for the handle, Corvin was there. He appeared between one blink and the next, blocking my escape, and his hand shot out to grab me by the throat.

My eyes bulged as his fingers dug into my neck, and he effortlessly lifted me off the ground. He let me dangle, my toes hardly brushing the floor, as I fought to get air into my lungs, still wearing that maddeningly calm expression. I clenched a fist and swung it at him, but he dodged and squeezed his fingers tighter. With a little more pressure, I was convinced he'd crush my windpipe.

"Ever… short for Everett, I presume?" He didn't wait for me to respond, not that I could have while being choked to death. "You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago, but I have to admit, he wasn't half as handsome or stubborn ."

I blinked at the compliment, confused why I enjoyed it. Did I really care if this psycho thought I was attractive?

Even though this was the most terrifying and bizarre situation I'd ever been in, I couldn't deny how sexy he looked as he watched me suffer.

We're both sick fucks . Him, for getting pleasure out of hurting me. Me, for still finding him hot as I feared for my life.

"If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I get attached to my pets," he said. "It's hard for me to let them go once I've decided to keep them, and you… what a fine pet you will make."

"Please, let me go," I choked out, or at least attempted to. It didn't sound like actual words, more like a hissing, sputtering cough.

The edges of my vision began to darken from the lack of oxygen. Corvin's cool, cocky expression was the only thing I could see as I began to lose grip of consciousness. When he finally let me go, I fell to the floor, my knees hitting the hardwood and pain lancing up my legs.

"Please," I gasped, clutching at my aching throat. "Let me go. I can't stay here."

"Of course you can," he assured me, squatting so we were eye to eye. Delicious darkness danced behind his eyes, and I could tell he was enjoying himself. "You'll learn to love it."

"But my job, my mother …" My heart clenched at the thought of her and how disappointed she'd be if I died here, especially when I'd promised to stay away from the woods.

Why had I not fucking listened? Why had I let curiosity get the best of me?

"Trivial things," he said, hooking a finger beneath my chin and lifting it gently. "When you've lived as long as I have, you learn that none of it really matters. It's all fleeting, unimportant."

"You're fucking insane," I said, clenching my fist again. Judging by how easily he lifted me off the ground, he had some kind of freakish superhuman strength—he was probably a power lifter in his free time.

However, I wasn't just going to submit. If he wasn't going to let me walk out of here, I was going to fight my way out.

What other option did I have?

I swung, aiming for the smooth porcelain of his jaw, but my stomach dropped when I didn't make contact. Faster than should have been possible, he grabbed my arm and slammed me onto the ground, the back of my head cracking against the hardwood. Stars exploded in front of my eyes, and before I could get my bearings, Corvin was on top of me, his weight keeping me pinned in place.

"You have quite a temper." He tsked his tongue and leaned so close his breath rolled over my skin. To my surprise, it was cool, and for the first time I noted how chilled his hands were.

I hadn't thought about it earlier—cold hands weren't inherently alarming—but now my eyes widened in horror.

"What are you?" I asked, afraid I already knew the answer. My heart was hammering in my throat, blood pounding in my ears.

Fear shot through my system, chilling my bones and making my heart skip a painful beat. He flashed a devilish grin. Icy fingers grabbed my jaw, slowly wrenching my head to the side to expose my neck. I could have sworn I heard a growl rumble in his chest as my heart rate spiked.

"I think we both know the answer to that," he purred, dipping his head low enough to graze his lips over my neck. "I am what all humans desire to be—eternally young and free from sickness—but I am also what they fear. Cursed to exist in darkness, my soul damned to the pits of Hell."

"You're a monster," I gritted out, every muscle in my body going rigid as his teeth touched my skin.

"No, not a monster." His voice dropped low. "A vampire. "