CHAPTER ELEVEN

B rayden gritted his teeth.

It wasn’t like vampires didn’t circulate in public, so he hadn’t been completely surprised at seeing one of his kind. In fact, there had been a few of them at the ballet.

This one, however, was a member of the Royal Army, and as the prince and dominant royal, he should have sensed him. Willow was more of a distraction to his senses than he’d realized.

The young vampire had looked surprised to see him in such an intimate hold with a female and had reacted. Every vampire wanted to see the prince mated, just as humans loved seeing their princes and princesses marry. It was the way of people.

Craig.

Yes, sir.

Thomas saw me with Willow tonight. Make sure he doesn’t talk.

Leave it with me.

Vampires were all well versed in the appropriate manner to address the royal family outside their world. Around humans, Thomas should never have acknowledged him first, and certainly not referred to him as my lord or captain.

It raised questions, such as the one on Willow’s mind right now.

Craig would deal with it. There would be no punishment, simply a reminder of the rules. He knew of Thomas; he was a good kid, taken by surprise at the sight of his prince with a human female.

Brayden ran his hand through his hair.

None of it was a big deal. It wasn’t like he was a goddamn virgin. No. What had him reeling was whether Thomas had seen him sparkling; not the boy-band-Bieber type of sparkling but the ethereal sparkle all male vampires exhibited when in a highly protective state.

Their bodies released a unique chemical which interacted with the oxygen in the air and created an electrical charge that surrounded their bodies.

Brayden shook his head. He’d always thought it looked ridiculous, while female vampires thought it looked fabulous. Humans couldn’t see it, nor could the male sparkling like a fucking Christmas tree.

It didn’t mean the female, or male, was your mate, but it was a strong sign. The race believed it was a warning to predators; a bonded male was deadly when in protective mode.

As a dominant alpha, being protective was in his nature, but he’d never sparkled before.

Yet, as Willow had shared the story of her former partner and his desire to snap the guy’s neck grew, he suspected he looked dressed for a fucking Disney show.

Did that make her his mate?

No. He would know.

Bonded males formed a black ring around the irises of their eyes. It could form slowly or appear suddenly, depending on the relationship. Just like human relationships, some happened faster than others, and so did the mating bond.

“Did he call you my lord ?”

Fuck.

He really didn’t want to lie to her.

“Ah...”

“Brayden?”

He turned in his seat and took her hand. God, she was beautiful.

“The guy works for us. It’s a family business joke.” He fake smiled.

“So why do you look so pissed?”

He waved a hand in front of him. All no big deal . “It just reminded me of a job I didn’t finish today.”

Willow sat back, buying his story, and he felt like a prick. Crisis averted. Sure, he could have erased her memory, but too much, and it really messed up a human mind.

Once they arrived, Brayden shut the door behind them as they entered Willow’s house.

“Thank you for a romantic, and sexy, evening.” She smiled.

“It’s not over yet. I believe we have some unfinished business.” He brushed his hand over her hair and pulled her against his body.

“Oh?” she asked innocently.

He tugged gently on her lower lip with his teeth. “I want as much of you as I can get this week.”

Brayden saw the flicker in her eyes. He could have ignored it, but for some reason, he needed to know what that meant. Not by reading her mind, but he would if necessary. He had a strong desire to be inside her body and her mind. He wanted to know everything about this human.

“Talk to me.”

“I am.” Willow smiled. He watched as she physically shook off the thought with a little shake of her head.

“Don’t do that. What’s going on?”

She shrugged her shoulders and let out a little laugh. “No idea. Perhaps I’m hungry or something.”

“Willow,” he scolded.

“It’s nothing.” She sighed. “Look, I don’t have any experience with this casual dating game, but I don’t think spending every night together is how it works.”

Brayden watched her eyes as they darted around nervously, and the way she chewed her bottom lip. Finally, she looked him in the eye.

“Perhaps a night apart.” She nodded like this was a two-way conversation. “To keep things casual. Yes, I think it would be best for me to sleep alone.”

A thump landed in his chest.

“No,” he growled.

She blanched and raised an eyebrow at him. “Wow. Looks like we both need it.”

“What?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her in confusion.

“I said, it sounds like we both need some healthy boundaries.” She began to pull out of his arms, and he tightened his hold. “This is feeling super intense. Let’s call it a night, and I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Brayden’s heart thumped loudly in his chest. The thought of leaving her alone in the house, of her sleeping without his arms wrapped around her, and the possibility of someone else being there with her, made him want to tear something apart.

The predator in him rose to the surface. His fangs ached. Slowly, he drew in a long, deep breath.

In a week he’d leave the state and Willow could do as she pleased. A growl began deep in his gut. He pushed it down and coughed.

“That’s not our agreement.”

“We didn’t agree on any details.” She frowned and stepped toward the front door. “Come on, let me see you out.”

Brayden had never been dismissed in his life. He was a fucking prince!

“No.”

Exasperated, she frowned at him, walked into her bedroom, and dropped her bag on the bed.

He followed.

“Willow, explain to me what is going on here. I don’t understand.”

She let out a huge sigh and put her hands on her slim, sexy hips. “Goddamn you, Brayden, I like you a lot. Too much. I just need a night to myself to get my thoughts and feelings under control, all right?”

He stared at her. A part of him wanted to grin like an idiot at her confession, while another knew he should turn and leave. She was right. They should contain their feelings. He was leaving the state, and she would carry on with her life without him.

Because he was just standing there staring at her, she flung her hands up and cried, “So that at the end of the week I’m not some emotional, clingy woman, capisci ?”

“You speak Italian?”

She frowned. “I’ve just been completely vulnerable with you and all you want to know is if I speak Italian?”

He grinned. God, she was beautiful when angry.

“So, do you?”

“ Sì , now go home!”

“Technically, most of that was English.” He grinned until he saw the anger in her eyes flare. He held up his hands. “All right, I’m sorry.”

He took a step closer, his expression now serious. Sensual. “But, Willow, you have to know how sexy you are right now.”

“You...what?”

He took another step. He was a predator, after all. He knew this dance.

“Sexy. Gorgeous. Passionate. It’s pouring off you.”

She was a little breathless, and his lips curved as he began to hear her heart speed up. It was natural for her to be wary of his nature, even if it was a subconscious reaction of her body. Even as he knew he’d protect her with every inch of his being, it thrilled him to hear her reaction to his animal nature.

He took another step.

“Stop.”

Another step. “I told you, Willow, you’re mine. For the week.”

She swallowed. “I need...space.”

“You need me. You need my body,” he said, an inch away from her. “And I need your body. There’s more than one of us in this relationship, principessa.”

“I’m not a princess,” she barely said.

“So you do speak Italian?” Smirking, he cupped her cheek.

Her eyes were burning as his lips landed on hers firmly. When he released them, he took pleasure in her breathlessness. Then, taking complete control, he scooped her up and placed her on the bed.