CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“ W illow, breathe, you’re hyperventilating.” She tried to pull in gulps of air, but her throat began constricting. “Dammit.”

Brayden picked her up and took her into the bedroom, setting her on the end of the bed.

He’s going to kill me.

He’s going to turn me into a vampire.

I’ve got to get out of here.

Run!

She tried to stand up, but he held her in place, which just made things worse.

“Baby, please. It’s not like—I’m not going to—fuck! I can’t even say it.”

“Uck...ya...lut...me...goooo.”

He pushed her head down between her legs and told her to breathe over and over again. She struggled and pushed against him until he let her go. She ran out into the living room until she realized she had nowhere to go. Turning, she saw him standing in the doorway to his bedroom, looking nearly as hopeless as she felt.

“Fuck. Willow. Please.” He held out his hands.

Focusing on her breathing, she waved her own hands out at him. “Stay there. Are you fucking mad? You want to kill me?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s the last thing in the world I want to do.”

Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Then take me home!”

He shook his head. “You know I can’t. It’s daylight.”

“Can I leave?”

Brayden’s eyes dropped and he shook his head. “It’s too dangerous, sweetheart.”

Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Why? Because I might die?! You’re planning to kill me, anyway.”

His eyes flicked up at her in surprise, a dose of anger in them. “I am not going to kill you, Willow. Let’s get that straight. You will be alive and thriving after the transition. IF you choose it.”

Her stomach turned, and she placed a hand over her abdomen.

“Out there,” he said, pointing toward the window, “are my enemies. They would torture you. Slowly. You are safer with me. I am not letting you out of my sight.”

She blinked.

He wiped a hand over his face. “There’s a lot going on. Some vampires have been poisoning the king, and last night, one of them approached you at the park. If I hadn’t shown up...”

Her eyes widened.

Her life was in danger. Being with Brayden had brought danger and death to her door. All strength left her body, and she collapsed on the floor.

Except she didn’t because Brayden was a vampire, so as he’d done the first day they had met, he caught her. He then lifted her into his strong arms while she shook uncontrollably. He cooed at her like she was a baby. She was powerless to do anything.

For what felt like hours, he wrapped her in his arms as they lay on his bed. She felt his kisses, felt the way his hand ran over her arms and back, down her legs. When she relaxed into the strength of his comfort, reality came flooding back, and she began to shake all over again.

Over and over.

Finally, she twisted and looked up at him.

“Why don’t you just do it and get it over with then?” She burst into uncontrollable tears and began punching his arms.

“Because, my love, I really fucking don’t want to.”

She watched as a tear ran down his face. Then another. She froze as she took in the raw emotion of the man she loved. The face of her killer.

He blinked them away and rolled onto his back, sighing.

“I guess there’s no instruction manual for this,” Brayden said, his voice full of gravel. “My mother was human when my father met her. The impatient bastard took her virginity and then her humanity minutes after she discovered he was a vampire.”

Willow’s eyes widened. He glanced over at her.

“I won’t do that to you, Willow. She loved my father, yet deep down, she resented him, and I never want to see you look at me with that bitterness.”

Those same conflicting feelings tore through her. If he gave her the opportunity to walk out right now, she’d likely run for her life while hoping he’d follow.

“I never, ever, want you to feel the same way.” His eyes were wet, his mouth down-turned. A little mark on the top of his cheek was the only evidence of the fallen tear.

How could someone who wanted to take her life look so torn? How could someone who loved her want to take her life?

“Perhaps,” she said quietly, “you should take my memories, and I’ll move to another state.”

Brayden stared at the ceiling, then closed his eyes. After a few moments, he rolled over. “Is this what you want?”

No. What she wanted to do was turn back time to when she was falling in love with him. She wanted to be eating ice cream with him, making love to him, telling him about her stupid day.

Not negotiating for her life.

He was a vampire with a dangerous life. If she had to choose between relocating and losing her memories or dying, then she had to choose life.

She had to.

So she gave him a little nod and rolled away.