Chapter Twenty-One

"WELCOME BACK, YOUR Highness."

"Evening, Anderson." Etienne rubbed his temples wearily as he walked inside his apartment. Spencer's scent in the air seemed particularly prominent tonight, and since he could only be imagining such a thing, he wondered if all the sleepless nights of the past weeks had finally caught up with him.

It had been over a month since Spencer walked out of his life, and since then, work had been the only thing that effectively kept him from stalking her or, worse, from making a mess of her life anew by begging her to give him another chance. It was also better this way , he tried to convince himself, since vampire attacks had increased in alarming frequency in the past few days, and it seemed only a matter of time before Riyu's premonition of a grim future were to come true.

The vampires were becoming bolder and violent, almost as if they were taunting other races with every bloodless corpse they left for human law enforcement to identify. Vampires didn't give a damn if they were discovered, but Caros and the other races did, and it was this that tied their collective hands in a way that vampires would never find themselves similarly restrained.

Spencer's scent grew stronger as he took the stairs leading to his room, and even though he knew it was only a product of his imagination, it was more than enough to have his fangs flash out, and hunger for the unforgettable taste of her blood struck him.

Fuck.

Maybe it was time he took a break and let someone temporarily take over the experiments. It wasn't as if anything would change, anyway. He had hurt her beyond forgiveness, and if he truly loved her, he would let—

Thud. Thud. Thud.

This time, he knew he wasn't imagining things. That was the sound of someone's heart beating, and since he could still hear Etienne's footsteps moving around in the kitchen—-

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He moved in a burst of speed, his Caro senses allowing him to track the source all the way to his own fucking bedroom, and... holy fuck!

One moment, Spencer was seated on the edge of Etienne's bed, heart racing madly upon hearing his voice coming from downstairs. The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back, fingers curled around her throat, and a pair of viciously sharp fangs flashing out before her very eyes.

Shock and terror got to her before common sense kicked in, but just as her lips parted, her gaze clashed with his, and the scream died in her throat. He was still devastatingly handsome as ever, but there was a gauntness to him that she had never seen before. His clothes, which were usually a perfect fit on him, seemed a size too big now. She wasn't used to seeing him like this. Didn't want to see him like this. Because it hurt.

She swallowed hard, wanting to speak, but she couldn't. She had dreamt of him so often that it sometimes she felt he had never been gone from her life. But now that she was really seeing him...

The moment Etienne saw her hazel eyes started to tear, he tried to pull away, but for once her reflexes were faster than his, her arms circling around his neck to keep him from leaving.

"Let go," he gritted out.

But her arms around him only tightened. "Have you been eating well? Drinking enough blood? Killing enough vam—-"

"Stop this." Etienne's voice was hollow. "I know why you're here. I know Caylie went to see you. Luka felt obliged to inform me about it, and I can easily guess—-"

"That if I heard about your experiment, it might make me come back for the wrong reasons?"

Etienne's jaw clenched. "Did you?"

"She showed me what your people have been writing—-" Spencer saw him whiten, and her heart lurched in pain.

"She had no fucking right—-"

"Just stop the experiments," she whispered.

"I can't."

"Even if I tell you it won't make a difference?"

And there it was , he thought dully. There had always been the smallest part of him that hoped the experiments could help him get her back, but even that sliver of hope was gone now.

"You understand now, r-right? It won't make any difference, so please—-" Her words broke off when he suddenly made use of his strength and speed, and in a blink of an eye, they were both on their feet, and he was cupping her face.

"I love you," he said rawly. "I know I've lied too many times for you to believe me, but it's the truth."

It was then she saw the despair that haunted his gaze, just that moment she realized what he was thinking.

"I wish I had known earlier, I wish I hadn't been so fucking blind so that I could've spared you the pain of..." He swallowed hard. "I fucked up. I know I fucked up too many times for you to forgive me, and that's fine. All I'm asking is that I can still love you—-" His voice turned ragged. "The experiments are all I have left of you. It's the only way I can love you even when we're apart."

" Etienne, no ..."

Pain nearly crushed him alive at her continued refusal. "Please, mi vavli. It's all I have fucking left—-"

Spencer raised herself on her toes and silenced him with a teary kiss.

"You m-misunderstood," she whispered brokenly against his lips. "I said it won't make a difference because there's nothing for you to prove." Clutching his shoulders with trembling fingers, she pulled back and lifted tear-filled eyes to his. "I believe you," she whispered tremulously. "I believe love came first, and I never stopped loving you."