CHAPTER 22

Vita

IT HAD BEEN TWO days since the tense meeting in the library garden, Verian's handsome face shining in Vita's memory as she tried to sleep each night.

This was the first time she'd been truly tempted to reach out to him, shake him from his madness, kiss him before he could push her away. It would only lead to heartbreak—there was no question about that—but perhaps it would be worth it for a moment of blissful pleasure with her best friend.

Renatus still had not come to see her, not since the night in the astronomy tower. He was absent from all meals, and even Aurora claimed she hadn't spoken with him in days. He was ignoring her, and despite her desire to remain unattached, she couldn't help but feel upset .

On top of that, Verian's research had chilled her to the bone. She had a nagging sensation that Renatus was doing something to her, enacting a compulsion to make her pliable to his seduction.

The thought had already crossed her mind, even before Verian had mentioned it at the library. The question plagued her, and every day she didn't see Renatus made her more and more on edge.

She felt almost weightless when he was near, dizzy with need, a sensation unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The thought that it was all fabricated made her sick to her stomach.

Her bedroom was stifling and she needed air, needed to breathe. It was late. She should have been long asleep by now, but did anything really matter anymore? There were no rules, no expectations here.

Vita grabbed a candle, then slipped on her sandals and considered putting on a tunic, but decided her underclothes would be fine in the darkness. Once she got some fresh air, all would be well.

She made her way down the empty halls, turning and exiting the palace to one of the interior courtyards. The new moon obscured everything in its darkness, but she could hear the burbling of the fountain up ahead, could feel the mist spraying her skin. She walked towards the noise, her candle doing little to reveal what lay before her.

As she reached the fountain, she dipped a hand in the pool, patting the cool water against the back of her neck.

"Hello, darling ."

The soft voice made her jump, almost snuffing the candle out as she whipped around to face the direction it had come from.

Renatus .

"Where are you?" Vita asked, unable to keep the quiver of fear from her voice. She could see nothing in the shadows, even as she strained her eyes. "Hello?"

For a moment, she thought she might have imagined it, almost breathing a sigh of relief, but then there was a presence at her back. She let out a yelp, lithe arms wrapping around her as a ring of laughter chimed through the silent night .

"Don't scare me like that!" she said, squirming around and pushing against his chest with her free hand, though that just made him laugh even harder.

"I'm sorry, my dear, I couldn't resist."

She could see his face now, pale skin glowing in the candlelight, a sly smile curling his mouth. His hands still rested on her hips, and all the cool she'd felt from the misty fountain evaporated in an instant, replaced with the burning lust that always beat through her when he was near.

"Can you see in the dark?" Vita asked, her heart still racing from the fright.

Renatus chuckled. "Yes, of course. Another vampire perk."

Well, someone seemed to be in a good mood tonight. There was something gentle about his smile, genuine contentment caught by the candlelight. His eyes dipped to her chest, the almost sheer fabric of her underclothes not nearly enough to cover her. A subtle flick of his tongue over his lips, and every nerve in her body was aflame once more.

"What are you doing out so late?" His voice was low, gravelly.

"I just… needed some fresh air."

"Of course," he mused, as if he didn't believe her.

"What are you doing skulking around in the shadows?"

Renatus scoffed. "I do not skulk, my dear. Perhaps I also needed some fresh air."

What did a vampire need fresh air for? Weren't they used to living in dungeons? Rude things Vita would never say, of course.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were avoiding me," she said before she lost her nerve.

" Avoiding you ? Now why would I be doing that?"

His hands snaked around her lower back, pulling her in closer, the candle threatening to extinguish in her trembling hand.

"I don't know. You're the one who's been absent for days. I thought you wanted me to share my meals with you ?" Vita said it with humor, but she was utterly serious.

"Oh, darling, as much as I enjoy that, I am a very busy man. "

She just hummed, unsatisfied with his answer. Another question came to mind, one she was frightened to ask for many reasons, but she needed to know.

"Are you enacting compulsions on me?" Her voice echoed through the courtyard, met only by the burbling of the fountain.

Renatus gazed at her, red eyes ablaze with mirth. "Compulsions? Now, where did you hear about that?"

Vita just glared, refusing to speak as she awaited his response.

He rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"Of course I'm not, darling. Well, not anymore. The only time was when I compelled you to tell me the truth about the Praetor at my Aonalia Feast." A long pause. "And when I spoke with your friends at the tavern."

The only time? How could she know it was the truth? She recalled the sensation, as if her words were a waterfall tumbling out of her mouth, and struggled to remember more instances like it. Was this the answer she wanted, the one she was looking for?

An icy hand was on her cheek, thumb brushing over her scar. "No, I am not enacting compulsions on you. Anything you're feeling is… self inflicted."

Self inflicted . What an apt way to put it. Like she'd stabbed herself straight through the chest.

"Do you want me?" She refused to break eye contact, searching his face for something, anything .

A loaded question, one that had many possible meanings.

"Of course I want you. You're beautiful, Vita."

His fingers brushed through her hair, tingling the skin on her neck and scalp.

Beautiful . As if that were the only thing that mattered.

"Why didn't you… why didn't we… in the astronomy tower?"

"Oh, is that what you wanted? You want me to bury myself inside you? I think that could be arranged."

Renatus started tugging at her underskirt, and she knocked his hand away .

"Is that all you want?" She knew the hurt was clear in her voice, and yet she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Yes, Vita. You are my perfect little statue. Sometimes I wish to see your lovely face contorted with pleasure. And sometimes I wish for you to just sit and look pretty for me."

There was cruelty in his words, but a flash in his eyes, the same as she'd seen so many times. Like he was hurting her purposefully, trying to push her away.

Vita was suddenly weary, the late hour and the tiresome conversation dragging on her.

"Goodnight, Renatus," she said briskly, pulling out of his grasp and walking back to the palace.

Her body tensed, as if he would grab her, attack her, but no, she was undisturbed as she found her way back to her room, trying not to let the tears spill.