“No,” I said, sulking. Slowly I pulled my broken body out of the car.
I saw Andre shake his head. I ignored him and began walking haltingly towards the palace. I stopped and leaned against the weathered stone. Everything hurt. Badly. Whatever healing powers I had weren’t helping me very much.
Andre came over, arms folded. He looked down at me. “Do you want me to carry you, or would you prefer I pull out the wheelchair I now have to carry in my trunk?”
“Not the wheelchair.”
He scooped me up and carried me inside to a guest room. I looked around at the room, feeling like I was in the midst of a fairytale. A large canopy bed occupied the center of the room. Billowy fabric was tied back at each of the four corners. The wallpaper depicted an enchanted forest. At the far side of the room, double doors opened onto a balcony.
He placed me on the bed and pulled up a chair to join me. “This room is always here for you if you need a place to stay.” He slid my sling off of my shoulder but left my temporary casts alone.
“Why are you doing all of this for me?” I asked.
He furrowed his brows. “I’m your mentor. I thought you understood that, as such, I am expected to take care of you.”
I watched him in the dim light, and suddenly his beauty was irresistible. Slowly I reached out and smoothed his brows. His eyes went soft. “But Andre, this is way above what I’d expect.” I let my hand drop. “How many vampires have you mentored?”
His expressive face shut down, closing me off from his thoughts. After a moment he responded. “A few.”
I fell back into the mound of pillows on the bed and laughed. “Oh-kay. That was an evasive response if I’ve ever heard one.” I stared at the intricate molding on the ceiling. “I just wanted to know if you treated them all this well. Personally, I’d probably be a little jealous if someone came in and replaced me after all this special treatment.” I laced my fingers behind my head.
“There is no way a vampire is behind these attacks—if that is what you are insinuating,” Andre said. “My coven has protected me for seven hundred years; no one is willing to chance the death of hundreds to get to me. Especially not when death may or may not mean damnation.
“And now that you’ve been accepted into the coven, another vampire cannot kill you. That is an act punishable by death or permanent incapacitation. And trust me, death is what we vampires fear the most. No one would risk it out of jealousy.”
It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. “I wasn’t insinuating a vampire was behind the attacks.” Strange that he’d jump to that conclusion.
“Now that we’re on the subject, can you remember anything about your attackers?” Andre asked.
Hesitantly I thought about the two men who abducted me. “They both had guns and accents.” I knew there was something I should be remembering.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. Andre raised an eyebrow. “One of my attackers smelled funny. Like smoke and decay.”
Andre stilled. “A doppelganger came for you?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know what the guy was. And I definitely didn’t know what a doppelganger was.
He cursed to himself. To me, he explained, “Doppelgangers are considered to be shadows of a real person. They are dark creatures that feed off chaos and negativity.”
“Sounds appropriate,” I said.
Andre looked weary. “Doppelgangers are usually hired hitmen, and they are good. Whoever is behind this attack—and likely the one before it—appears to be increasingly desperate. Doppelgangers are expensive. Rarely do their victims escape.” I didn’t mention that the men appeared to be buffoons. I figured I’d get a little more street cred this way.
Andre was looking at me for too long. I felt my skin heat up and my cheeks flush, embarrassed that he could sense all of this. Slowly his eyes left mine, traveling down to my lips. I could see the conflict playing along his face: to take advantage of the situation or to not?
I heard his almost imperceptible sigh as he pulled away, retreating to his chair.
I snatched his hand as he turned and pulled him to me. Our lips met, and like fire the kiss consumed us. That familiar electricity ran between us, and I wondered if it would always be that way. His arm slid under me, pulling me close, and I could feel him pressed flush against me. I ran my hands through his silky hair, relishing him.
Never was I so aware of the way my body reacted to him, and how holding onto him felt like home. I was falling for him.
Slowly he pulled away, looking happily shocked.
Crap. What had I done? We could both hear my rapidly beating heart. In contrast his remained as quiet as the day he died.
“I should let you rest,” he said, backing towards the door. So he wasn’t going to take advantage of the situation after all? From what I had heard about Andre, this seemed out of character. “Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything. I have two guards stationed outside, so nothing is going to get to you.”
Those were some famous last words.