His mouth split in a grin. “I meant what I said. You look every bit as beautiful now as you did at the gala.”
My heart lodged in my throat. I was torn between wanting to maintain physical distance and wanting to press my body against him so tightly that a single thread couldn’t slip between us.
“You don’t mean any of this. Tomorrow you’ll regret it and it’ll make the long trip home awkward.”
His gaze locked on mine. “I’m many things, London, and not all of them good. But a liar isn’t one of them.” He extended a hand. “Now show me.”
I found myself unable to resist. I slipped out of bed and stood in front of him.
“I used magic,” I whispered. He’d already witnessed my use of elemental magic so I wasn’t telling him something he didn’t know.
He inched closer to me. “What kind of magic?”
“Hot.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Hot magic? Is that like hot yoga?”
“I used the flame from the candle and molded it into a weapon.”
He snaked an arm around my waist. “Very hot, indeed.”
He dipped his head and his lips found mine.
I’m kissing a vampire.
And not just any vampire—the Demon of House Duncan.
His fingers threaded through my hair as the kiss intensified. My legs turned to liquid and I worried about losing my balance.
This had to be a dream. Any minute I would open my eyes to find Callan on the floor by the bed or back in his own room.
Any minute now.
His lips migrated to my collarbone, spreading a pleasant tingling sensation throughout my body. He scraped his fangs across my skin and my whole body shuddered.
No.
No. No. No.
It didn’t matter how attractive I found him. One night with him wasn’t worth my life. What if he figured out what I was?
I had to stop before things went too far.
“What was it like for you in Birmingham?” I blurted.
I felt his body tense. “Why would you ask me that now?”
“Because I want to get to know you better.”
“You don’t want to know that Callan.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “It was the worst day of my life.”
Relief flooded me. I’d been hoping for an answer in that vein but had no idea whether I’d get it. Now that I had—did it actually change anything? He was still a dangerous vampire and I was still…
“London?”
“Yes?”
“What was the worst day of your life?”
That was easy. “The day my mother died.”
“I’m sorry. What happened?”
“She fell ill and never recovered.” I’d sat with her until her final moments and watched her slip away. Tears pricked my eyes as the pain rose to the surface, as fresh as the day it happened.
“And your father?” he asked.
“Don’t know. Never met him.”
He trailed kisses along the curve of my neck. “I barely remember my mother. Imogen is the only mother figure I’ve ever known and that isn’t saying much.”
“But you care for her.”
“I do, but more as an elder sister than a mother.”
“What’s your father like?”
“I haven’t missed him if that answers your question. Being given as a hostage to House Lewis was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to me.”
Wow. I could only imagine what the Highland King would have to say about that.
“Maybe you wouldn’t feel that way if you’d stayed in Scotland.”
“Hard to say. I suppose I would’ve been brainwashed like everybody else in my father’s orbit. My mother was the only one who didn’t seem intimidated by him. I have snippets of memories.” He paused as though lost in thought. “When I was a boy, he ordered me to kill the son of a rival family. Apparently the family had been gathering power and prestige and my father worried they’d eventually challenge him. When I refused, he tried to beat me into submission. My mother came bursting into the room with her attendants. Each one carried a weapon they’d taken from the armory.” He laughed softly. “The predecessors to your Knights of Boudica. My father backed down in a hurry.”
“He didn’t hold it against your mother?”
His hands squeezed me. “Eventually. He killed her when her presence was no longer required. She’d given him the son he wanted and was of no more use to him when she could no longer conceive.”
His response was so painfully matter-of-fact. I thought about Queen Britannia’s untimely death. Now didn’t seem the right time to raise the subject.
“I’m so sorry, Callan.”
He grazed my shoulder again with his fangs. “You called me Callan.”
“That’s your name.”
He kissed me again and I nearly succumbed.
Nearly.
I splayed my hands on his chest. “I think it would be best if you went to your room or neither of us will sleep.”
“Who needs sleep?” The enticing curve of his lips tested every ounce of strength I had.
“I do. Tomorrow I have a stone to track in a city full of them.”
He cupped his hand under my chin. “Another time then.”
Not if I could help it.
The next morning two guards accompanied us to the train station and I noticed they waited until we’d boarded and the train departed the station before they turned to leave. The king and queen had clearly ordered them to wait and confirm we were en route. Trust between Houses was fragile. So much could’ve gone wrong during our brief visit. We were fortunate to escape unscathed.
I glanced at Callan and my body flooded with heat at the memory of last night.
Well, relatively unscathed.
I’d left the lime behind. Whatever had transpired between us in Devon, I couldn’t risk it following us back to the city. Last night I’d nearly risked everything.
I’d never let that happen again.
12
Our return to the city was uneventful. Callan and I managed to get separated by the crowd during the boarding process and we ended up seated in different carriages, which was for the best. Part of me wondered whether it had been deliberate on his part. I told him last night he’d regret it. Knowing him, the prince was too proud to admit I was right.
I went straight to my flat to welcome home the menagerie and check on the elemental stone. All safe and secure and covered in flour.
I released enough magic to ease the pressure that had been building during the train journey. Water magic to bathe the animals. Fire magic to cook a bowl of porridge for me. I preferred when the magic was productive. Waste not, want not, as my mother used to say.
Once our bellies were full, I showered to wash away Callan’s scent and the memory of last night, paying extra attention to my face and neck. What if I’d lost control and let him taste me? With his exceptional abilities, there was every chance he could identify my vampire side and figure out what I was.