“THAT ONE.” Alex pointed to Whitney’s townhouse.
The driver pulled to the curb and set the brake.
With jauntiness more manufactured than real, Alex stepped out and hurried across the street. Unsure if Whitney would appreciate his efforts, it pleased him to think, or at least pretend, that she might.
Hell, he wasn’t even sure she was home. Wasn’t like he had the option of calling and telling her what he had in mind. He’d feel like a royal fool if he’d spent so much money for nothing.
Lights blazed in the townhouse but she always left them on, home or not. Doubt ate at him as he sprinted up the steps and rang the doorbell. The wait stretched into infinity while he shifted from foot to foot in anticipation.
The door opened.
“Whitney.”
Fear flared in her eyes. “Please, Alex, please leave me alone.”
The same words he’d begged of Karsa. An imperceptible shiver touched him. “Come with me. Please.” He indicated the street. “We won’t be alone. Please come.”
She looked at the carriage, then at him as if weighing her options. He wouldn’t accept ‘no’ for an answer. Not without a scene, and she wouldn’t want to chance an altercation. The best option was compliance. Both of them knew it.
“I’ll come, but don’t take it to mean anything.” The bitter scent of fear and anger rolled off her.
After quelling the urge to smirk in triumph, he held out his hand. Hesitantly, she pulled the door shut and allowed him to lace his fingers through hers and lead her toward the carriage.
After assisting her in, he climbed up beside her.
With no attempt at subtlety, she wiped her fingers on her jeans.
Wincing, he called to the driver, “We’re ready.”
The driver took up the reins and the two white horses stepped out at a brisk pace, their hooves clopping on the pavement.
Shifting on the seat, Alex moved closer.
With a start, she sucked in her breath.
“Don’t be afraid.” He took her hand again and refused to let go when she pulled back. “I want to show you that I care for you. I always have. You know I’ve always loved you.”
She shivered perceptibly.
“I’m not what you think I am.” Why didn’t she see that and give him a chance?
“Then what are you, Alex?” She pulled against his hold.
“I’m just a man who cares for you.” He clamped even more possessively onto her fingers.
“You aren’t just a man. You’re a killer.” She kept her voice low.
“No! I’ve not killed anyone.”
Other than Daniel.
“And I’m not going to either.” He willed her to see him, not what she thought he was.
“You haven’t been like this long.”
Her racing heart and the scent of fear made him ache. “It isn’t in my nature to kill, no matter what I’ve become.”
“I wish I could trust you.”
“You can trust me.” His voice was silky, warm and seductive. “I know you still have feelings for me, even if you don’t want to.”
He held her captive. It was wrong, but he didn’t care. “Take off the necklace and throw it away.” A command, not a request, he willed her to comply.
As if having a mind of their own, her hands obeyed. She unclasped the thin gold chain, and letting the links slide through her fingers, dropped it over the side of the carriage.
Freed from the restraint of the little crucifix, Alex leaned close and touched his lips to hers. Feather-light, he held the kiss until she returned it. Heat surged through him. After a moment, he broke the contact and captured her eyes again, holding her prisoner.
“What are you doing to me?” Her lower lip quivered.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” Her fear and powerlessness to deny him jabbed him with shame. He shoved it away. Why shouldn’t he take her? He loved her, and he could give her immortality.
Hadn’t he been done wrong his entire life? Unwanted and thrown away by an uncaring mother. Shoved from place to place through the foster system when he was a helpless, scared child. Rejected by her snobbish parents because he didn’t come from an affluent family.
Fuck it. He wasn’t spending eternity alone. If he had to use his preternatural abilities to get what he wanted, he would.
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