High Society - Page 58

Once there was distance between us, his dark irises faded back to green. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed.

“You can’t do that, Enoch. Ever. You can’t feed from me. I don’t ever want to be a vampire.”

“I… I know. I don’t know what came over me.” He shook his head back and forth like he was having difficulty clearing the cobwebs from it.

“Nothing came over you. You were just being what you are.”

There was no changing the fact that he craved blood, or that he needed it to survive. Or that he craved my blood above anyone else’s. But there was no way I would ever want to be turned.

I watched as he mentally berated himself. “I have to go.” He pinched his lips and walked out of the room, leaving me to wonder what just happened.

It wasn’t a big deal, really. I’d stopped him before he bit me. We had to figure out how to deal with this together. He needed to somehow soothe and learn to restrain his base instincts and cravings.

My mind spun. I touched my fingers to my still swollen lips and tried to cling to the fleeting feeling of bliss I’d had with him.

He’d come in to make sure I knew he supported me in retaliating against Terah. I thought he’d hate me for it, or at the very least be angry, but the act of smashing his sister in the head with holy water somehow garnered more of his respect.

And then the kissing happened.

And the almost-bite.

And the hard application of the brakes.

A beautiful, simple moment had somehow decayed in an instant.

Coming back to my senses, I looked around at the disaster area I’d caused. My room was a mess. A horrible mess, actually. I walked back to the wardrobe and picked up the disturbed false bottom, letting the wood fall back into place. Then I threw the gowns off my bed, finally realizing how worn out I’d let myself become. My arms were heavy. My heart was even heavier.

I wanted to let my mind overthink the situation, but needed to rest.

With a chair back wedged under my door’s handle, I finally laid down, closed my eyes, and slept.

It was late morning when I woke up, pleased that I’d managed to sleep deeply enough that no nightmares came. None that I remembered, anyway. I threw a simple dress on over my tech suit and moved the chair away from the door. I knocked on Titus’s room, but he didn’t answer. When I peeked inside, I saw it was empty.

Downstairs, the house was abuzz. Everyone was doing something to prepare for the evening’s guests. I wondered when they would arrive and where they would sleep. Mary waved me out onto the porch. “Good mornin’, Miss Eve.”

“Morning,” I answered. My voice was scratchy and my throat burned.

“You need some tea and honey. Come on out to the kitchen and I’ll fix you right up.”

Mary knew her tea. She steeped the leaves until the water was stained with tannins, and then added two spoons full of honey and two more of sugar. She mixed the steaming concoction together and handed me the cup. “That’ll do the trick.”

“Thank you.” I took a sip and the hot liquid coated my throat, taking the sting out. “This is good!”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” she teased.

It really was good. I loved anything sweet. “What can I do to help around here?” I offered, suddenly feeling more energized.

She glanced back at the house. “Finish your tea, and then you can work with me. Titus is helpin’ Enoch as we speak.”

“Helping him do what?”

“Move some furniture around. If there’s to be dancin’, they have to make room.”

“They’re seriously going to dance?”

“Oh, yes,” she answered seriously, nodding. “These men love their dances. Anything to prance around and show off to a room full of women. They’re just like peacocks.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I took another restorative sip.