Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Alaric.
Sleep was a foreign thing. It was simply a human indulgence, sand something that was of no use to me. I didn’t need it, not in the way she did, but still, I’d lingered in a half trance through the night, eyes closed, body still, mind restless. It wasn’t my dreams that unsettled me, it was hers.

A small part of me had thought the little scene I'd walked into was the only thing that would plague my night, but apparently, I was wrong.

I’d heard her tossing, her heartbeat stuttering with terror, soft sounds escaping her throat like someone being hunted. It was obvious she gave off vibes that nothing could faze, but with what I'd heard last night, I actually begged to differ. She’d whispered words in her sleep that weren’t meant for my ears, words that belonged to memories she shouldn’t have had.

And worse than that, when she gasped awake, shuddering in sweat and confusion, I had felt it in my bones.

It'd been a while since I went through the royal archives, since I really did some digging into vampires and bonds, but I didn't need all that to know that something was changing, and rapidly too. Whether it was good or not, was a fact I was yet to establish, and the mere thought of that just didn't sit right with me.

The bond was deepening faster than it should, too fast, and I had no idea what that would mean for the both of us.

In one swift motion, I shoved the thought aside before it gnawed me raw. Instead of moping around and brooding , I already had a plan drafted out. Hopefully, it was going to work. If it didn't, then….

I didn't want to think about that just yet.

I took one last glance around my room before I stepped out, and fit some strange reason, I couldn't shake out the image of her lying in my bed when she'd passed out the other night. Maybe if I enjoyed sleep as much as she did, I wouldn't mind joining her.

Focus, ALARIC.

By the time I stood outside her door, I had already locked my expression into the mask she hated most, the one that gave her nothing about what could be running in my head .In my hand was a bundle. They were jus clothes, proper ones this time. Although I'd made sure to stock up her wardrobe before she even sold up, I was sure it wouldn't hurt if I got her some more.

She couldn’t run around in ripped fabric forever, and for reasons I refused to examine too closely, I wanted to see her in something that actually fit.

When the door swung open, she was standing in them. Black pants that clung to her legs, and a simple shirt that did absolutely nothing to hide the curves I’d already memorized.

I froze, which was totally off brand for me. It was just for a beat, and in that beat, she caught me.

“What?” Her lips curled. “Never seen a girl in pants before?”

“Well,” A slow smirk tugged at my mouth as I leaned against the doorframe. “Not one who makes them look indecent.”

“You’re impossible.” She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they’d stick in her skull, brushing past me with a huff.

“Undeniably,” I murmured, falling into step behind her. Call me crazy, but I could swear I saw the corner of her lips lift higher than usual.

The sun had already climbed when we reached the threshold of the house. She paused, glancing at me sidelong, and I didn't miss the suspicion flickering sharp in her eyes.

“Aren’t you going to, I don’t know…” she trailed off for a second, just enough time for me to think that she might actually care. “..evaporate?”

Her tone was casual, but her fingers fidgeted at her side.I let the silence stretch, then pulled an umbrella from the stand and snapped it open, sliding dark shades over my eyes in one smooth motion.

“Evaporate?” My mouth curved into a grin. “Sweetheart, I’m not that easy to get rid of.”

“Oh, you’re insufferable.” She snorted.

“And yet,” I said, gesturing toward the waiting car, “here you are.”

The limo purred at the curb, sleek and black. It wasnt the same one that had picked us up the other day, and I just knew for a fact that Rhea had noticed. The driver dipped his head at me as I opened the door and waved her in. She hesitated, of course she did, then slid inside, muttering under her breath.

Once we were moving, her patience lasted all of thirty seconds.

“Where are we going?” she demanded. “You never told me last night.”

“You’ll see.” the words rolled off my tongue with ease, ease that I only knew would infuriate her all the more.

“Alaric, I swear to God.” Her jaw tightened. “if this is some twisted kidnapping scheme, I’ll put a knife through your heart. I promise.”

The image made a laugh break free from my chest. Not because she couldn’t try, but because she would. She meant every word, and the thought of her tiny hands brandishing a blade against me was as infuriating as it was, intoxicating.

Strange wasn't it?

“Duly noted.” I turned my face toward the window, hiding my amusement.

She growled low in her throat, and I let the silence spin out, every second winding her tighter. Rage baiting her was far too easy, and far too satisfying.

A wave of silence settled between us as we breezed past the roads that hinted at civilization. Around, humans bustled here and there, and I couldn't help but think about the vanity of their lives. All it would take to wipe out one block, was just a single vampire.

After a long ride, the limo slowed and pulled into a sweeping drive. Rhea craned her neck, eyes going wide at the sight of steel and glass climbing into the sky, a skyscraper laced with mirrored panels and the logo of one of the state’s largest corporations gleaming on its crown.

Al’s Corporations.

“Wait…” Her voice cracked with disbelief. “....you run this place?”

“No.” I stepped out first, offered her a hand she ignored, and let my smirk spread as I straightened to my full height. “I own it.”

“You can't.” She hissed. “everyone knows Al’s Corporations is owned by…..”

She trailed off again, and I just knew she was piercing the pieces of the puzzle together. The humans called me the ghost of the business world, because no one knew my face or what I looked like.

And who else could pass as a ghost if not for a damned vampire like me?

The pure, raw shock on her face was better than any vintage wine. She stumbled out behind me, muttering something I didn’t bother to catch, and I stored the image away. That look would feed me for weeks.

We crossed into the lobby, marble floors gleaming, employees bustling in hushed reverence. Her gaze darted everywhere, trying, failing, to reconcile the predator at her side with the man who commanded this empire.

We had taken barely three steps inside when a voice, sultry and sharp, cut through the air.

“Well, well, well.” It was feminine, and I smelt her perfume before anything else. “Look what crawled
out of Hell’s gates today.”

Rhea stiffened beside me, and my smile vanished in an instant.

Oh shit.