The taste of her seared his soul, erasing all trepidation. But even in that moment, he understood the feeling of omnipotence was temporary. He was intoxicated by her. The feeling would pass and he would once again fear for her life.
But now? All he wanted to do was drink her in and claim her as his own. Her pulse throbbed in his veins. Their hearts beat in rhythm. They were, for a few unending seconds, one being.
He released her, closing the two small punctures he’d opened with the press of his tongue. Then he put his fangs to his own wrist and tore the skin, reckless with the abandon of the moment. As red beaded on his skin, he held his wrist to her lips.
“Drink,” he urged.
She did as he commanded, her hands coming up weakly to grip his wrist. As soon as she’d had a taste, he shook her hands off. “Now rest, my darling.”
“Hugh,” she muttered, her eyes fluttering closed.
“Yes?” The wound on his wrist was halfway closed. He tucked her into the bed covers.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
But she was already asleep.
“I don’t feel any different.” Delaney stuck her arm into the sun streaming through the library window. Hugh was up on the rolling ladder, looking for a book on one of the top shelves. She’d followed him in, hoping to hang out with him. He’d been avoiding her since she’d woken up.
He glanced down at her and smiled, thin-lipped. “I told you one bite won’t do anything to you. Tomorrow you’ll feel different.”
“Tomorrow I’ll technically be a rook, right?”
“Right.” He went back to skimming the shelf.
She leaned against the window. “You should climb ladders more often.”
“Why is that?” he asked distractedly.
“Because your butt looks amazing from this angle.”
His hand stopped mid-reach, and he twisted to look at her. His eyes gleamed with vampire light. “Are you trying to spend the rest of the day in bed?”
A tingle of pleasure shot through her, taking her breath away for a moment. She bit her lip. If she did die on the third night, at least she’d go happy. “Maybe.”
He stared at her for a moment. Then jumped off the ladder, landing as lightly as Captain would have. Actually, Captain wished he could land that lightly. Hugh strode toward her, stopping just at the edge of the sunbeam she’d been playing with. “If I take you to bed now, you won’t leave it again until tomorrow.”
His voice held a dangerous growl that raised goose bumps on her skin. “Is that so?”
“Yes. I’m not trying to scare you or seduce you, just telling you the truth. When a vampire drinks from a mortal he loves, it…does something to him. Something he can’t ignore.”
“That’s why you didn’t want to drink from me in the lab. So what does it do?”
He sighed. “It turns the vampire wild with blood lust and physical desire. There wouldn’t be enough of you to satisfy me. I would exhaust you and still not be sated. Or drain you dry.” He turned away from her. “I’m fighting it right now.”
“And that’s why you’ve been avoiding me today.”
He nodded. “I’d rather be with you every waking moment, but my control won’t fully return until you’ve completed the change.”
Hugh had already left her worn out after last night, and she thought she’d done the same for him. Hearing this, she tried to imagine what it would be like to feel as though she couldn’t get enough of him. A shiver ran through her, as pleasurable as it was frightening.
He stepped away from her. “You’re going to need your strength for the next two nights. I don’t want to do anything that might lessen our odds of success. I’m going to my brother’s for the rest of the day. It’s for the best.”
“How can you? It’s daylight, and you have no amulet.”
His face fell. “I’d forgotten that.” He smiled a little sadly. “That’s going to take some getting used to. To the lab then. And I’m locking the door.”
“Don’t leave. I’ll behave. I swear.” The last thing she wanted was to be away from him. Or to be the reason he left.
He laughed, the sound making her feel better. “My darling. If you wore a burlap sack, it wouldn’t diminish my attraction to you. This burden is mine to bear.”
Could he make her fall in love with him any harder? “Will I be too close if I’m in the kitchen? I was thinking I’d have Stanhill take me to the store to get ingredients for royal icing and sugar cookies.” She had her antique star cookie cutters. They’d be perfect. “I want to make some for the woman who’s helping us with the magic.”