I look at Dorian quizzically. “You wouldn’t hurt them, would you?” After witnessing just a fraction of Dorian’s incredible power, Chris and Donna would be annihilated in the blink of an eye.
“Of course not. But I can’t say the same about you. You aren’t in control of yourself yet.”
Huh? Dorian thinks I would hurt them? “What are you talking about?”
“Gabriella, you are still so raw. You are completely ruled by your emotions. If things became heated, I don’t know how you’d react. I could defend myself. They could not.”
I think of how I left things with my parents less than a day ago- my hands trembling violently, my eyes burning with unseen frost and every light flickering throughout the house. They were afraid of me, and I liked it. Their fear empowered me. My parents wanted to keep me from Dorian and I was ready to strike like an untamed animal. He’s right; I am a serious danger to them.
“You’re right,” I nod solemnly. “The sooner I move out, the safer they’ll be. Will the apartment be ready by graduation?”
“It will be. Or you could come here and stay with me.”
I choke on my own saliva, hacking into my palm. “Um, are you serious? You just told me you were sent to murder me and now you’re asking me to move in with you?”
Dorian shrugs, his mouth twisting into an uneasy, hopeful grin. “I know it seems too soon for us; I understand that. But you need to be protected, Gabriella. I need to make sure that whoever is out there lusting for your blood doesn’t get near you.”
He lets out a breath then shakes his head. “And I just want you here with me. Always. I know it’s selfish of me to request that of you but it’s the truth. Having you near mollifies me in a way that I can’t describe. I’ve never felt this…good. I’m completely addicted to you and I’m not sure how to deal with that.”
What happened to the elusive, enigmatic man that totally beguiled me with just a look? Dorian’s words leave me speechless; there’s not much I can say in response. Of course I feel the same way. Of course I only want to be where he is. I’ve been battling my own addiction to him, feeling more and more drawn to him with every passing second we’re together. Part of me wants to pull back and put some space between us so I could gradually wean myself from my insatiable craving for him. Yet I know that I could never be strong enough to actually stay away. Even as I stared at that photo for the first time, the evidence of Dorian’s betrayal looking back at me, I couldn’t stay away. And now that I know how he feels, now that I know he loves me too, all resistance is futile.
“Why do you think that is? I mean, I understand why we’re drawn to each other; I get that level of crazed need to feel you. But why me? And why does it suddenly feel so…intense?”
Dorian takes my hands in his, pulling me to face him. “Every time I touch you, every time I breathe you, that feeling of frenzy intensifies. I take you inside of me; I absorb your life force. I know you don’t understand how deep of a connection that is just yet. But willingly giving yourself for the sake of pleasure is one of the most intimate acts for us, both Dark and Light alike.”
He brings my hands to his lips, trailing soft kisses on each knuckle. “Little girl, we, the Dark, don’t love easily. It’s a notion that is rare for our kind. So when we find it, we don’t take it lightly. We fight for it. We die for it.”
Die for it? Dorian has said that he would gladly die for me yet the words still surprise me. But the nagging reminder that his ravenous lust for my essence could accidentally kill me nudges my sensibility before I give into his request.
“As much as I want to spend every second of the rest of eternity with you, I think there are too many doubts, too many questions for right now. I want to be with you; I know that for sure. But we have to sort this shit out, Dorian. What we have- what I thought we had- is in repair. Hell, I’m in repair. Plus I want to room with Morgan. We’ve planned this for months and I won’t let her down.”
Dorian nods, giving me a tight-lipped grin. “I understand. You’re right to be reluctant. And it’d be for the best. The more we are together, the closer we are, the harder it is to resist. We should be smart about this. Our lives are already at stake. No need to make things even riskier.”
“Thank you,” I smile. “Speaking of Morgan…you know about her, right? How she’s different?”
“Yes, I know,” he nods. Dorian looks at me with a furrowed brow. Something about this topic troubles him. “When I told you I would protect your friends, I meant it. When I tried to make good on that promise, I learned that Morgan already had a protection spell around her. Something that even I could not penetrate. I am Dark, but Dark magic and black magic are two different things. Even still, I am considerably more powerful than any Vodou.”