AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mouth immediately forms a smile, and I laugh. “That’s not possible. I tried to light a candle once when I was a small girl. It was an absolute disaster. Mother declared I had no magic in me.”
Carmen shakes her head. “You don’t, right now. The magic is in your hair.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“What I’m saying is that your hair contains endless energy. My friend says it amplified her own magic and she could draw the magic out of your hair when her own reserves were low.”
“Reserves?” I ask, confused.
“Magic works similar to energy,” says Raúl. “Those with magic are born with a certain amount. When it is gone, you must replenish. Usually by food or sleeping.”
“Ah, I see.”
Carmen nods. “Yes, as Raúl says. You mention you have no power of your own?”
“Yes,” I reply. “Any attempts to use magic have never worked.”
“Strange,” Carmen says, a faraway look in her eye. “I wonder…”
She stops talking for a minute and then shakes herself. “No matter. Penny, be careful around that mother of yours.”
“I will be,” I say, but don’t believe.
My tone must not have been sure enough, because Carmen looks unconvinced. She takes my word anyway. “That is all I wanted to tell you.” She waves her hand. “Feel free to return to your activities.”
She stares out the window, clearly contemplating something. I don’t ask, though, Raúl takes my hand and squeezes it. “How about dinner?”
“I would love that,” I say to him. He knows his mother better than me, and she must need this time to think. We leave her rooms and head out. While we walk, thoughts consume my mind. Is my mother using me? My heart squeezes at the thought. This is the second time someone has said that now. I don’t know if I want to step forward into the darkness and find out the truth.
“Aren’t we eating?” I ask, tentative at first. Then I remember that no vampire has attempted to hide themselves from me, so why should I hide my emotions from them? It is a constant struggle, trying to remember to be myself rather than the perfect good girl Mother requires. We’re in the throne room now, standing at the top of the stairs.
“Aren’t we eating?” I ask again, but this time my voice doesn’t waver.
“Yes,” he says. “We usually eat food in the dining room, but it’s every vampire who shows up. Dinner can host up to seventy vampires at once. Would that be too much for you to handle? Or would you rather eat with only me in the library?”
Seventy vampires sounds like a lot of noise. Noise I can’t quite handle right now. I draw closer to him and smile. “Thank you for asking instead of deciding for me. I think tonight, I’d rather eat with just you in the library.”
Raúl puts his hand under my chin and turns my face toward him. “Me, too.”
He leans closer, and I know his lips are finally going to meet mine. My heart beats wildly in my chest, anticipation driving me mad. Suddenly, there is a bang below as every door is flung open at once. We jump apart, and vampires flood into the throne room, heading toward the dining hall. They’re all laughing and gossiping, the sounds filling the air. My heart beats faster for a different reason now, the sudden loudness piercing my ears. I flinch and my hands fly to cover them.
Raúl wraps his arm around my waist, holding me close to him. He whisks away and the world becomes a blur until, abruptly, he stops. The quiet surrounds me and I exhale in relief. He continues to hold me for a second, staring down at me. I look into his eyes and smile. “What a happy lot,” I say.
He smiles fondly. “For the most part, yes. We are content.”
“I believe we are alone,” I say, staring at his lips. His arms tighten, the corded muscles pressing against me. My eyes flutter until they are half closed. Raúl’s lips brush across my cheek, heating my skin.
Chapter Twenty-One
Raúl’s lips descend and my heart explodes as they cover mine. Soft and gentle, a sweet tingling sensation spreads through my body. I savor the moment. The touch is everything I ever imagined a kiss to be. Our lips move against each other, and time seems to stop. We continue to kiss until Raúl breaks away, taking his time putting me on my feet.
He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back in, closer this time. Every inch of the front of my body is plastered against him. His lips crush mine, and I snake my hand up to tangle in his soft hair, holding tight.
Our slow, sweet kiss turns into something… more. Raúl’s lips are insistent, and I moan in response to his touch. Delicious shivers run down my spine, and I press myself closer to Raúl. I gently bite his bottom lip.
Breathing heavily now, Raúl pulls his face away from me. I open my eyes slightly, looking at him. “Why are you stopping?”
He laughs and briefly kisses me on the lips. “Because at the end of the day, I am a man, Penny. We stop now or never.”
