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He vaults through the window, landing gracefully on the ground. He leans forward and takes my hand. “Will you show me around?”
Though all the floors are tidy, nervousness fills me at showing Raúl my level. He is used to finery, after all, and my space is far from it. Ignoring my beating heart, I take him downstairs.
Our footsteps echo through the narrow stairwell until we stop at the wooden door leading to my floor. Full of nerves, I open the door and walk inside. Raúl follows me, not making a sound. I wait until he’s fully inside before closing it behind us.
Turning around, I look at my room with a new perspective, wondering how he sees it. He makes no comment, simply gazing around with narrowed eyes. I bundle my dress fabric into a ball beneath my palm, sweat breaking out on the back of my neck.
“I know it’s not what you’re, you’re used to,” I stutter. “But you’re welcome here anytime. We are friends now, after all.”
Slowly, Raúl turns to me, his red eye darkening. His fangs slide out and he stalks toward me. My heart races as my eyes widen.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
My heart continues to pound as I stare at Raúl. Was he coming to bite me? Could he not resist anymore? He stops when the tips of his shoes are touching my toes. “Friends, are we?” he asks.
I swallow air, my mouth suddenly dry. He leans forward until his lips are on me. He skims his mouth along my jaw, stopping at my ear. A delicious fluttering in my abdomen begs for more. “Just friends?” he asks as his fangs scrape lightly down my neck. A moan slips from my lips as he kisses my collarbone. He continues to kiss up and down my neck, walking me backward until I am against the wall. The cold stone digs into my back, but I hardly notice, intent on feeling everything I can right now.
Raúl presses his body against mine, and my eyes widen. “Do you want to only be friends?“ he asks as he bends his head down, kissing the side of my mouth.
“No,” I whisper.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks as his teeth scrape along my ear.
“Definitely no.”
His chuckle rumbles against me, and he slides a hand down my side, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. He grabs my leg and pulls it up around his hip, boosting me higher. My eyes widen as I am hit with a wave of unfamiliar, welcome sensations. His lips descend on mine, swallowing my gasps as he kisses me senseless. My nails dig into his shoulders so hard I leave marks. Still, he does not stop.
Not that I want him to.
Raúl slaps his other hand onto the stones above my head, crushing the surface. Stone dust falls into my hair. He pulls away from me, breathing heavily. He stares at me with red eye dark, full of promises, and suddenly, I feel empowered. I am the one who made him feel like that, without any spells. Without any trickery. Just by being me.
Raúl grins his mischievous smile I’ve come to adore. “We stop now or never.”
I stay silent for a moment, and he groans my name, pressing against me. He moves his hips against me and I gasp, my eyes widening as pleasure bursts through my abdomen. When I catch my breath again, I say, “Now, I suppose.”
Raúl throws back his head and laughs. “You suppose?”
“Yes, I suppose. I don’t think I’m quite ready for more.”
He leans forward and kisses me softly. “Follow your instincts, Penny-love.”
It is entirely impossible to figure out what my instincts are in this moment when all I want to do is to continue as we were. I want nothing more than to scrape my nails down his bare back and find out what his skin feels like next to mine. To know if he really can settle this throbbing ache at my center.
But taking a few deep breaths helps. Mostly. “I think I’m not ready.”
That’s all it takes for Raúl to back away from the wall, then gently lower me to the ground. “It pains me to see you living like this, when I know the witch lives in finery. I saw her rooms when I was searching for my vampires. It’s not right.”
I shrug. “I’m used to it.”
Raúl grumbles under his breath, but I do not catch what he is saying. Instead, I smile shyly up at him and ask, “Would you like to see my favorite books?”
His smile warms my heart and I find my favorite stack. It’s surrounded by other less interesting tomes, so Mother does not suspect I read these the most. Raúl sits down on the ground and I show him my favorite chapters of a few. Most I have read so many times I can recite them by heart. Some of them, he’s even read, and we swap stories late into the night.
I wake early, glad to have one more day before Mother arrives. It will give me just enough time to adjust to daylight hours. Though my body’s tired, I am energized from last night with Raúl. He left before dawn, promising to keep an eye on the tower.
When I am ready for the day, I quickly rush around, making sure the whole place is clean and dust-free. I set my complete mending out in plain sight. Now, everything is ready for tomorrow. Mother should have no suspicions about where I’ve been or who with. The thought of me spending time with vampires should never even cross her mind.
I pick the mirror up—I had put it on a stack of books when we arrived—and turn it side to side. Carmen said my hair has magic, so it must be the key. I hold a strand in one hand while staring at my reflection. “Who was the woman asking to find me?”
