Chapter 46

ELEANOR

It was eight o’clock in the morning when my Sunday alarm clock rang. Aric and I finally got off the couch.

As we had finished one bottle of wine, Aric had told me about the twins, their coming-out party, and their antics traveling around Europe.

He told me about his studies and travels in Asia. He told me about his latest compositions.

His whole face lit up, and he got giddy like a child when he pulled out his phone to let me listen to his music. It brought me back to a simpler time when I’d sit in his room, and he’d play music for me.

He spoke briefly of his parents, then leaned back and asked me about my life. I told him every detail, every memory since that morning I woke up in the Italian hospital.

Some of it obviously bored him. A centuries-old vampire could only handle so much teen angst, but he cared enough to feign interest.

I also told him about my studies and my travels. I told him more about Logan, our life together, and my situation today.

Aric listened patiently, asking questions, laughing, drawing parallels, and when I grew tired, allowed me to rest my head against his chest.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pressed his cheek against the top of my head.

When my alarm clock rang, I hadn’t even noticed I had fallen asleep on him. I jumped and hit my head against his chin, biting down on my tongue at the same time.

“Ouch,” I mumbled, fumbling to turn off the alarm on my phone.

When I turned it off, I leaned back, blinking at Aric through bleary eyes. He was gazing down at me, his eyes blazing red.

“Bite your tongue?” he purred. I realized, very quickly, that I tasted blood in my mouth.

“Sorry,” I murmured, standing and stretching quickly. Aric watched me. “I usually run Sunday mornings, and I have some errands to run today,” I told him.

“What, where are you going to spend the day?”

He stood slowly, his red eyes focused on mine. He towered over me, his broad shoulders blocking my view of the door.

“I will head back tomorrow night. Do you mind if I stay here today?” he asked.

“Of course not! You’re family.” I gave him a small smile. “Come with me. The blinds here don’t shut correctly. But they do in my room. You can spend the day in there.”

I showed him to my room, pushing the door open. The morning light was just beginning to rise on the horizon, casting the room in a pale-yellow glow.

I moved quickly to the window to shut the blinds. We were in darkness again.

When I turned around, I felt him standing in front of me, and his hands grasped my shoulders, stabilizing me when I walked into him.

“Careful,” he murmured, letting me go.

I made my way past him, turning on the light. Aric stood in the middle of the room, gazing at me. He was so tall it was overwhelming. He looked out of place in the small white room.

“I’m going to go for a run,” I told him. He nodded and gave me a small smile.

“Thanks,” he indicated to the bed. “I’ll be here when you get home. Be careful,” he warned, sounding like an older brother. I grinned at him and dashed out of the room to the bathroom.

I stopped and stared at myself in the mirror. My long and dark brown hair was a matted mess, the makeup I’d worn to go out was smeared, my dress was wrinkled, and my eyes were red and puffy.

I let out a small groan.

Seeing Aric again was all too much, and the sudden attraction that I felt for him, the strong desire to be by his side, in his arms, to let him drink my blood...

I had no idea what to make of it. It had all gone so fast, but it felt safe, and it felt right. Like we were made for each other. Like the universe suddenly clicked into place again.

I slipped out of my dress and dumped it with my underwear on the floor. I fished my leggings and sports bra from the dirty clothes basket and pulled them on.

I was already a mess, and there would be no one on the road. I just wanted to run. I slipped out of the bathroom, passing in front of my bedroom door then into the living room.

The room was filled with a warm, golden pink glow. I grabbed my phone, headphones, and keys then left the apartment.

Running had always been my sport of choice in high school, and I’d gotten into such a good workout routine, my body had started to crave it. Waking early on Sundays for a run was a treat for me.

I took my usual path, enjoying the morning sunshine, my feet beating against the hard pavement softly. I played my running playlist, but I couldn’t concentrate on the music.

I couldn’t quite get my mind around what Aric had been saying all night. I knew guys, and I knew what they wanted from me, but Aric was different.

Firstly, because he wasn’t even human, he was over four hundred years old. Also, he seemed to be as attracted to me and as confused about it as I was.

He had been my big brother, who taught me to ride a horse and how to tie my shoelaces, but the man in my room wasn’t a brother to me anymore.

And he definitely didn’t see me as a sister. He was something completely different, and I wanted him.

As I turned to make my way back home, I remembered my life with my first family.

Sure, I had been very happy, but I was a child. And if Mother and Aric and Demetrius hadn’t swooped in to save me on some occasions, I probably would have died a very painful death.

Since they’d abandoned me, my life certainly hadn’t been easy, but I was safer. When Dean and Constance took me in, I had felt safe, supported, and loved for the first time in years.

Logan had also given me that security and love. I could not imagine what giving in to Aric and being with him could look like.

A nocturnal life? Constantly running from his family? His growing very bored of me when I aged? Being in constant danger that one day he’d forget to feed and eat me instead?

Forget having a family of my own.

By the time I got home, I was breathing heavily and sweating like a pig. I turned the key in my door and marched in. The sunlight was bright and warm.

I served myself a large glass of water, turning off my music and checking my speed on my phone. It had been a slow run, probably because I was so distracted.

I finished my glass, then returned to the bathroom, stripping off my sweaty clothes. I stepped into the shower, turned on the hot water, and just stood there for a while.

I washed quickly and stepped out of the shower. I soon realized that I didn’t have any clothes to put on, that they were, as usual, in my room.

Nervous, I tied a towel around my body and opened the bathroom door. I padded to my room and knocked once.

“It’s your room,” Aric’s voice replied with a small chuckle. Pursing my lips, I pushed the door open and stepped in.

Aric was lying on the bed, his shoes kicked off, his shirt unbuttoned, reading one of my aerodynamics textbooks. His blue eyes slowly swiveled to look at me, and he put the book down slowly.

His eyes turned red as they roamed over my body.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, trying to avoid blushing. “I forgot to get a change of clothes.” I moved quickly to my wardrobe. Aric was sitting upright on the bed.

“You’re going to be the end of me, Eleanor,” he lamented, moving silently toward the end of the bed, his eyes fixed on me like a tiger.

“Sorry,” I said, quickly opening the wardrobe and quickly grabbing the first two things.

“Stop saying sorry.” Aric was standing behind me. I could feel his breath on my shoulder. It alone sent wild tingles through my body, and I shuddered.

“I don’t know what to do with you, Eleanor,” he whispered. His face was close to my shoulder. I could feel how close he was behind me.

“Aric,” I whispered, turning very slowly to face him. He towered over me, his eyes blazing, his fangs slightly bared.

“I was looking for you for so long. I didn’t expect to find you to feel the way I do. For it to be so fast. I want to drink you,” he told me, lowering his voice, his eyes roaming over my body.

“I also want to kiss you. I want to kiss every inch of your body.” His eyes bore into mine. I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

“What should I do?” I asked. He cocked his head to one side.

“What do you want to do?” he questioned, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. My eyes widened.

“Everything,” I murmured, blushing at my assertiveness. He let out a small growl, lifting his hand and placing it very gently on my shoulder.

“You shouldn’t tempt me,” he whispered.

“Are you sure you’re not the one toying with my emotions?” I asked. He chuckled, shaking his head.

“Eleanor, I have never seen a human like you. I’ve never looked at one the way you make me look at you. You are something completely new to me.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. The same thing it meant when Mother found you. That I want you, in my life, to care for you, to hold you. I could never hurt you, Eleanor. I want you to only feel the pleasures in life.”

He moved away from me slowly, smoothly sitting back down on the bed. “Come here.” He waved me over to him. I walked toward him, watching as he gazed at me.

When I was close enough, he stood up, staring down at me.

Very slowly, he grasped the clothes I was clutching and placed them on the bed. Then, keeping his eyes on mine, he undid the knot holding my towel up. He held it in place, waiting for me to stop him.

When I didn’t, he let it fall to the ground, and I stood before him, completely naked and trembling with a fierce desire for him.