Page 12 of Midnight Whispers
“I’ll put the official paperwork and everything together tonight and tomorrow. Next time we work together, you can go over it all and make sure you agree to everything before you sign it. Thatincludesthe pay raise, okay? If you don’t think it’s fair, let me know.”
“I’m sure it will be more than fair, Lil. You’re seriously the best bossever!”
I smile, unsure of what to say. I’ve never been good at accepting compliments.
We close the shop and say our goodbyes, going our separate ways. With the new safety measure in place, I decided to shut our doors a little bit early, that way Sophi and I both get home before dark.
Once I get back to the cottage, I get into more comfortableclothes and go into the reading room. I look through my collection of books, unsure of what to read, before finally settling on a fantasy romance that caught my eye. Wrapping my blanket around my shoulders and settling onto my oversized reading chair, I get lost in the world within the book. Each page is a continuous adventure of love, friendship, family, and I can’t forget about the dragons.
I must have dozed off at some point because I’m jolted awake by a noise from the front of the house. My initial reaction is to hide under the blanket, but if it’s the serial killer coming to kill me next, that’s not the best place for me to hide.
“Flo… Please say that’s you?” I call out, but there’s no response.
Well, just great. Now the killer knows where you are.
My stomach sinks, causing the bile to rise in my throat. I feel like I’m going to be sick with how fast my heart is racing. I tiptoe my way through the cottage, begging the floorboards to not creak, while looking around the house. There’s nothing I can see out of the ordinary, everything is in its completely unorganized, but still organized, place.
At least from what I can see.
Maybe it was an animal.
The toilet flushes and I breathe out a sigh of relief. I place my hand on my chest and lean against the hallway wall.
“What are you doing, you fucking weirdo?” Flora laughs as she comes out of the bathroom.
I glare at her. “I fell asleep reading and then I heard a sound. You scared me.”
“Oh gosh. I didn’t realize you heard that. I accidentally dropped the soap bottle when I was refilling the container.”
“Well, I called out for you.”
“Sorry babe. I didn’t hear you.” She places her hand on my shoulder.
My heart still racing, I nod and walk into my bedroom. I never check the time on the clock or plug my phone in. As my adrenaline begins to go down, exhaustion fills my entire body.
6
When I awoke as a vampire,my throatburnedwith hunger. Not like the hunger I had experienced most of my life; this was different. This type of hunger is intense, and I couldn’t think of anything else. The only thing I cared about from the moment my heart stopped was finding my next victim, my next meal. Asher taught me to hunt, to extinguish the flame in my throat. The thought of my next kill became all consuming. He feasted on humans and for a time I did too, but eventually the guilt I felt made me enjoy it less and less.
This woman, however, changes everything.
The sense of need I have for her is overwhelming; a desire I haven’t felt in so long fills every crevice of my mind and body. It’s as if she has awakened something long since buried deep within me, either my humanity or my ability to accept love.
I’m not sure which one it is just yet.
Sex with a human is nearly impossible. After I was first changed, I was just too fast, and my strength was too much to fuck mortals. My passion would become too much and cause pain, rather than pleasure, for them. But it’s been centuriessince I’ve tried with a human. I did have a few vampire lovers, but none of them truly mattered. I merely used them to satisfy my needs, but a part of me always searched for a deeper connection.
Shemakes me want a deeper connection.
Leaving behind the portrait may have been risky, but for a reason I’m not sure I understand, Ineededher to see herself through my eyes. The beauty in each freckle delicately placed on the bridge of her nose, spanning across to the apple of her cheeks. How her hair fell out of her updo and framed the heart shape of her face perfectly. The way her soft full lips call to me, begging me to kiss her.
Realization hits me, breaking me from the hold my thoughts had. I am a monster and as much as I need her… I want her, but not the destruction I’d bring into her life. So, I will have to keep my distance. Only watching her from afar, keeping her safe until the time comes for us to leave this town. By the time we come back, she will be gone and buried in the town's cemetery, no longer in danger of me.
I get backto our manor, disregarding Asher as I storm past him to go into our library.
“Finn. You okay?” He follows me as I turn the corner into the room.
“I’m fine, Ash.”