Reign of Blood (The Vampires of Vegas Book 1)

Chapter Nineteen

Rye stood still as a statue as his deep steely eyes took my face in. I was breathing hard as I held my stance, afraid to move and not wanting to look away. His look was not of fear, hatred or anything of the sort; it was like diving into an endless pool of water that gleamed my own face back at me. He had said so much without a word and I wanted to dive all too willingly into his soul, never to turn back. I stood up straight, letting my swords hang to my sides, slowing my breathing as I waited for him to say something. How long had he been watching me? How long had he stood there, taking in my dance of blades, my private meditation, before discovery? It was a sort of violation but I wasn't angry. I wanted to reach out and touch his face, make him feel the exhilaration I felt at that moment. Make him feel something.

"How long have you been there, watching me?" I asked quietly. I watched as his eyes searched mine, making me feel the tingle of power that emanated from them. I was sure that if I hadn't been immune, I would have been toast at that moment, completely at his disposal for whatever he wanted. I was glad that I was immune to his vampiric manipulation but, in a way, I almost wouldn't mind letting someone else make a choice for me. I was alone now but this was someone whom I would let in. He only had to ask. I wondered if he even knew that.

"Long enough," he whispered back as his hand came up to my face, letting his fingers run slowly down my cheek, feeling more like a slight breeze than fingers.

I shivered under them. His touch was not cold, but it wasn't hot either. He felt human, if that was possible. Whatever hybrid strain of the virus had infected him, it had transformed him into a most intriguing man. I was certain he had been so beforehand but now he was downright disarming. I sucked in a breath, pulling my eyes away from him. I didn't want to, but I did. I denied myself what I wanted most as I turned back toward my sleeping area, placing my weapons back in their sheaths. I stared at myself in the small oval mirror that hovered above the dresser, my reflection looking flushed. My hair lay flat, sticking to my neck and temples; I wished I didn't look so wild then. I wished I had myself put together, made myself beautiful for him. But I wasn't. This was me. If he didn't like that, he could always leave.

I caught sight of him at my periphery. His dark figure approached slowly as he came up behind me, closer and closer. He laid his hands on my shoulders and clasped onto them as though he was drawing in my aura. I glanced up to the mirror, watching him move his face next to mine as my hair tickled his cheek. His warm breath sent ripples down my neck and tingled across my skin. I watched his eyes reflecting back at mine, making me almost smile as I thought about the myth that vampires couldn't see their reflections in a mirror. He was as clear in the reflection as I was. I reached up to touch and run my fingers up his black as night hair, letting the soft waves of it slide out of my fingers, watching his eyes as I did so.

My heart fluttered in my chest, making my breath feel harsh as I sucked in smaller draughts of air. He didn't move but closed his eyes as my hand made its way back down his crown and to his jaw, crossing his crimson lips. I wanted to feel his lips on my own, let them press tightly against mine and part to let my tongue into his warm mouth. I wondered if he felt the same. I had never fallen for someone so fast and a twinge of panic emerged as I realized that what I wanted more than anything was to fall for him even harder.

Rye pulled me away from the dresser and turned me to face him as his pupils dilated, making them seem like a small band of hot white fire as both rings of color thinned into circles of light. I wanted to know him, to know who he was before the outbreak, what he did, what he liked and what had made him happy. I didn't want to feel this way about anyone but I knew that it was now too late to stop it. Since it bothered me slightly, I briefly took my reluctance into consideration but threw it into the back crevices of my mind.

"April, I...." His voice came out in a nervous whisper, as though it was hard to form words when the air was electrified. His hands cupped my face as his eyes looked more and more entranced, as if I was a drug to be savored. It was nothing that I had ever felt before. His closeness made my body want to pull him even closer, until our souls fused and we would never part ever again.