Blood Lust (COMPLETED)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Revelations

I started to pull on the clean shirt Duke had given me when I remembered some of the blood had landed on my face.

"Hey, Duke," I spun around to face him. "Could you hand me-- oh my God."

I froze with a gasp, feeling like I'd just been dunked in an ice bath. Covering him from the nape of his neck to the small of his back were scars; long, thick, deep scars.

"Duke..?" I choked, not knowing what to say.

His broad shoulders slumped for a moment, then he turned, holding a washcloth. Neither of us said anything as he came over to wet his rag at the sink. I don't think either of us were able to breathe, actually, let alone speak.

It wasn't until he began to wipe my face clean that the painful silence was finally broken.

"I had a family once." He mumbled, surprising me. "A wife. A daughter. We even had a dog."

He paused to give me a melancholy smirk, switching hands to wipe my other cheek.

"But they were stolen from me, when Roman soldiers invaded our village." He clenched his eyes shut, agony etched all over his beautiful face.

"You don't have to say anymore, Duke." I whispered, placing my hand on top of his.

"No, I need to talk about this." He replied, voice full of resolve. "I can't keep shouldering it alone; it's unhealthy."

"Then why not talk about it with Aiden, or Dean Lachlan? Why tell me?" I asked, puzzled.

Sighing, Duke let the hand on my cheek drop. "Because, I lov-- I mean, I care for you. Very, very deeply. And I want you to know me, better than anyone else."

My heart stopped. Did I hear him right? Did he really almost say love?

"But we're practically strangers," I replied, shocked. "How could you have feelings for me?"

I had a sudden moment of deja Vu, remembering my earlier conversation with Dean Lachlan.

You are everything to me.

That was the Dean's answer when I had asked what I was to him.

He couldn't possibly feel that way about me, neither of them could. Not in the short time we've spent together.

"It's strange, I know, but that's how I feel." He gazed down at me, intense and sincere. "And you feel the same way, don't you?"

He was right, I cared for him. Though, I wasn't sure if my feelings for him were as strong as his were for me.

"I understand your skepticism, so let me put your mind at ease."

I arched a brow. "How?"

"By telling you of my mortal life," he replied, voice low. "Something I've never revealed to anyone."

Curiosity fought compassion as I considered his offer.

Sure, I wanted to know more about Duke. But the pain on his face, those scars...I wasn't sure if I could handle the heartache behind it all.

"We could discuss it over dinner, if you like." He gave me a kind smile, eyebrows raised expectantly.

I started to agree, when I remembered Dean Lachlan's "raincheck".

"I'm sorry, I already have plans this evening."

"A lunch date, then?" He suggested, undeterred.

I nodded. "Okay, a lunch date sounds good. But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Can we work our way up to the serious stuff?" I paused, struggling to find the right words. "I do want to get to know you better, I really do. But, with everything that has happened--"

"You're afraid it might be too much for you." He interrupted, sagely. "Don't worry, I'll save the gory details until after our meal."

"Thanks. Oh, I almost forgot," I caught a glimpse of the time on a clock above the door. "I need to go to class."

"Let me get cleaned up and I'll escort you."

"You don't have to do that. I've taken up enough of your time as it is."

"You will have to wait for me anyway." He said, reaching around me to wet his rag again. "Class can't begin without the instructor."

My jaw dropped. "You're my history professor?"

He shrugged, sheepishly. "Who better to teach history than a fifteen hundred-year- old vampire?"

A/N*
Sorry for the short (ish) chapter, but this felt like a good stopping point.
So what'd ya guys think? Are you excited to hear about Duke's past? Let me know in the comments, and thanks so much for reading!