Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince
Chapter 34

I awoke in his arms. I had fallenasleep in them, dancing to the waltz that he hummed in my ear. The sun hadarisen already, and strands of light broke through the curtains casting shadowson the wall I faced. His left arm was wrapped around my waist, while his rightheld my left hand. In sleep, his expression was peaceful and serene, almostchildish and innocent. This felt surreal to me, as though I lived in a dream.Everything that happened last night flooded back into my mind, blinding memomentarily while I remembered the events.

His phone vibrated on the bed, andI felt like an earthquake shook my room. I somehow untangled myself and flewoff the construct. Once I was standing on the floor, I knew that the earthwasn’t shaking. My senses were once more heightened, way above my normalaverage. This was probably caused from all of the blood I drank last night, inaddition to the bottle of blood the witch had given me.

Thinking about the bottle gave mepause. Ms. Ingram was dead, killed by my hand after she changed herself into a vampire.

I sunk to the floor. No wonder Ihad trouble today. I would be out of commission all week. Jennifer Ingram oncetold me that she had warlock blood in her. If that was true, then there was notelling what might happen with my senses.

Finn stirred on the bed. Hesnatched his silver smart phone off the comforter and gazed at the messenger.With one click, the connection formed and he put his ear to the receiver.

Even though it was him that madethe call, it felt like I had done it directly. I overheard the conversationbetween the two of them, like the phone was set on speaker.

“Finn, where are you?” some guyanswered after the first ring. I had never heard his voice before, but Iwondered if this was one of Finn’s many bodyguards. “Emery and Thalia areconscious and they’re asking about you.”

Finn rubbed his eyes as heanswered. “I’ve been asleep. Are they discussing the attack?”

“Not yet. I’ve been telling themthat you will be present for the brief. Your father’s already been here onceasking for your presence in the hall.”

He groaned, sounding more like atrain horn in my room. I covered my ears briefly, watching him sit up on mybed. “Tell him I’ll be right there. I’m on my way.” He closed the connectionand found my eyes instantly. At first he was confused, wondering why I was onthe floor. Then he looked down at the phone. “I take it you heard all of that?”

“Shhh,” I commanded him. “Yournormal speaking tones sound like you’re yelling at me.”

He chuckled quietly. “Interesting,”he breathed. Once he stood up, he offered his hand, and I took it. He lifted meoff the floor quite easily. “Listen,” he whispered, but he sounded like hetalked in a normal voice. “My family cannot know about you, not yet.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course I knewthat. Just because he didn’t have a bad reaction to what I was didn’t mean therest of them wouldn’t.

“I need to return home. Emery andThalia don’t need to remember that you were there last night. Jake is takingcare of the details for me, and you’ll see him soon.” His hand found my cheek,and he caressed it.

If I thought that the burningsensation on my skin wasn’t hot enough, it got worse now, though the painwasn’t pain but this overpowering emotion I couldn’t quite think through.Instead of speaking, my mouth dropped open and my breath came out in rasps,like I breathed heavily.

Finn’s fingers paused in histracing of swirls on my cheek. He smiled. “You need time to calm down, Ithink.”

I nodded, not trusting my voiceanymore. Now that he wasn’t touching me, the burning had stopped once more, butI missed the heat. “I take it you’ll be back later.” My teeth chattered, like Iwas cold. That was his effect on me.

“Should I draw you a bath before Ileave?” he asked me, worried about the state I was in.

I shook my head hurriedly. “No,I’ve got it. I can handle myself.”

“I’ll send Jake by.”

“No. Go Finn, go take care of Emeryand Thalia.” The sooner he got out of here the sooner I could fix myself.

His smile retracted for a moment ashe stared at me, shivering from the blood rush.

Quickly, before I could react orstumble away from him, he swept me up into his arms, and kissed me right on thelips. Heat poured into me, filling me with warmth. My shivers stopped.

He let me go just as quickly anddisappeared, already out of my apartment and headed for his manor on theoutskirts of town. I stood there for several minutes after he left. I finallystumbled into my bathroom and turned on the water. Once I got into the warmbath, feeling like it was hotter than normal, I relaxed. I still felt theimprint of his mouth on mine, like it had been fixated permanently there.

I couldn’t believe it last nightwhen he told me how he felt. I had thought that it was impossible for him tofeel that way towards me, but now I knew better. He had fallen for me. He loved me.

I admitted to myself long ago thatI liked the way his skin touched mine, though I wished that it didn’t make mefeel that way. After what happened last night, and everything I told him, hedidn’t run away screaming into the night. He stayed with me. He would neverunderstand what I went through the night of my creation, but when I looked intothe heart of his eyes after I told him, I saw forgiveness and love buriedwithin their depths. Only one other person had ever looked at me like that, buthe was not here. The solid truth, after I admitted it to myself, was that Iliked Finn a little too much.

I loved him, like I loved Noah.

I stared out the window through thesliver between the curtains. The light was so bright and sunny that my eyesalready hurt from the strain. I closed them and turned away. Things would bedifficult now.

I should’ve ran when I had thechance.