Unleash (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series Book 6) Page 24

  She stifled a smile. “It was very sweet of you. You took care of me. You protected me.”

  He had. And then after that he had…

  His eyes fell to her right shoulder and the dark puncture marks tainting her pale skin. “I bit you. Did I hurt you?”

  “No.” She shook her head a fraction. “You were only trying to stop me from leaving. I knew that. You were gentle with me really.”

  Snow stared at the marks, losing focus as he recalled how sweet her blood tasted. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that it had been too many hours since he had taken a small quantity of blood and he usually needed daily doses to keep his bloodlust at bay. He dragged his gaze up from the marks, over the smooth column of her throat, to her lips.

  He smiled wickedly. “You kissed me. I definitely remember that.”

  Her cheeks blazed. He would never grow tired of making her blush and seeing her innocence shine through.

  “I did,” she admitted and bravely met his gaze, holding it without trepidation, showing him a flicker of the flipside to her innocence. “Even when you were in the grip of your bloodlust, you still cared for me, and you were still the man I care for.”

  “Love, you mean.” He had issued the challenge and she had to respond. He wanted to hear her say it because he needed it more than air. If she told him a thousand times that she loved him, he might begin to believe himself worthy of those feelings and her.

  She nodded awkwardly. “I do love you… and I’m convinced I can help you conquer your affliction now that I have seen you like this. If you want that of course.”

  “I would like nothing more,” he said, keeping his emotions in check so she couldn’t detect his uncertainty and the underlying fear that surfaced whenever he thought about what tomorrow might bring.

  It felt wrong that he wanted to live now, when doing so would place Aurora at risk.

  She was certain that she could help him overcome his bloodlust, and he thanked her for her unwavering faith in him and her devotion, but he still couldn’t find any faith in himself.

  He would never forgive himself if Aurora managed to get her superiors to grant him a second chance and he ended up doing something terrible and she was cast into Hell. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her to give up and sentence him to death, a fate he surely deserved more than a future with her and had sought for centuries. It would hurt her, and it would hurt his brother too.

  Snow closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath to steady himself, his conflicting feelings tearing him apart inside, making it impossible to think straight.

  He was going in circles again, lost and confused, unsure what to do. He didn’t want to hurt those who loved him, but he couldn’t see a path that would lead him to a place where everyone would be happy.

  If he chose death, Aurora and Antoine would mourn him, and neither would ever be the same because both would blame themselves for his death. It would destroy Antoine.

  It would destroy Aurora.

  If Aurora convinced her superiors to grant him a second chance at life, Antoine would be happy, and he was sure Aurora would be too, and so would he, but it would only take one instance of his bloodlust escaping its tethers and him wreaking terror upon innocents for her to lose her soul and then her life.

  Snow would die if that happened. She had been through enough because of him. He would go against his promise to Antoine and would end his life. Antoine would be distraught. It would destroy him.

  Was there no outcome where they could all be happy?

  Did he not deserve some happiness, some good in his life?

  Probably not.

  “You think dark things,” Aurora said, bringing him back to her, the soft melody of her voice causing his heart to tell him to push away from the thoughts she spoke of, closing his eyes to the future and embracing the present. She stroked his cheek, her touch gentle and soothing, bringing light into the darkest corners of his soul.

  “So kiss me again and make me forget.” Snow leaned in and she met him halfway, her lips brushing softly across his, the taste of her invading his heart and mind, bringing peace to him. Whenever she kissed him, everything felt right and good, as though nothing bad would ever befall them.

  She drew back again and sighed. “I wish we could spend longer here.”

  “Take me to Antoine and I will tell him I am fine, and then we can return.” He would like that too. Being here with Aurora, alone in the wilderness, was preferable to being at the theatre while they were still grappling with her mission and what the outcome might be.

  “It is daylight though.” A beautiful look of concern laced with fear touched her face. “I don’t want to risk accidentally exposing you to sunlight. This method of travelling is not the safest. I only used it because it was dark when I brought you to the chateau.”

  She hesitated, uncertainty filling her eyes and the fear tainting her soft feminine scent increasing, and then she tipped her chin up and her expression turned to one of resolve.

  “I will go and speak with Antoine…” Her courage faded. “Although I fear he might seek to harm me for what I have done.”

  Snow frowned. “My brother would never harm you. He would not dare.”

  Those words bolstered her courage and she nodded, her fear subsiding. He knew Antoine didn’t trust her but his brother wasn’t crazy, and it would take a crazy person to harm Aurora when they knew Snow had feelings for her. She was his female and he would protect her from anyone, even his brother.

  “I won’t be long.” She pressed a brief kiss to his lips and then she was gone.

  He wasn’t sure how she did that. Was it a form of teleportation like Payne used?

  Snow flopped onto his back on the furs and stared at the wooden beams of the ceiling.

  When Aurora returned, he would have to speak with her about her mission and her belief in him. He needed to ensure that she went into this with clear eyes, not clouded by her feelings, but he didn’t think that she would be able to manage it.

  How could he make her see that it wasn’t only his life on the line? It was hers too, and her life was far more important and worthy of saving than his was.

  She would never understand that though. From the moment she had appeared back in his life, she had made it clear that she believed him capable of good and redeeming himself. She had shown her faith to him in so many ways that he was beginning to believe it too.

  He was beginning to want it.

  But not if it placed her at risk.

  He would only allow her to judge him as deserving of another chance if he could be sure that together they could master his bloodlust.

  Snow closed his eyes and sighed. Antoine had told him not so long ago that finding a female to love could save him. He only hoped his brother was right and that it wasn’t about to damn him.

  His bloodlust was still strong. It was different now because of his feelings for Aurora and her presence in his life, but it was still unpredictable, liable to surface at any moment.

  His stomach growled again and he tried not to think about her sweet blood, or blood in general. He tried not to see it bathing his hands and claws. He tried not to hear the terrified screams of his victims.

  They haunted his soul, worse now in the aftermath of returning to the chateau and seeing a full version of events play out and drag him into them, forcing him to relive the terrible things he had done to his family.

  Snow swallowed hard and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to bring his focus back to good things like Aurora singing to him, and her face whenever he did something to boost her hope that she might save him yet. She always looked so happy whenever that happened, as though he had given her a beautiful gift.

  Hunger gnawed at his insides and his grip slipped, allowing darker thoughts to penetrate the light, chasing it back. He tried to force them out again but they increased, pushing down on him, his bloodlust rising like an unstoppable tide within him.

  Snow clenched his fists and fought the dar
kness, unwilling to give in to it because if it took control of him, all his hope for a future with Aurora would be gone. He had to master this. He had to prove to himself that he could claw himself back from the brink and didn’t have to fear succumbing to its evil.

  He didn’t have to destroy innocent lives in a quest for blood.

  It began to abate again but didn’t die completely. It lingered in the depths of his heart, lurking there and waiting for another chance to strike and bring him down.

  It would only take his mind turning back to last night at the chateau and the slaughter of his family to unleash it fully. He couldn’t think about his past without feeling he was on the brink again, ready to fall.

  He was still too unpredictable.

  If they had more time, he believed he could find a way to gain more control. Enough to be certain that he wouldn’t lose his head and murder innocents, endangering Aurora’s soul.

  It was too soon after his worst bout of bloodlust in centuries though and he needed to be sure for her sake.

  He would sooner die than see her suffer. He had put her through enough already. He couldn’t let her wager her soul for him, not even when he desperately wanted to live with her.

  He had fallen for her too.

  He was in love with her.

  And that was just another reason why he couldn’t let her make a rash decision about her verdict.

  His senses flared and he flung the furs off him and was on his feet a second later, facing the male who had appeared in the small wooden cabin.

  The man’s amethyst eyes raked over him, his lip curling in disgust, and he folded his large pure white wings against his back.

  Unlike Aurora, this male wore white armour that covered much of his body from the neck down. He was dressed for war.

  Snow snarled at him, his fangs elongating and eyes switching, their pupils turning elliptical as his vampire nature emerged, enhancing his strength and his senses.

  This male had made Aurora suffer as a child and throughout her whole life.

  Snow’s anger rose, obliterating all sense of calm and positive feelings as he caught flashbacks of the scenes Aurora had shown him. This male had struck her and made her bleed, all because she had chosen to protect Snow.

  This male would pay for that.

  Snow launched himself at the angel, intent on having his revenge for what the male had done to Aurora and to him. He would break every bone in his body as payment for the blow he had dealt him, shattering his frail body. He would show the angel just how strong he had become.

  The male angel disappeared and Snow’s senses blared a warning.

  He turned on a pinhead, dipping his body at the same time to avoid the blow the angel tried to deal him, and rose again in one fluid motion, throwing all of his strength and bodyweight into his punch. He slammed his fist into the male’s stomach, the impact with his white armour barely registering on his knuckles.

  The metal gave beneath his blow, indenting violently, causing the angel to unleash an ungodly growl of pain.

  Snow ducked beneath another strike and came to his feet again, closer to the angel, and smashed his elbow into the male’s face, knocking him off balance.

  He quickly came around behind the angel and yanked viciously on his left wing. The angel retaliated then, beating at him with his powerful wings, shattering Snow’s hold on him. He tried to evade the angel’s next swing but the male was on to him. A feint.

  Pain ripped through Snow’s chest as the angel landed the blow he hadn’t seen coming, sending Snow flying across the room and crashing into the rough log wall. His breath left him on impact and he hit the wooden floor, his knees slamming into it with a force that sent pain ricocheting through his bones.

  Snow shook it off and roared as he sprung forwards. The angel would die.

  Aurora wouldn’t have to judge him then.

  He grinned, exposing his fangs, and sprinted across the room at the angel, his mind fixed on murder.

  Aurora appeared between them, throwing her arms out at her sides, blocking his way to the male.

  Snow skidded to a halt and roared at her, furious that she would protect the angel who had hurt her as a child and punished her for her whole life. She shrank back and then moved forwards again, standing her ground, her eyes gaining a hard dark edge that he didn’t like. His senses confirmed the feelings in them.

  Anger.

  She was angry with him.

  Why?

  The male behind her wiped his bloodied lip on the back of his hand and stared at Snow, hatred shining in his purple irises, a feeling that was mirrored within Snow.

  He wanted to force Aurora to move aside and let him at the angel. She had no right to stand in his way when he was doing this for her sake, and for his. This angel was the source of her suffering.

  No. He was the source.

  Snow reeled and stepped back. His head pounded, his emotions colliding inside him and creating a maelstrom that threatened to pull him deep into his bloodlust.

  He growled and pressed his palms to his temples, trying to get everything straight in his head. This male had hurt her though. He had forced Aurora to watch a young boy die and then he had struck her when she had sought to save him. They had both made her suffer.

  Snow looked up at her, battling his darker urges, desperate to deny his desire to tear the male behind her to shreds and bathe in his blood.

  “Return now and pass judgement upon this wretched creature.” The male’s voice was loud in the room, each word falling heavily, shaking Aurora on Snow’s senses.

  Her heartbeat accelerated and fear washed through the anger in her eyes. She turned on her master.

  “We still have a day!” Desperation tightened her voice, flowing from her in tangible waves that curled around Snow and squeezed his heart in his chest.

  Snow wanted to go to her and gather her into his arms to comfort her. He equally wanted to rip out the male angel’s throat for daring to change the deadline for her mission.

  He also wanted to deal himself a pretty hard kick.

  Her master had come here and Snow had attacked him. He had made the male change the deadline, and he had just done something that the angel could use as proof he was a danger to humankind.

  In his rush to avenge Aurora and protect her, he had ruined everything and she knew it, and it was hurting her.

  The male stared coldly at Snow, his tone glacial. “You had a day. Now you do not. You will return now and a decision about the soul of this despicable creature will be made.”

  He disappeared.

  Aurora sank to her knees.

  Snow stood a few metres behind her, unsure what to do. He could almost feel her hope draining out of her, her pain obliterating it. What had he done?

  Her shoulders slumped and her voice was weak and empty as she spoke. “I will speak with him. It will be okay.”

  She didn’t believe that.

  Snow wondered if it was for the best. He loved her unwavering faith in him but he had none himself. He gathered his jumper and t-shirt, shoved his feet into his boots, and returned to her.

  “Take me home, Aurora,” he said, unable to get his voice above a whisper when his conflicting feelings were tearing him in too many directions.

  He knew what he had to do.

  Aurora stood and brought her hands up to her face before she turned towards him. Her dark lashes were wet with the tears she had tried to hide from him. She knew it was hopeless too, but still she didn’t want to admit it. Was she so desperate for him to live that she would lie to herself?

  He didn’t want that to be the case. He didn’t want her to go down that dark path because of him. He had spent centuries lying to himself and knew the consequences. It would ruin her.

  He held his hand out to her and she slipped hers into it, stepped into his embrace and stared up into his eyes.

  His senses detected the shift of the world around them and the change in scents and sounds. They were back in his room an
d, thankfully, they were alone.

  He didn’t want to let Aurora go. He clung to her, keeping her warm soft body against his hard one, holding her and savouring this final moment with her in his arms.

  “You have to make the right decision, Aurora,” he said and tears filled her beautiful eyes, making him feel like a bastard. “We both know that I am still a danger to this world and I won’t let you lose your soul because of me.”

  He reluctantly took one hand from her back and settled it against her cheek. It was soft beneath his palm, hot and damp with her tears.

  He had never hated himself more than he did in this moment, when he could see her heart breaking and knew he was the cause of her pain.

  “You’ve suffered enough, Aurora.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb, clearing the diamond drops of her tears away. “I would rather you end my life than suffer any more because of me. My death is long overdue and it is time I paid for my sins.”

  She shook her head and her brow furrowed. “No.”

  Snow sighed, cupped both of her cheeks in his hands, and pressed his forehead against hers.

  He closed his eyes and wished he knew what to say to make her see that this was killing him too, but that he had to do it even when all he really wanted was to live with her forever.

  There was no way she could convince her kind to let him live now though. They would say she was compromised because of her feelings and that he had attacked one of their kind, and they would be right.

  Aurora hit his bare chest, her small fists bruising his skin, each strike leaving glittering colours behind that quickly faded, a mark of her strong feelings. “I won’t let you die.”

  He held her, refusing to let her go, weathering her blows and letting her get it all out of her system. Eventually, she would realise that he was right and there was no hope for them, and this was the best path to take.

  “Aurora,” he whispered and pulled back so he could see her eyes. She swam in his vision and he blinked to clear it, cursing when he realised tears filled his eyes too. He stared down at the face of his female, his salvation, and wished his life could have been different, because he loved her with all of his black heart and he didn’t want to let her go. “Thank you for giving me everything I ever desired… for giving me a brief respite from my suffering and making me feel alive for the first time in centuries. Before I met you, my soul felt as though it was on fire, burning with the flames of Hell. Now it feels like cool water, washed of my sins by your love, and my feelings for you.”