Chapter 195
As the alcohol warms my insides, I feel a slight loosening of the ever–present tug in my chest–the one that always points me towards Rhett. But it’s not enough to completely erase it. It’s never enough.
Soren leans in closer, his eyes dark and hungry. “Once I’ve changed you I will have to remark you once you go into heat, but it won’t hurt like the first time will.”
The intensity of his gaze is magnetic, drawing me in despite my reservations. Every part of me wants this–wants to belong to someone who hasn’t betrayed me, who promises to cherish me. But another part recoils at the thought of such an irrevocable step but it won’t stop me from going through with. it. He taps the glass wanting me to finish it and I do before accepting the third one. He watches me for a second, before taking it from me and pulling me to my feet.
“I had planned to do this differently but you’ll just have to forgive me.” he tells me leading me to the bathroom bringing the decanter with him and the glass.
My heart quickens as we cross the threshold of the dimly lit room. The fragrance of sharp disinfectant and subtle lavender mixes in my nostrils, giving it a strangely comforting scent. The cold ceramic tiles touch against my bare feet, sending shivers up my spine.
“It’s going to be okay,” Soren says softly, drawing me close to him. His eyes are still dark and solemn as he studies my face. His fingers brush my cheek, grazing over the gashes caused
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by Bianca which I had forgotten about. I flinch at the pinching pain.
“I want to shower first,” he tells me, but I look at the bath, “Or we can bathe together?” He steps away moving toward the huge spa bath. He turns on the faucets.
With a soft hum, the tub begins to fill, steam clouding the mirrors and creeping across the ceiling. He looks back at me, his eyes a question and a reassurance all at once. With a hesitant nod, I agree to the bath.
“Remove your clothes,” he says as he takes off his shirt. His voice gentle and my stomach twists in anticipation or fear, I can’t tell which. As uncertainty dances in my mind, he moves towards me once again when I don’t move to remove my pajamas which is just a thin silky dress.
“May I?” Soren asks gently. Nodding, I lift my arms as he lifts my dress over my head, careful not to graze against my injured cheek. A shiver courses down my spine from the sudden air conditioning hitting my skin but also because of him, standing so close yet maintaining an invisible barrier between us as his gaze rakes over the rest of me, taking in every inch.
My heart pounds in my chest, my mind spinning with the possibilities and outcomes of what’s about to happen. “Get in,” he commands gently, gesturing towards the tub. I do as told, the heat seeping into my bones almost instantly. I watch as he undresses himself. He hesitates but climbs in behind
- me.
The intoxicating mixture of warm water and wine helps to numb me from reality, makes this all feel like some dream or
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illusion. But the weight of Soren behind me, his chest pressed against my back, is real.
He runs a hand down my arm, tracing circles into my skin causing goosebumps to rise in anticipation. Soren pulls me impossibly close to him before reaching over and grabbing the decanter which he left on the basin. I watch as he places it in my hands. I clutch it when he does something that has me moving to grip his hand when he tears into it with razor sharp teeth. He squeezes his fist over the rim of the decanter and I watch his blood start steadily pouring into the wine.
He then drops his hand into the water, tinging the water a deep red before pushing the decanter towards my lips. He leans back resting against the side of the tub, dragging me with him.
“Drink it, every drop.” he tells me.
