Suffocate In Spirit - Shadows of the Night 4

Chapter 65

Hi,

It's too late and I can barely keep my eyes open, but I just had to update tonight.  Once you've read this, you'll know why :-)

Lara

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Chapter 65

I stared at him. "What kind of guidelines are we talking about?"

He leaned forward. "Did you kiss him?"

Soft. Sharp. The words were like a punch in my gut.

Air, reason, and thought left me in one sickeningly fast moment- I was too discombobulated to do anything but stare, wide-eyed. How could he even ask? Thanks to our bond he knew perfectly well that Andy and I hadn't kissed – or done anything else for that matter.

I got up. "I have no idea what kind of game you think you're playing, but I'm not staying to find out."

He quirked an eyebrow – a slow and precise motion. "You did not, then? Why?"

"That's none of your business."

Alexander got up, slow and swift, a predator that was more than that. Threat and power, fear and emotion. Like nothing else I'd ever seen. I shook the emotions away, brushed the thought off, stuffed it back into that bursting iron casket I kept locked deep in my heart.

I backed away, the steps almost unconscious and instinctive, never letting him out of my vision.

A blink. A second lost.

He was standing in front of me, and I hadn't seen him move, hadn't even started to weigh possibilities and options.

"Is it not? How long will you play this game little witch? How long will you be able to pretend?"

Standing my ground, not crumbling under the weight of his stare was the only thing I could do, and it took all I had not to give in and just run.

"Pretend what?"

"That you are someone else. You are hiding more things than you like to admit. From your friends. From the Circle." He stepped closer. "From yourself." Another step, and he was almost within reach. "From me."

Saliva pooled in my mouth, the urge to swallow strong and harsh. The stillness of a vampire like a lifeline someone had thrown me. If I could only reach out and touch it with my bare hands.

"You may be able to hide from them, but you cannot hide from me. Your games find an end tonight. There will be no more possibilities, no speculations, no sweet non-threats you can voice in front of me. This night I will demand truth from you, and I will demand it in one thing only. Give me one honest answer and you are free to leave and go home. Refuse to give it to me and I will take your blood." The barest hint of a smile. "After all blood does not lie."

A rushed intake of breath. "You want to talk about honesty? You're asking me to be honest? To put my trust in you when I know you're not telling me things either? Tell me how this is fair?"

He pushed forward. Shock drove through me, a violent blow, hot and cold showers of goose bumps on my skin. His hands were on my upper arms. I shoved my palms against his chest, but it was as futile as shoving against a brick wall.

"Nothing is fair in this world, little witch. One honest answer is all I demand. One answer and you are free to go."

I stared at him. There was some sort of trap somewhere, but I couldn't see past his eyes, too distracted by his closeness. All I wanted was to leave, put enough space between us to clear my head.