Content To Be Claimed (Beauty And The Beast #1)

Chapter 47

Vincent's eyes had gone silvery as he went back in time. "I was a young rebel back then. Specialised in pulling pranks and stealing kisses. And trust me, that was a true art form back then. And then she came into town."

He shook his head, smiling softly as his memories transported him elsewhere, to another time. And, as I watched him, I realised that I'd never expected to see him so relaxed, so...vulnerable. Seeing him like this was surprisingly endearing. And it only made him more gorgeous. "Her name was Ella. She came with her cousin, of course, since an unmarried maiden couldn't travel alone. I took no notice of the Viscount De La Haute, though. I only saw Ella.

"I'd never met a woman so breathtaking, so delicate. Once they were in the castle outside the town, however, they were never seen except at balls and such. The difference in our statuses meant that I'd never see her again." He turned those silver eyes on me again, his smile nostalgic. "And I remember being desperate to see her again. I couldn't explain the desire, only that it was overwhelming. So I went there a with a couple of friends. It was just a prank, really. We broke into the castle looking for her, only they were both home.

"And that's when I learnt three things: that they were vampires, that she was actually his mate, and that they'd been about to hunt."

I sucked in a breath as he winced, possibly reliving it. "My friends were slaughtered before my eyes, but Ella begged for me and I became his gift to her. She turned me herself and made me her slave. She gave me my past back just so she could taunt me with it, and explained that she'd turned me so I could kill endlessly to survive, too. I served her until 1905 when she was destroyed in the war. Her curse on me worked, though; I roamed the world for decades just despising myself. Until I just...stopped."

I thought his story through. "Well, you did ask for it," I murmured absently, still processing.  His low, guttural snarl had me looking up. His eyes were hard and fixed on me, rapidly turning red. "Oh, shit!"

I navigated myself off the colossal bed even as he slid off it, slipping into a predatory crouch. His growl was deafening now. I turned to run - heaven knows where I was going, the door was the other way - but I never took two steps.

Vincent shoved me against the wall and pinned me, his whole body pressing against mine. My head slammed against the wall and I saw the world explode. When my eyes focused and the ringing stopped I realised that he was clutching my hair and pulling my head back.

"Smell that?" he growled in my ear. "That's the stench of your own fear. That's how petrified you get when you're about to die. Do you really think anyone could ever deserve this?" He shoved me harder against the wall. It was like being crushed between two boulders. "Do you really think anyone deserves to be reminded of how weak, how puny they are?"

He stepped back and, by yanking on my hair, threw me across the room. My scream stopped when I hit the ground because the fall winded me. I didn't stop, though, until my head struck the edge of the bed. There was silence in the world as I took shallow breaths and tried to dispel the dizziness. My head was throbbing and I reached up to check the damage. I hissed when I felt a stab of pain. There was a tender spot but I wasn't bleeding.

How odd.

Vincent appeared in my line of clearing vision. He was crouching astride me, his eyes glowing with fading excitement. He smiled in contempt and mused, "Look at you. Pathetic."

I don't know where the idea came from. I just kicked up at him - low blow, literally - and screamed. How could I forget that it was like kicking at stone? "Damn it!" I gritted, writhing in pain. I reached for my leg and cradled it.

Vince was laughing now. "Impressive!" he praised between laughs.

I rolled my eyes, concentrating on my pain. I felt him move, then I was in his arms. I stiffened but he just gathered me up and placed me on the bed. I lay there and decided to ignore my leg as I moaned and cradled my head.