The journey back to the apartment was quiet. For most of the drive I pretended to be asleep just so that no one could ask me what had really happened in my bedroom and how Olivia’s arm managed to break. Occasionally there were moments in the car when I did open my eyes, and when I did I found that Nico and Duke who were sitting in the front were exchanging suspicious glances.
They knew something was not right.
The sickness I felt in my gut right now was killing me. I felt like I was walking on a tightrope across a treacherous ravine where one gust of wind could knock me sideways and send me tumbling to a terrible death. I drew my knees up into my chest and shivered.
“Are you cold,” I heard Caspar murmur to me.
His arm wrapped around my shoulder and drew me in to the side of his body. Sleepily I nodded and snuggled against his chest, peeking out of one eye to see what Duke and Nico were doing. Duke had turned in his seat and was eyeballing me and Caspar.
“Is she okay?” Duke asked Caspar quietly.
“She will be,” Caspar replied pressing a kiss against my hair.
Minutes later we arrived at the apartment block. Nico pulled outside the doors so that Caspar and I could head straight to the apartment while he parked the car in the underground garage. Caspar gently squeezed my shoulders and said, “Hazel, we have arrived.”
I played along pretending that I had fallen asleep again and rubbed my eyes, “Okay, but I want to go straight to bed.”
Nico who had been fairly quiet up to this point piped up and said, “I want to ask you some questions about what happened tonight before you go to bed.”
Caspar tightened his grip around my shoulders and said, “Hazel is tired Nico. You can ask her questions tomorrow.”
Nico’s lips tightened into a thin line and he replied begrudgingly, “Very well.”
Caspar opened the car door and quickly swept me into the foyer and into his own private elevator that led straight up to his penthouse apartment. I was thankful that Caspar had spared me a grilling from Nico and Duke. I needed to talk to Henrietta first and tell her what had happened. She might know how to handle this.
As we stand in the elevator Caspar turns to me and says to me, “Hazel, I think it would be best for you to remain at the apartment for now.”
I nodded my head in agreement- there was no way I was going back to my dorm room after that thing had invaded my bathroom and broke Olivia’s arm.
Caspar smiled at me, evidently pleased that I had chosen to agree with him instead of putting up a fight. He swept the back of hand across my cheek and said, “I am so happy that you are finally seeing us for what we are.”
“And what is that?” I smiled back woodenly.
“A couple. True mates. Two souls destined to be together forever,” Caspar replied.
His sincerity was so moving that I actually felt bad about lying to him. He had no idea that I was going along with him to fulfil my own agenda. I began to nervously play with his mother’s emerald engagement ring on my finger and said, “Well, I am starting to come to terms with the fact I am no longer human. I am a vampire and I cannot go one pretending to be a human any longer.”
Caspar lowered his head and brushed his lips across mine and replied, “This is a wonderful revelation Hazel, we can final begin our eternity together.”
“Yes we can,” I said kissing the corner of his mouth.
At this point I was no longer sure if I was acting or not. My hands found their own way around Caspar’s neck and held him in place as he began to kiss me slowly. This wasn’t the plan. The plan was to go straight to bed… I shouldn’t be encouraging Caspar like this. I pressed my body against his and when the elevator doors pinged opened we stumbled into his apartment holding each other tight.
This was not the plan. Stick to the plan Hazel.
I thought about pulling away for about half a second but then I decided not to. Caspar had shown me last night how his body could make me forget things I did not want to remember, and after seeing that creature stood in my bathroom all twisted and distort I needed something to help me forget.
“Take me Caspar,” I begged huskily, “Make me yours again.”
A low growl emitted from Caspar’s throat and he kissed me hard, crushing his mouth against mine. My fingernails dug into his shoulder and I gasped as Caspar suddenly lifted me up on to his hips. I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist and continued to kiss him as he strode across the apartment towards his bedroom.
This felt like heaven- he felt like heaven, and for a few hours he could make me forget everything bad that had ever happened to me.
Caspar kicked his bedroom door open and walked into the massive space, then shut the door behind him. Holding me tight he walked over to the bed and lay me gently down on the sheets. He then looked at me and asked, “If we do this, do you promise not to run away again?”
“I promise,” I whispered breathlessly.
Caspar lay me back on the sheets and for next several of hours made me forget myself completely.