Broken (The Captive #5.5)(40)
"I can't even stand to touch her," he admitted in a hoarse voice.
Her eyes closed, she bit into her bottom lip to suppress a moan as an invisible sword pierced through her heart. "You've touched her already?"
She hated herself for asking the question. The woman was his fiancé, he had every right to do what he wished with her, but the thought of it made her want to curl into a ball at the same time that she was hit with the compulsion to rip down every tree around her. The conflicting emotions tearing through her were unlike anything she'd ever experienced before.
His forehead rested against hers, his fingers slid over her cheeks again. The strands of his hair tickled against her face and smelled of the rain from this morning. "Only briefly," he murmured against her ear. A shiver ran down her spine as her body swayed involuntarily closer to his. She could almost pretend this conversation had never started, that they were back in the bubble they had created for themselves in these woods so many weeks ago. "She touched my arm but all I could think of was you."
He pressed her hand against his chest and flattened it there as he spoke. "The smell of you, the feel of you, the taste of you. It's everything I never knew I wanted in my life but now can't imagine living without."
Sorrow twisted in her belly, she was unable to stop herself from turning her head into the warmth of his lips. They brushed over hers before she pulled away from him. "I understand how you feel, I truly do, but we must stop."
He closed his eyes and leaned away from her before bowing his head. "What will become of you Genny?"
That was a question she had no answer for. She was petrified of what Felix might do to Camille but she couldn't unburden herself to him now. "Don't be concerned about me; I've always taken care of myself and Camille. We will get by."
He brushed back a strand of her hair; his fingers remained on her cheek as he leaned closer to her. "I can bring you money so you don't have to steal anymore, so that you will be safer."
"I think it would be best if we didn't see each other again after today. It will be easier on us that way." She didn't believe anything would make this easier but she knew that seeing him again would only further shred her already shattered heart.
His eyes turned red again, she saw the flash of his fangs briefly behind his lips before he regained control of himself. He closed his eyes and when he reopened them they had returned to their normal color. "You're right."
"I should go." His hand squeezed hers; a shudder ran through his body before he released her. It took every ounce of willpower she had to rise to her feet. She suddenly felt like a human of a hundred and ten as she put one foot in front of the other in order to get some distance between them.
"Genevieve." She stopped and turned back to him as he rose from the rock. "What if I can produce an heir soon? What if I can be free, for you?"
The idea of him being with another woman made bile rise up her throat. Her hand involuntarily went to her mouth as she felt the press of her fangs against the inside of her mouth. The hopeful look on his face almost drove her back to him but she kept her feet firmly planted in place. She wanted to have enough pride to tell him that she wouldn't wait for him and that she would have moved on from him by then, but she doubted that either of those things would happen and she couldn't bring herself to hurt him with a lie.
"You will be able to find me if such a thing happens," she whispered and briefly touched the place on her neck as a reminder of where he'd fed from her. The tormented look on his face told her more than words could ever say, that he would never forget it either.
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She turned and fled into the woods.
CHAPTER 14
For the next couple of weeks it took everything he had not to rip the head off of anyone that crossed his path. He was extremely grateful that Anna had returned to her house near London with her father. He didn't think he could handle the daily reminder of what was in his near future. The wedding was set to take place in six months; he didn't know what he was going to do with himself until then, or how he was going to deal with the ever-present anger and tension that had taken over his body.
He'd tried to feed in order to appease the unruly beast within, but all blood now tasted bitter to him since he'd parted from Genny. He forced down what he could of it in order to survive but he retreated quickly from the willing women that fed him. He was trapped in his own world, in his miserable life, and in this horrible country that he'd been ordered to stay in until after the wedding. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be escaping here even after the wedding though. His father would be returning to Italy when the wedding was over but he'd require a representative here to watch over his holdings and this was Anna's homeland. As a wedding present, her father was already building them a manor closer to London where Anna was a large part of the social scene.
Truth be told though he'd never leave this country while Genny was still here, he may not be able to see her anymore but he wasn't willing to be so far away from her either, not yet anyway. He was sure he could work her out of his system after more time passed, or at least regain some semblance of the normal life he'd led before meeting her. For now, if she ever needed him again he planned to be there for her.
Rising to his feet, he paced the confines of his father's solar with his goblet of wine in hand. Being drunk helped a little but he was beginning to think there wasn't enough wine in the world. Every day he had to fight the urge to go and see her, every day was a struggle to keep himself moving forward. His entire body hurt, even his fingernails. He settled back into the chair and downed the contents of his goblet as he stared at the wall across the way from him. The door creaked open and Merle poked his head inside.