Chapter 3 I Didn't Wager A Deal For You

Elodie

Oblivious to my racing thoughts and erratic heartbeat, Marianna stepped aside, gesturing for me to follow. “It’s better if we don’t keep him waiting.”

As if feeling bound to obey, I listened to her request. We walked in silence through the corridors. A steady glow from candelabras lit the way, the candles melted down as if they’d been burning for days. Marianna took purposeful strides with her arms tightly at her sides. If she was upset about offering an innocent woman to a monster, she wasn’t showing it.

My heart skipped a beat, dropping to the pit of my stomach as we finally reached the dining hall. The room was no different than the rest of the manor, massive, dripping with an elegant darkness. It swallowed all sound leaving the hum of my pulse to fill the silence.

Roman was already seated at the head of the table, immaculate posture with his hands folded as if this were a formal court rather than a meal that involved a bloodletting. Candlelight carved sharp planes into his face, creating the illusion that his eyes were black with hunger.

Wanting as much space between us as possible, I pulled out the chair at the opposite end, but before I could sit, he lifted one finger.

“Here,” he said as the finger that pointed into the air dropped onto the table in front of the chair beside him.

I pretended not to understand him and instead, I moved to sit one chair over, close enough to appease him, but far enough out of his reach.

He cleared his throat. The sound was obnoxiously loud in the silence. Then his foot shot out, kicking the chair beside him just enough to make it scrape sharply against the stone floor. His sudden aggressiveness had my limbs stiffen leaving me immobile for several seconds.

Only once regaining mobility in my legs, I grabbed the chair he had kicked out. With gritted teeth, I obeyed even though being this close to him felt dangerous. As if seeing a cub in the wild, soft and adorable but with any sudden movement would easily maul you. Roman was that cub, handsome and wholesome, but once provoked he could easily rip your throat out.

His presence pressed in on my side. He didn’t look at me, but I felt his attention like fingers at my throat. Where was the line that shouldn’t be crossed, how far could I refuse him before he sank his teeth into my flesh?

Silence stretched on for several seconds before a different maid appeared, moving with that same practiced calm. She carried a single plate and set it carefully in front of me before retreating without a word.

I stared down at the food, surprised by how delicious it looked. Warm bread, roasted meat, herbs I didn’t recognize. My stomach betrayed me with a low grumble, but I forced the hunger down.

Roman’s gaze finally slid to me, sharp and assessing. “Do you not trust me?” he asked, faintly offended. “It’s not like I’m going to poison you. That would be a waste.”

“I said I wasn’t hungry,” I said tightly. “It’s a little difficult to eat knowing I’m on the menu.” I lifted my chin, meeting his eyes. “So why don’t you just get it over with already?”

Something like amusement flickered across his face. Not humor, but anticipation at the request.

Instead of answering, he shifted forward, perching on the edge of his chair. His attention narrowed in on me, his pupils dilated as his gaze locked onto my throat. I felt it then, the way my pulse betrayed me, loud and frantic beneath my skin. With a swiftness that stole my breath, he grabbed my hand. He turned it over, palm up, his grip firm but not painful. His fingertips glided across my skin, slow and deliberate, and goosebumps erupted in their wake.

Nervousness curled tight in my chest. But there was something else, something traitorous. Excitement. The contradiction of emotions left me as stunned and I quickly became putty to be molded to his will.

He pulled me closer, just enough that my chair scraped softly across the floor. His lips brushed the inside of my wrist. “I could take what I want from you,” he said quietly. “Is that what you want?” His mouth opened just enough to reveal his sharp teeth. “Do you want me to show you how much of a monster I am?”

My breath caught as his canines scraped lightly against my skin. The room spun from the intimate gesture, the expectation of pain. My eyes instinctively squeezed shut in anticipation of the moment his teeth would pierce through my skin. I waited. But nothing came. Instead, he pressed a soft kiss to my wrist. Confused, my eyes shot open and immediately landed on him as he lingered there, lips still pressed to the thin skin.

His eyes lifted to mine, darkness glimmered in his gray gaze. His nose traced slowly down the center of my palm, my fingers helplessly twitching. At the edge of my hand, he paused. A mischievous smirk on his lips as he pinched my index finger gently between his own. Time slowed as I became trapped in his grasp. Never breaking eye contact, he brought my hand to his mouth and pressed the point of one tooth into the meaty pad of my fingertip.

A sharp sting caused me to hiss. We both watched as a single droplet of blood welled up, bright and perfect. The metallic scent hit the air and Roman’s eyes went black. Looking the monster in the eye, I became mesmerized, unable to look away as his tongue swept over my skin, collecting the blood with deliberate care.

When he finally pulled back, his voice was low. “Sweeter than the others.” Odd, considering how bitter I was.

A sudden, violent banging on the front doors made Roman drop my hand. His head lifted slowly, eyes narrowed in irritation. As if whoever waited on the front steps was an inconvenience rather than a threat.

Seconds later a voice echoed through the manor, loud and infuriated. Roman sprang to his feet, the chair scraped harshly against the floor. “Stay here,” he demanded, already moving toward the unwelcomed guest.

But I knew that voice. I waited only a few seconds before following. I crept closer to the entry hall pressing myself against the wall, heart pounding, and listened.

“We had a deal, Roman!” Edgar bellowed, his frustration bordering on hysteria. “You were supposed to choose my daughter, Evelia!”

So a deal was made. I wasn’t supposed to be here. She was.

Roman’s response came smooth and cold. “If you’d like, I can return to town tonight and kill her. My appetite is never satisfied.”

His words slithered across my skin.

Transfixed, I watched Edgar stand there, faced with Roman’s full attention, those dark eyes locked onto him like a predator who finally caught its prey.

“You know that’s not what we pay you for,” Edgar snapped, throwing his hands up. “Instead, you choose some peasant-”

The words that were supposed to follow the insult got trapped in his throat as Roman pounced. I watched in horror as he grabbed Edgar who was nothing but a short, tubby man. He was no match to Roman as he was easily lifted just enough that his feet scraped uselessly against the floor.

“Are you forgetting,” Roman growled, “who you are speaking to?” His fingers tightened. “I can ruin you and your precious family line in a heartbeat,” he continued calmly. “Elodie is not a peasant.”

Edgar’s hands clawed desperately at Roman’s wrist, his face turning a sickly blue as his legs buckled. A rasping sound tore from his throat. “Y-you’re-” he choked.

Roman leaned in, eyes burning. “You will remember that.”

“Yes,” Edgar wheezed at last. “I will remember S-sorry, I’m s-so sorry.” Only then did Roman release him and he immediately collapsed forward, coughing violently, gasping for air.

Roman stepped away, adjusting his cuffs as if he hadn’t nearly killed a man. “Don’t come back,” Roman said with a coldness. “I might not be as generous next time.”

Still hunched over and shaking, Edgar stumbled toward the door and fled the manor. The silence he left behind was deafening.

The viciousness that clung to Roman afterward made my stomach churn. This was him without restraint. Without masks. This was the monster Spring River feared. Realization settled in with crushing clarity. There was no getting out of this.

A gasp tore from my chest as a hand suddenly touched my shoulder. I spun around, heart leaping into my throat to find Marianna behind me, eyes wide as if I startled her in return. I didn’t think she meant to get me caught. But she had.

In the few seconds my attention faltered, the front door slammed shut, the air shifted violently and cold rushed in. The shadows that came with Roman’s approach pushed back the glow of the candlelight that lined the hall. Marianna backpedaled quickly, murmuring apologies as she disappeared down the corridor.

I wasn’t fast enough. Roman seized me, spinning me back against the wall with enough force to rattle my bones. His body caged me in before I could gasp, one arm braced beside my head, the other locking me in place with his icy fingers.

“Getting into trouble already,” he murmured against my cheek, voice low and dangerous. His hand slid up, slow, deliberate, and wrapped around my throat.

I froze. The grip mirrored what he’d done to Edgar, but there was a crucial difference. His fingers didn’t tighten. They rested there instead, limp against my racing pulse. “I heard a familiar voice,” I muttered, barely managing to breathe.

“You shouldn’t lie to me, Elodie.” His thumb pressed in slightly, just enough to make my head turn. “I can feel how fast your heart is going.” His lips brushed my neck.

My pulse throbbed traitorously beneath his mouth.

“It’s very appetizing,” he added softly.

Heat flared through me, but it was mixed with something I didn’t want to admit.

“We both know you aren’t on speaking terms with Edgar.” That was the truth. Edgar was a top tier elite businessman in Spring River. Evalia, his daughter, went to private school and etiquette classes to learn how to be the perfect wife. Edgar was the epitome of greed, whereas Evelia was the result of that greed with perfect teeth, long straight hair, and satin gowns with corsets tied tightly around her small waist.

“Fine,” I snapped, grasping at anything that might keep me alive. “I was curious why someone would be stupid enough to pick a fight with you.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. A smile that was slow and predatory. “I think,” he said, drawing closer, his body pressing fully against mine now, “that I’m going to enjoy our time together.”

His grip tightened instinctively, not enough to hurt, but enough to remind me what he was. That I was his, no matter if I wanted it to be true or not.

“Our time is limited,” I muttered through numb lips.

“Is it?” He tipped my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “I didn’t wager a deal for you,” he said quietly. “I could keep you forever.”

Forever. The word landed heavy and wrong in my chest.

“Don’t vampires hate commitment?” I shot back.

A low chuckle escaped him. “Oh, we’re very committed.” His fingers traced along my jaw, down my neck, skimming the collar of my dress. “We just get bored easily.” His touch lingered. “But I don’t see myself getting bored of you.”

I tried to jerk away, but I was stuck in place. Unable to escape his eyes that narrowed as if I offended him. “I almost forgot,” he said coolly. “You want things the hard way.” He had me pinned against a wall with his hand around my throat, he didn’t forget about doing things the hard way.

He yanked me away from the wall and dragged me back toward the dining room, his grip firm and unyielding. He shoved me into my chair. “Eat,” he snapped, already turning away. “Make sure she eats something,” he ordered the servants sharply. “I’ll be hungry tomorrow.” Stopped in the doorway, shoulders rigid, he added, “And I want her in my bed by midnight.”

And then he disappeared into the darkened hall.

I stared at the table, my pulse still screaming in my ears.

That went well.

I sat there for a long moment, fingers numb, throat still humming with the phantom pressure of his hand. The dining room felt too large now, the candles flickering like they were whispering about what had just happened.

I touched my neck. There would be no bruises. No marks. But the warning would stay with me forever.

The maid returned quietly, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. As if I hadn’t just been threatened, claimed, and dismissed in the span of a breath. I didn’t want to blame her, but if she hadn’t crept up on me none of this would’ve happened. She set a glass of water beside my plate and avoided my eyes as if she knew it too.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, “please eat something.”

“It’s not like he’s worried about my health,” I muttered.

“That’s not true.” Her confidence took me by surprise, but I didn’t expect a maid to know his deepest, darkest intentions.

I stared down at the plate again. My appetite was gone, burned away by adrenaline and fear and the echo of Roman’s mouth at my throat. But it was his words that rang in my head.

I’ll be hungry tomorrow. I want her in my bed by midnight.

I forced myself to take a bite. The food might have gone cold, but it still tasted delicious, however, I couldn’t savor the favor while the threat of what waited loomed over me with every passing second. My hands trembled as I ate slowly like defiance could be measured in mouthfuls.

I wondered where Roman had gone. Is he spying on me, making sure that I’m obeying the demand? 

I only ate half of the food on the plate before I shoved it away, the maid continued to linger over my shoulder. “Would you like to sit in the library until…” her words died off.

But to me they sounded loud and clear. Before I’m expected to be in his bed. “Sure.” Anywhere other than his room would be preferable.