Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
It all happened so fast. Too fast. I didn’t see his hands move. I didn’t see him strike.
“You…” My voice wavers. “You moved so fast in my driveway. And…and…and you killed them. You killed those two men.”
“Yes.” The word is steady. No apology. No hesitation. No denial.
“And earlier…” I swallow hard against the tightness in my throat. “I was screaming…” I pause, but he says nothing. “I remember screaming.” I keep going. “But I couldn’t hear myself. Nothing was coming out of my mouth.”
He stares at me patiently as pieces of comprehension begin to click into place. Human men don’t hold power like that—only vampires do. They have powers beyond human understanding or capabilities.
“You’re a vampire,” I whisper. “I know you’re a vampire, but you’re not…” I swallow. “You live in a cabin. In the woods.”
“Yeah,” he says, qualifying, “Well, for now, at least.”
“You’re not rich?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “I’m a repo man.”
“You’re a what?”
“A repo man. I repossess shit for a living. Cars. Trucks. Furniture, jewelry, whatever people don’t pay on. It’s my job to take it back.”
“You work a blue-collar job?”
He nods.
“But h-how can you be a vampire if you’re blue-collar?” That word unsettles me more than the killing. My whole life, I’ve been told all vampires are elite. All vampires are rich and powerful men.
If he’s not elite, then that means that I’ve been lied to… My mother would never.
“No, clearly, that can’t be true,” I try to refute. “Clearly, you’re not telling me the truth.”
“I would never lie to you, Blair.”
It’s such a strange thing, standing in front of this man, and knowing I should feel frightened. I should be trying to claw my way out of this stupid cabin. But it’s as if every cell in my body knows he’s not going to kill me or do something terrible to me.
Which is crazy. I should be downright terrified. All the evidence supports a gruesome finish to this spectacularly messed-up day, not something sexy.
My pulse is racing now, neediness overcoming fear in the most infuriating way. Standing this close to him feels like I’m standing near live electricity. My skin feels too tight. My lungs feel too small. And my body wants to move closer to him.
“What’s your name, then?” I question. “If you would never lie to me, what’s your name?”
“Kane Slater.”
I guess I thought he’d given me a fake name or something. I don’t know what I expected his answer to be, but it wasn’t that.
“You were at the mixer the other night, weren’t you?” I demand. “I remember making eye contact with you.”
“Yes.” He nods. “I was there, but I wasn’t there for the same reasons that men like Damien or Holland were there.”
“Why were you there, then?”
“To get information,” he says. “And to find you.”
“Find me?” I narrow my eyes. “W-what?”
“Destiny, Blair,” he says. “You are my destiny.” My heart skips a beat and my head swims. And for some insane reason, I find myself taking a step toward him. And then another step. And then another.
Oh my God, what am I doing? Stop.
“You kidnapped me,” I say, keeping my feet planted firmly to the ground. I need to anchor myself to something. I need to remind myself of what he just did.
“Yes, but not because I want to hurt you. Because I want to protect you.”
“But you ruined my life.”
“No, Blair.” Even though my feet are still planted, he steps closer. “I saved your life.”
My back bumps against the wall, but I don’t remember him moving. Our chests are pressed against each other, and his eyes are locked on mine.
So close. So warm. So solid.
I should be scared.
You are scared, I tell myself. He killed two men without blinking. He controlled my voice. He locked me in a room. This is scary. He is scary.
And yet, my body leans toward him.
He closes his hand around my wrist, and my pulse jumps violently under his thumb. He raises my hand above my head and presses his body tighter against mine. Or maybe I’m pressing my body tighter against his. I don’t know.
“All I want to do is protect you,” he whispers back. “That’s it. I simply have to protect you.”
Heat spreads through my body from the contact, and goose bumps roll up my arms. It’s as if my body is revolting against me. It’s as if my body just wants to get as close to him as it can. It’s confusing. It’s overwhelming. It’s consuming.
“I hate you,” I say, but it sounds diluted now thanks to the rapid breaths of a wanton woman I can’t seem to control.
His eyes turn violet. “Do you?”
I don’t answer. I can’t answer. My body is betraying me, and all I can think about is the way his mouth would feel against mine.
This man kidnapped me. And while he’s a vampire, he’s not elite. He’s not powerful. He’s not wealthy. He is not from the life I was raised in or the future I was promised. He is primal and blue-collar and work boots and something dangerous that I don’t understand.