Her heart was pounding so loud all of a sudden, along with her core—her upper thighs—but none of her want was for Casmir any longer. She looked around again, afraid someone would see her in such disarray. The fear faded quickly.
Lilac gripped the table, digging the edge into her palm. “He insisted there was no bond, that nothing was ever started because he hadn’t drank deeply enough, or fed me enough of his blood.”
“Nothing was ever started.” Casmir gave her a condescending frown. He ran his hand over his face. “You must understand this in order to begin to understand your vampire: we are obsessive creatures by nature—even outside of lust or interest for one thing or person. This is how I’ve learned to travel and spend time amongst so many of my kind without getting mauled, taking the time to understand the things they protect, what they guard most carefully. Most covens don’t take well to strangers, as Garin does not care for or trust me. Wisely.” He laughed lightly, despite the dark warning tone of his words. “Because of this nature, we spend so much of our time existing in a state of restraint. Garin exercises that restraint around you.”
“We’ve—” Lilac stopped herself, her face aflame. “Garin has had my body and my blood. And I, his.”
“He has known what it is to taste you. A blood bond is toown.” Casmir sighed and offered her a small smile. “Whatever transpired between you, between the carriage crash and in that room at the inn has made thatrestraint all the more precarious for him to carry. He is usually very skilled in at least pretending he does not care.”
Lilac balked at this through a body-quaking shudder. “I wouldn’t call doing all he has for menot caring.”
“He would do far worse if he did not feel the need to mask anything he felt for you. Nothing that alreadyexistsneed be started, by the way.” Casmir carefully slipped his fingers through the tankard handle, ensuring she wouldn’t knock it out of his grasp again. He sipped his drink. “Any condition can alter the strength of a blood bond. Sickness. Depression.Love. He has been terrible since banishing you. More than usual.”
“We cannot be bound.” She had nothing else to say.
Casmir tipped the tankard back, his throat bobbing as he finished the liquid. “All I know, with absolute certainty, is that your absence has utterly destroyed him.”
She didn’t want to hear any more; she couldn’t focus on anything but the pulsing that had moved into the tops of her hips. She couldn’t bear to think about Garin, about how much he wanted her—anything to prolong the inevitable in entering that room.
Lilac squinted as he wiped red off his lips. “What’s in your cup, Casmir?”
“Fire Ale. It’s expensive, but you can ask for it at the bar and bring a cup to him,” he suggested. “An offering, just in case. Then he might spare you.”
“He’d never harm me.”
“Not on purpose.” His eyes flitted to her thighs. “Still, it’s smart of you to bring that blade.”
“I used it on him once. I wouldn’t need to use it again.”
“Then you’re more of a damsel than I thought. It’s made of metals. Won’t do any real harm, as you’ve probably discovered, but it might jolt him enough to realize what he’s doing. What you should be carrying on you at all times, is this.” He leaned in and revealed the sharp tip of something marbled and textured out of his coat pocket.
At first, she blinked, unsure of what she was staring at.
Then, she jerked, scrambling out of the alcove and slipping off the bench. “Never. I would never use that on him, Casmir.”
“He’s dealing with his hunger in ways tonight that will not suppress it. I believe it grows worse.”
“So the only option you had was tostakehim?” Her anger did nothing to quell the aching need that had begun to spread through her body. Fingers flexing at her side, she had half the mind to wrestle it from him.
“It would only kill him if it entered the heart. Other than that, a hawthorn stake will disable him.”
Lilac stared at him. “Why did you do this? Why did you bring him here?”
“I did nothing. We both agreed to a challenge set by your warlock. Your vampire left on hisownaccord. I didn’t have to lead him here.” Casmir laughed before sobering quickly. “Once I realized this was where he was headed, I stopped trying to dissuade him. I thought it was a good idea, a responsible one, due to the potential number of willing donors who frequent this place and how discreet it is. I did not realize at the time the extent of his hunger, or your connection.”
Lilac swallowed a stab of jealousy.
“Oh, don’t look so glum, Your Majesty. It’s you that has a spell over him now.”
“A brothel, more discreet than The Fenfoss Inn?”
“By number, there are not as many donors there. The vampires and people concerned with ethics and morals go to your beloved’s inn. Donors who wish to be anonymous and protected by magic folk if things go awry. But why not mix pleasure and feeding together?” He leaned in. “The way it’s supposed to be, isn’t it? You’re acting like it was hard to convince Garin.”
She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see him watching from over the balcony.
“When he darted off, I kept a close eye on him, ensuring he wouldn’t suddenly change course to Paimpont or to your castle.”
“So gracious of you.” Lilac was only half listening to him. The room closest to the balcony opened a crack, and the pair of giggling women stumbled out—the same ones she’d passed earlier. They didn’t seem to be laughing now.
