Shades of Amber (17 page)

My lips quivered, but I
remained quiet.

“
I love you, Jade. Let me
take care of you. I need you.”

I opened my eyes,
wondering when I’d closed them.

I think I need you
too.

I stood up and slapped my
hands over my mouth, but I’d already thought it.
I gasped when the door opened.

Troy looked more handsome
and dangerous than I would have thought possible. I sank to my
knees as I saw him silhouetted in the light from the
hallway.

He was only wearing pajama
pants. My body shook as I tried to decipher his mood, but I
couldn’t see his expression. Troy leaned against the door, peering
down at me. When his eyes met mine, I got the feeling I had made a
big mistake. I hadn’t meant for him to see where I was. I hadn’t
even meant for him to hear me think I needed him.

My impervious ex kneeled
and pulled me into his chest. His heart pulsed beneath my hand as
he smelled my neck.

The simple action filled
me with unease.

How many times had he done
that—a hundred, a thousand—so why did it bother me all of a
sudden?

I stiffened and leaned
back as the rest of my memory returned.

He pulled me closer, his
breath hot on my skin as he whispered, “Shh, there’s nothing to be
afraid of.”

But those words terrified
me.

How could he lose his
humanity?

His eyes almost made me
melt from their intensity. I tried to breathe air into my
lungs.

Troy was a vampire. A
vampire. VAMPIRE. Each time I thought it, he gripped me a bit
tighter.

With a sigh, his eyes
changed from hazel to amber.

I gawked for several
seconds before shoving him away. I must’ve caught him off guard
because he actually fell backwards. I wouldn’t make it to the
hallway in time, so I did the only thing I could. I grabbed the
closet door and slid the lock into place.

Troy was up and pounding
on it in seconds. When he stopped, a wave of panic hit.

“
It’s not as bad as you
think, Jade.” He waited for me to speak. “If you come out, I’ll
tell you everything.”

My heart and body wanted
to believe him, but I couldn’t allow it. I smacked my forehead and
swallowed hard when I felt the wetness beneath my fingers. Tired of
waiting, I put my ear to the door and listened as my hand went for
the knob.

¤¤¤¤

Destroyed

I used mortality to
describe

the world.

The thought of more
was

unconceivable.

Now,

I find myself with other
facts,

Bits and pieces that
destroy all that.

With darkness
dwellers

and other
things…

I find myself in a living
dream.

-Jade

Chapter 21

…
Troy…

I closed my eyes and
concentrated on removing the glamour. Jade stared at me as if I’d
sprouted horns instead of changed my eyes from hazel to
amber.

When she shoved me away
and slammed the door, I knew she needed a moment to get her
bearings, so I formed another plan.

I paced the
hallway.

The monster in me wanted
to take her every way possible, but the man wanted her to come
willingly. It was hard to say who would win. Chance had been a
decent appetizer, but I wasn’t satiated. I wanted to storm in there
and kick down the door, but I enjoyed her lust more than her fear.
I tried to think about something else, but she clouded my mind. The
more time I spent with her, the more I wanted.

When the door opened, I
slipped into the bedroom to wait for my frightened little mouse.
Her heart raced as she took every precaution, but it wasn’t enough.
I pinned her against the wall as soon as she looked the other
way.

“
You’re
bleeding.”

Her pulse sped up as I
touched her eyebrow.

“
I won’t bite.” I kissed
her cheek. “Yet.”

“
You better not bite
me!”

I pressed closer. “One day
you’ll want it. There will come a day when you won’t fear what I
am, and then you’ll accept me and my love.”

¤¤¤¤

Jade

“
You think I’ll let you
bite me?” I hissed as he held a handkerchief to my
wound.

“
Once I finish the story,
you’ll understand.” His lips thinned. “Now, let me take care of
you.” Troy pulled me into the bedroom and closed the
door.

Deep red walls brought
warmth and passion to the room, while the mahogany furniture
brought a powerful male touch.

My gaze flitted around as
he waved me to the couch. This was his domain, but nothing was more
imposing than his mahogany bed. I shivered at the thought of laying
in it.

A smile curved his lips
when he followed my gaze. He stood up, drawing my attention to his
bare chest. My gaze traveled his six-pack, as I considered the fact
that his astonishing good looks would probably cause my
downfall.

“
You need a first aid
kit.”

I stood up as soon as he
entered the bathroom, but his voice reached me before I could step
toward the door.

“
Sit down before you get
blood on the carpet.”

“
Fine.” I plopped down and
studied him as he perched on the armrest. “I wish this stupid cut
would go away,” I muttered as he applied peroxide with a cotton
ball.

His expression changed as
he tilted my chin up and pressed a fresh bandage to my
forehead.

“
What’s wrong?”

“
I could
make it go away,
if
that’s what you really want.”

“
How would you do
that?”

He slid next to me. “It’s
not that difficult. You just have to trust me.”

My voice went soft. “But
you’re a.…”

His arm came around my
shoulder. “I may be a vampire now, but I’m also the only guy you’ve
ever loved. You trusted me once.” His lips brushed my ear. “Why not
trust me now?”

“
You’re not human anymore
and you do bad things. Why should I trust you?”

“
How do you know I do bad
things? I’m not a vegetarian if that’s what you mean.”

My jaw clenched. “So you
kill people?”

He laughed and ran a hand
through his hair. “I don’t always kill the people I feed
from.”

No matter the words, his
voice always made things sound better. He cupped the back of my
neck as his mouth covered mine. It made me forget everything
else.

My breathing was ragged
when he finally eased back. He put his forehead to mine, avoiding
my cut while his other hand grasped the material at my
waist.

After a few seconds, he
kissed me again, but something felt different. I struggled to think
as his words invaded my head.
“Relax,
Jade.”

We kissed for a long time,
and when I managed to push him back, I thought my eyes would fall
out of my head.

I grabbed his chin. “Is
your lip bleeding?”

He licked his lips in a
very seductive way. “No.” A mischievous smile shaped his mouth as I
grabbed his chin again.

Too tired to argue, I
walked into the bathroom and closed the door. My hand splayed over
the white barrier as I flipped the lock. Nothing could protect me,
but I pretended I was safe. Turning the faucet, I watched water
fill the tub.

How could I relax when my
deepest fear and greatest weakness was waiting right
outside?

After a good soak, I felt
like I could take up another sparring match with my deceptive ex.
He had to understand that he couldn’t have me just because of our
past. Of course, as soon as I left the tub, half my resolve went
down the drain.

His black and silver robe
made me feel safe as I wrapped it around my body. I held the collar
to my nose, relishing Troy’s scent as I checked my reflection. My
bath had given me time to think.

I was still alive because
of Troy, so maybe I could cut him some slack.

I shook my head when I
spotted the amber necklace.

How could I forget about
you?

My fingers brushed the
honey colored stone. It was as beautiful as his eyes, but something
about it made me nervous.

I sat on the edge of the
tub.

Thirty minutes didn’t give
me enough time to figure things out. I didn’t know where I was, how
to get away or how to avoid sleeping with him again.

“
Come on,
cher.”

Anxiety seeped through my
bones. My time was up, and I was too jittery to decipher whether it
was from joy or dread.

“
No more
stalling.”

He rose from the couch as
I stepped out. “You’re beautiful.”

I covered my neck. “I need
some pajamas.”

“
No, you don’t.” He
approached slowly, his eyes never leaving mine.

“
Give me a shirt or
something,” I demanded as I crossed my arms.

A smile formed as he
pulled a red silk gown and robe from the dresser.

“
Thank you, now turn
around.”

“
Aren’t we past
this?”

“
If you haven’t noticed,
the idea of you being different still makes me uneasy.”

He smirked. “Believe me;
I’ve noticed exactly how you feel.”

I tried to mask my delight
as he pulled me into his arms. “Turn around!”

“
Alright.”

We both turned away, but I
felt his gaze roam my body like a magnifying glass on fine
print.

“
If you break your word
again, I’ll refuse to get dressed in the same room.”

“
I don’t know what you
mean.”

I glanced over my
shoulder, but he didn’t turn around until the fabric brushed my
knees. Troy’s lips curved up as he walked toward me.

“
How do you
feel?”

I twisted my ring. “I’m
fine.”

“
Nervous, cher?” He caught
my wrist and stroked my pulse with his thumb.

“
Of course
not.”

“
I know you’re afraid, but
I won’t let you go. If I’d come with my mortality intact, you would
have welcomed me with open arms.”

I looked at the white
carpet, avoiding his gaze.

His breath was warm
against my skin. “You’re just scared, but I’ll help you get past
it.”

My body went stiff. “You
left me! I wouldn’t welcome you back no matter what form you came
in. I don’t even care if you came back as a billionaire, and asked
me to marry you.
You
chose to leave, you
should
have stayed away.”

He remained quiet, but the
room grew cold.

I hazarded a glance and
found his jaw pulsing with anger. I tried to back away, but he
gripped my shoulders.

“
What are you
doing?”

His eyes resembled torches
as he licked his lip. “You are going to fight me every step of the
way, are you not?”

I shrugged and looked at
his chest.

“
You’re frightened, but
it’s not what you think.”

I tried to steady my
voice. “What do I think?”

He guided me toward the
bed. “You don’t understand why I came back for you, but it’s
alright.” His mouth covered mine as I melted against
him.

A lightheaded sensation
filled my body when he pulled back. “Why?”

“
It’s out of your control
now.”

His words, scared me, but
his gaze held me captive. I was a moth drawn toward a deadly flame.
“How come?”

“
You’ll see.” He pressed a
soft kiss to my neck followed by a sharp bite.

¤¤¤¤

Drowning

One kiss is
never

just enough.

I see your
pulse,

I smell your
blood.

Like a fountain in a
desert,

You call to me…

As I find
myself

Drowning in
memories.

-Troy

Chapter 22

…
Troy…

The man might be patient,
but the beast was not.

I laid Jade on the bed as
I savored the taste of her blood. Her stubborn nature forced me to
alter my plans, but the outcome would be the same.

Now that I had mixed our
blood, she wouldn’t be able to separate herself from me.