“But… I could…” Her heart wrenched at the thought of losing him.
“No. Don’t even think about it,” he snarled. “I won’t let you stay in my life because you feel an obligation to me. I’d rather be dead than know the only reason you’re here is to feed me.”
“Seth…”
“No. That is not negotiable, Willow.”
“And just how do you plan on stopping me if that’s what I decide to do?” she asked, her tone growing harsh to match his.
“Simple, I’ll refuse to drink.”
“Yeah, because it worked so well last time you tried to refuse me, right?” She was too angry to worry about blushing over the memory of how she’d enticed him to drink.
“Why do you care?” he roared. “I’m nothing more than a monster to you. Why do you care if I live or die? You walked out on me. You can’t do that then just pretend like everything is fine. I won’t let you stomp all over my poor ‘undead’ heart again.”
“What?” She wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
“Nothing.” He stormed out of the room.
Willow followed him into the kitchen. She couldn’t have heard him correctly, right? I stomped on his heart?
Seth gestured to the pile of chocolate on the counter. “If you still want chocolate, I grabbed plenty. I wasn’t sure what you liked…”
“Whoa, back up there, vamp-boy. Did you say you won’t let me stomp all over your heart again? As in, I’ve already stomped on it once?”
“Does it matter?” He played with a chocolate bar and refused to look at her.
“I do care. I don’t know why. God knows I don’t understand it. But seeing you so weak last night, knowing that you needed help… I couldn’t just walk away.”
“Great. Just what every man wants to hear.” Sarcasm dripped from his every word. “I don’t want your pity. Don’t worry about me, I’ve survived for eight hundred years without you in my life, I’m sure I’ll be just fine after you leave. And I assure you, now that I know precisely how you feel, I will not ‘terrorize’ your dreams any longer.” Seth turned and walked away from her again.
This time Willow didn’t follow him. She grabbed one of the chocolate bars and made her way to the elevator. There was too much to think about right now. She needed some time and space to consider what she had learned. And something deep inside her insisted Seth needed some space as well.
With an oddly heavy heart, Willow pressed the lobby button. This time, before she left the building she grabbed a business card giving the address, just in case she decided to try to check on Seth.
Climbing inside a taxi, she kept the card firmly inside her hand instead of placing it in her pocket.
When they arrived at her building, she was thankful that she’d worn jeans and remembered to take money with her. After paying the driver, she hurried to her apartment, lost in her own thoughts.
When Roxy opened the door, Willow surprised her sister by simply walking past her, ignoring all of her questions. She strode to her bedroom and shut the door, locking it just to be sure Roxy didn’t barge in.
Seconds later she was glad she’d taken the time to turn the lock as her sister banged on the door. “Willow! Open this door this minute. Tell me what is going on right now.” Roxy kept demanding answers as she hammered on Willow’s door as though she were trying to break it down.
Taking her cue from Seth’s behavior earlier, Willow shouted, “Leave me the hell alone.”
She knew her sister wouldn’t be prepared for her anger, but she needed time to herself to decide what she wanted. She was right, almost instantly the pounding stopped.
Willow paced inside the room like a caged animal, questions and feelings almost overwhelming her.
Can I be with a man who only sees me as a meal? Dinner and dessert, anytime he wants it?
But does he just feel that way about me? He wouldn’t have made the “stomp all over his heart comment” if I was just a walking buffet, would he?
But won’t a man—vampire—whatever, say anything he needs to if he isn’t ready to die?
Could we just be friends? I could just let him drink from me every few days… We could just become best friends…
Willow couldn’t even convince herself of the plausibility of that last thought. She could never handle watching him smile and flirt with another woman.
Unable to handle her rampant thoughts any longer, Willow lay on her bed. Even terrified Seth would come to her in her dreams again, she’d still felt comfort in being able to sleep. She may have limited how much sleep she allowed herself, but there was a small amount of comfort in the knowledge that there was a chance he would come to her, that he would hold her.
As she lay in the bed now, Willow couldn’t help but shudder. The thought of sleep no longer comforted her. He’d promised he would never enter her dreams again. Without any chance of seeing him again, sleeping seemed a bleak and hopeless action. She wondered if she could try to find him, if their connection was a two-way deal.
Clinging to that tiny thread of hope, Willow closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.
Seth could feel the slight tug on their connection as he stared out his bedroom window. He didn’t see the twinkling lights or traffic, he saw Willow, her body uncovered for him. One minute she was lying tantalizingly on his bed, in a pose that threatened every ounce of self-control he could ever remember possessing. The next, she was straddling his chest, begging him to bite her.
He felt his teeth lengthen as his mouth watered at the view she presented him with. Memories of the show she put on for him had his cock hard and flexing beneath his pants.
How many women would tease their men the way Willow teased me?
Did Willow tease other men the same way?
Seth’s fists clenched and he had to back away from the window to prevent himself from smashing it. Reluctantly he admitted that taking his anger out on the glass would do no good. It won’t make me feel better and it sure as hell won’t bring Willow back. All it will do is make a mess and allow the sun’s rays to enter the room.
Perhaps that would be for the best? If I’m not here, she won’t be tempted to sacrifice any possible happiness she could have simply to keep me alive…
Shaking his head, he forced himself to walk away from the temptation. He would follow the bedtime story his mother told him. He would take a few days to get his possessions in order. He would leave notes for his family, and for Jason. His friend deserved to know why he had chosen the path that he did. Then, just before the hunger became unbearable, he would take the honorable way out. The only way that would guarantee no innocent people would be harmed. He would watch the sun rise.
Comforted by his decision, Seth stripped and climbed into his bed. He took a deep breath, breathing in Willow’s scent as it clung to his sheets, his pillow.
There was another tug on their connection. Turning away from it, he ignored it. He had given his word that he would never terrorize her dreams again, and he would keep his promise. It’s only wishful thinking, he tried to convince himself. Why would she want to see me again? As he closed his eyes, he remembered the monster she had compared him to. He could hear the evil laugh of that horribly scarred man taunting him.
“Roxy, I’m going out,” Willow called as she tried to hurry from of the door before her sister could stop her.
“Where are you going? You’ve gone out the last three nights straight. What happened to you, Will? First you’re depressed and won’t go leave the apartment, then you disappear and lock yourself in your room for two nights, and when you finally do come out, you spend all night somewhere, not coming home until dawn. Sis, I’m getting worried.”