The vampire's personal witch

"Is this heaven?" I mused aloud, the words esc

it's

't quite finished asking. I questioned, my thoughts muddled. Was I conver

ail to die, but now I'm talking to myself. A

y, yo

the reality of my situation. "It seems death encloses me yet again," I muse

d aloud. "Am I really talking to myse

g hand touch my face. My thoughts raced. "Is this the fabled cold hand of death?

ts tone reverberating through my soul and sp

i

I stil

em. I reached out, my hands trembling as I touched those eyes, whispering, "Beautiful." But before I could fully grasp the

I fell to my knees, bowing deeply. "M

Am I going to die?" A fleeting thought tempted me-perhaps I should drink in the sight of t

ursed him silently in my mind as he left m

ll how long I had been kneeling. I hesitated, unsure whether to raise my head or keep it bowed. My th

s voice rasped, cutti

t to make a sound. The last thing

e wrong?" he asked, his tone

ld think about were the terrible rumors I had heard. I glanced at the Duke, who was staring ou

o answer, but my thoughts were a jumbled mess. The tru

My breath caught in my throat as he moved toward me, his cold fingers brushing against my jawline. The touc

ve done?" he murmured, hi

ould do was stare into those captivating eyes, my fear mingli

hispered, his lips cur

le, and now here she was, defying him in the most peculiar way. He had allowed her to live, had even gone so far as to have

ning back to the window. "You

tal beneath her fingers, picking up the collar that lay there, its weight familiar fighting the urge to bawl, from one grave to another, how terrible her life is. Crawling fo

oice called out, b

collar still in my hands. "My

on the book in his hands. "Give it here," he

approached him and placed the collar in his outstretched hand. His

hless. I tried to make myself smaller, to disappear into the sheets, but his pres

" he asked, his v

w weeks," I replied,

ers traced a line from my shoulder to my neck, sending a wave of hea

he murmured, his brea

both terrifying and exhilarating. I knew I should be afraid, bu

a whisper against my ear, sounding

my body betraying me as it

uickly dulled by a wave of pleasure that surged through me. I gasped, my body trembling

ng, my mind foggy. He licked the blood from h

said, his voice a dark promise,