Chapter 2

When William's fangs sank into my skin, I didn't make a sound. The pain only lasted a split second.

Then, a strange numbness shot out from my collarbone, flooding my veins and spreading through my limbs. I went limp.

The bullet comments went wild, the whole screen flooded with red.

[First kiss gone, and now the embrace is about to happen.]

[This isn't messing around sexually. It's a one‑way ticket to the grave.]

[William, snap out of it. She's gonna hate you.]

William held me close, his fingers trembling.

I heard him whisper in my ear, "Hate me if you want, but don't leave me."

*****

When I woke up, daylight was already streaming in. Correction, it was noon.

Heavy, dark curtains blocked out every bit of sunlight. The only light in the bedroom came from a small lamp.

I was lying in bed. Someone changed me into a soft nightgown. There was a bandage over my collarbone, and a subtle warmth radiated from underneath.

William was sitting by the bed, dressed in a crisp white shirt and a black vest, his cufflinks perfectly in place. He was back to being that gentlemanly, stodgy professor.

If it weren't for the ache all over my body, I'd almost believe last night was a dream.

I propped myself up and slapped him hard across the face.

William's head snapped to the side, but he didn't dodge, and he didn't get angry.

I glared at him. "Explain."

He looked down. "You need to rest."

"Explain," I demanded, tossing aside the covers and getting out of bed. My legs were so weak I almost dropped to my knees.

William reached out to help me, but I pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me." His hand hung awkwardly in the air.

The next second, a wave of unfamiliar emotion crashed into my mind. It wasn't mine. It was his. There was fear and a desperate, almost begging hope.

William thought, 'She's awake.

'She's still here.

'She's alive.

'As long as she's here, she can curse me, hit me, whatever she wants.'

I looked up suddenly. William's face was unreadable, but that surge of emotion kept flooding into my mind.

I stepped back twice. "What have you done to me?"

The bullet comments drifted lazily across my mind.

[It's the side effect of the blood bond: one-way telepathy.]

[Congrats, the heroine unlocked premium VIP eavesdropping privileges on her husband's inner thoughts.]

[But don't celebrate yet. You're not human anymore.]

I went rigid for a moment. Then I bolted to the window and yanked the curtains wide open. Sunlight came pouring in.

Instantly, a searing pain flared across the back of my hand. My skin reddened in a flash, tiny blisters bubbling up. I yelped from the pain.

William rushed in from behind, pulling me back into the shadows.

The curtains snapped shut, and he knelt, gently cradling my hand. "Don't touch sunlight."

"Get away from me." I yanked my hand back and stumbled toward the mirror.

The reflection was me, and yet not quite. There was a faint red glow deep in my eyes. My lips looked way brighter than usual, and at the edge of the bandage on my collarbone, two tiny bite marks were peeking out.

I stared at myself, my stomach churning.

William moved a step closer to me.

I could smell his neck, that cold, addictive scent of blood. It was so tempting that my throat tightened and my fangs ached. I wanted to sink my teeth into him.

The instant that urge hit me, I broke down. I grabbed a perfume bottle from the table and smashed it against the mirror. "What have you turned me into?"

William stood among the shards of broken glass, his voice barely above a whisper. "A vampire. And my eternal mate."

I let out a laugh, but it quickly turned into tears. "Mate? William, you really know how to romanticize a crime."

The chat started blowing up again.

[He's done for. Seriously, he's totally screwed.]

[She's so mad right now she probably wants to turn him into a botanical specimen.]

[Honestly, William might look calm on the outside, but inside, he's already crying his heart out.]

I really could hear him. In his mind, the same words echoed again and again: 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

'But I can't let her go.

'I'd rather have her hate me than lose her forever.'

I froze for a second. Wait. Die?

Before I could ask, William forced down all his emotions. He picked up a glass filled with dark red liquid from the bedside table and handed it to me. "Drink a little."

I stared at the blood, my stomach twisting. "Get it away from me."

"You'll be hungry."

"I said, get it away." I knocked the glass over, and the scent of blood slammed into me, making my throat clench with need.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, fighting not to show how badly I wanted it.

William crouched down to pick up the shards, but a piece of glass sliced his finger, and one bright drop of blood beaded up instantly.

My gaze locked onto it, hunger flaring before I could stop myself. He caught my look and, in a flash, hid his hand behind his back.

So, he was scared I would turn into a monster. But he was the one who made me this way.

I pointed at the door. "Get lost. I want a divorce."

William froze.

I could feel something inside him shatter. But when he spoke, all he said was, "No."

I went on a rampage, smashing everything in the bedroom I could lay my hands on, the vase, the lamp, the books, William's treasured silver pocket watch.

And in the end, I didn't spare the Queen of the Night he'd cared for seven years. I hurled the whole thing, pot and all, smashing it to pieces.