Chapter 244: Overdrive
"It doesn’t have to happen tonight," he said without turning her way.
Arabella said nothing yet allowed her feet to guide her closer to him. She took her time with every step, the only other sounds accompanying her being the ambient flickering of candle flames, the chipping of wood and the light brushing of fabric against the floor as her dress dragged across every inch she traversed.
The young woman did the same thing he so loved doing to her, standing right behind his frame and giving free reign to the warmth that would wrap around him.
She stood so close, if he so much as leaned half an inch backwards their bodies would have connected.
Soon, his hand stopped working and with it ceased the grating of wood that filled the room.
"I said it last time and I’ll say it again, leave while you still can," he wasn’t whispering per se, but there was none of the sharpness his voice usually donned. His words were just gentle on the ears.
"I don’t want to," was all that she said, her tone calm, but voice little.
"It is the Mirari speaking. Not you," he matched her energy. Calm, steady, but still warm.
At first and in response, her hand rose before resting right on his back. The one breath that had escaped his control gave his state of mind away, but he couldn’t care less at that moment as the vampire was sure that should his clothes be removed, her handprint would have stayed branded into his flesh.
The only thing that surprised him was that no smoke seemed to ascend as her touch burned right through the fabric shielding him as well as the thick and hardened layer of skin of his.
"Maybe you should see for yourself if that is the case,"
Her voice grew breathier, prompting him to actually turn around and face her.
The typically loose raven hair wasn’t free that night. Arabella had gathered it into a rich bun behind her head while still allowing a few strands around the front to dangle at will.
But that so undervalued hairstyle emphasized the open shoulder dress that left her neck even more exposed before him as if encouraging him to take control over it.
That wasn’t all, however... The bitemarks he’d left on her were no more. Very much like that dull veil that had been cloaking the sheen of her gemstones. They had completely vanished, leaving not the sliver of a trace behind.
Her eyes glowed like the first time he’d gotten a glimpse of them. Brilliant and full of life and ambition.
His first instinct was to brush, with his fingers, the area of her neck where the little gaps once stood.
"How did you...?" he trailed off, his voice never before so frail.
Arabella’s hand went up and clasped around the crimson pendant he’d gifted her. To the human eye, the flask hadn’t changed by a hair, but to a vampire such as him, it was evident the container was missing some of its original mass.
The furrowing of his eyebrows stopped when his diamonds climbed to meet her again, "I’d rather you didn’t use it for circumstances such as these. If you wanted to stop the Mirari, you know you could have simply asked," it was a clear statement, but uttered as a mild suggestion.
She nodded slowly, taking in every speck on his features, "I know," that was all she said for a moment before adding, "I wanted to see if I’d hold the same position with or without the Mirari,"
"And how are you feeling now?"
Silas did not need to raise his voice above a murmur as they stood so close to each other, their breaths intertwined and danced with him still hunched over to her eye level, fingers still on her delicate neck, sometimes trickling down to her naked shoulders.
"Clear minded," she said, "Once the effects of the Mirari dispersed, I knew it was my decision to come here. I understood it was the right thing to do,"
"Is that it?" he pushed one of the strands of hair blocking full access to her face away, "You only came here because it was the right thing to do," he half asked.
Very momentarily, her expression shifted from the serene air her features had adopted to uncertainty.
But the vampire decided he did not want the answer to that question right then and there. Instead, in the hopes of bringing the previous outlook on her back, he switched topics, "This hairstyle suits you so well and this dress does too," his diamonds traveled down to her shoulders, her collarbones and cleavage.
That night, he made no demands and took her hand to guide her towards the lounge chair himself.
When Arabella prepared to sit beside him, Silas stopped her, turning her around without any brisk tugging before wrapping his arm around her middle and pulling her onto his lap.
The young woman’s heart went wild, pumping blood the fastest it managed which rendered her a bit hazy, thus shutting down any sort of resistance from her.
She allowed him to move her body to his heart’s desire and just leaned against his chest while one of his hands explored her waist, ending its journey on her stomach as the other fondled her shoulders and neck.
Every deep, warm exhale that collided with her skin birthed a tingle that wrenched little shivers and jolts out of her.
As their custom went, it was his lips that found their way onto her neck first, caressing the tender barrier separating him from the blood that would quell every raging war in his mind.
The sparks and shards that action yielded coursed through her entire body in under seconds, leaving her helpless case with no other option but to clench at the fabric of her dress and his vest as well.
Then he did something he’d never done to that day. Instead of his fangs, his tongue came to stroke her neck next.
Soft, hot and wet it sent all of her senses into overdrive before he’d even started feeding.