Call Of The Dark

Lazarus continued to gaze at her and her calm heartbeat till a yawn punctuated his thoughts. He rested his head back on his pillow and went off to sleep soon, her heartbeat acting like a lullaby to his tumultuous mind.

He had stayed awake for the last so many days with tension cruising through him about various things. And out of these, the last two days were spent thinking about her.

Emma peeled open her eyes with a pounding headache and a groan. It was still dark in the room she was in. Only the soft ambers of the fire had spread its buttery glow in the room with shadows dancing on the walls. This wasn\'t her room.

Something heavy was weighing her down. It was so hot that she was sweating even in this chilly weather. She tried to disentangle herself but the weight was too heavy for her to move. Groggily she looked down only to find a muscular arm curled around her waist and further down was a thick column of a thigh. She recognized those.

Lazarus.

A blush stained her cheeks at this invasion of privacy. No one had been this close to her. What did she do last night that she was pinned like this by him? Did he— "Goddess!" she murmured.

She looked at her clothes. They were all intact. Nothing was torn. But her nightgown was on her thighs and his leg was on them. Very carefully she removed his arm from him and then slipped out from beneath his leg.

When she turned to look back at him, she found his naked chest pressed against her and sleeping without a care in the world. Her face became redder.

His head rested on his arm. Gazing upon his looks she let out a rough exhale. The vampire was so gorgeous that it was impossible to believe that he was so dark on the inside.

His pale blond hair was disheveled and streaming over the black satin of the pillow while some fell over his neck. He had the most perfect face she had ever seen in her life. Such broad cheekbones and bow shaped lips with a square jaw that she felt like tracing the outline of each. He had broad shoulders and had strong muscles beneath that flawless skin.

He was only wearing his trousers that had moved lower to his hips. She couldn\'t help noticing the pale blond line of hair that disappeared beneath his trousers and her cheeks heated.

Emma bit her lip when he moaned and she saw the tiny hint of his fangs. All at once, he shifted and was now lying straight on his back. In doing so his muscles rippled and she could see his entire torso. It was so beautiful that every dip and plane was cut to perfection. She was enthralled by him.

Her mouth went dry when suddenly, her senses came jumping back. He was her tormentor and captor. He was going to cast her soul out in a few days for his betrothed. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She slipped out of the bed and walked to her room without looking around his room which was enveloped in darkness which Emma thought was a part of him.

When Emma reached her room, she found her maid waiting for her.

"Where were you all night?" she asked, worry written all over her face.

How could Emma say that she had spent her night against the naked chest of Lord Lazarus? She pursed her lips and hurried to the bathroom.

Ginger prepared a hot water bath for her and as soon as she was in the hot water, she sighed with pleasure and let Ginger scrub her body with a scented soap bar. She closed her eyes to the royal treatment but her thoughts of Lazarus\'s naked torso returned in her mind and a strange ache developed in her lower body. Her nipples grew hard when she thought of his plump lips.

"Goddess!" she said, jerking her eyes wide open and making Ginger winced.

"Are you okay, m\'lady?" she asked.

"I am," she murmured. Why was she thinking of him? She hated the strong pull she was experiencing towards the man who was her captor. How could her thoughts be full of him when she disliked him so much? She had to gain control of herself before it was too late. She decided she would avoid him as much as possible and spend her time in other activities, such as finding a way past Maeve\'s magic and escape.

From what she had heard from other vassals, the vampires had this power to lure their victim before sucking them out. Maybe that was what Lazarus was doing to her. But if he was so alluring after being such a douche, then what was he like when he was charming the women. Suddenly, the idea of him charming other women left her jealous.

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes to allow herself to focus on what Ginger was doing. When she came out of the bath, she let Ginger dress her up in the best of the collection. "How come these gowns fit me so well?" she asked absent-mindedly.

"Lord Lazarus had ordered them for you two days before you came. He gave your measurements to the seamstress."

Now that was a surprise! "Oh!" She wondered if he was awake and that notion stirred butterflies in her belly. No, the flutter of butterflies was more out of her anxiety. When Ginger tried to apply makeup to her, she said, "No, leave it."

"You must rest well today, m\'lady," Ginger said as she braided her hair. "The king will call you for the impending trial of Lord Lazarus as a witness."

"I find it very strange, Ginger," she said.

"What do you find strange?" the maid asked as she added a diamond pin to her hair.

Emma wanted to ask about the trial when all of a sudden, a loud frightening bellow sounded from his room.