LUST OR LOVE?

CHAPTER SIX

“There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare”

MARY RENAULT

GUINEVERE

I froze where I stood and glanced up at him definitely sure he was joking, his wife… how could that be?

"You are surprised" he stated simply observing my face

"Why do we look so alike?" I asked him trying hard to regulate my breathing

"I have no idea, I aim to find out." He muttered

He aims to find out, my brain echoed

"How, pray tell do you intend to find out?" I blurted

He merely looked at me not acknowledging the fact that he heard what I said. I stood in front of the photo for several minutes critically assessing it, the only difference between myself and the woman in the painting was our hair. While mine was red, hers was jet black although I could not be sure; the artist might have just painted her hair in that shade.

I turned to ask the duke another question and noticed he was gone, it was bad enough that I was here and now I could not hear anyone come or go?

I wondered where he was but he could be anywhere. The house was dark enough as it was, you would have to squint to accurately see anything in it. I made a mental note to ask the butler why and if there was something we could do about the darkness.

I did not want to go back to the room assigned to me and so I continued roaming the threshold of the house, getting used to my surroundings.

The hallway I stumbled upon in my quest was long and had a door at the end of it. I walked steadily, curious as to what lay in the room and why the door was hidden. If I wasn't exploring the house, I would never have known about the existence of such door.

Was this where he killed people? I thought to as I closed the distance between myself and the door

It was locked much to my disappointment but suddenly I felt very cold. Chills cascaded down my spine as I stood in front of the door trying to get a peak as to what lay inside, why it was locked and if it was something I should be afraid of.

"Aren't you a curious little mouse, Guinevere" a voice said behind me causing me to spin in terror

"Your grace, I had no idea you were..."

"Your grace?" The duke said, his lips twitched before he threw back his head, laughter erupting from his mouth

The sound was like music to my ears, my stomach did a double flip as warmth spread to my chest banishing the cold I felt when I touched the door

"You have a beautiful laugh" I blurted out and then blushed to the roots of my hair as he stared at me

"Excuse me?" He said finally

"Nothing, it's just that your laugh is...."

"I heard you the first time." He cut in still staring at me

I put my eyes down pretty sure I should not have said what I said. He stared at me for a while which made me very self-aware

“Dinner is ready" he finally said and then turned around

I followed closely behind staring at his back, it was rigid and I wondered what he was thinking and why he had looked at me like that… like I had said something utterly incredulous and distasteful.

We walked into the dining room and I sat at the far end of the table, he looked at me and then beckoned that I sit beside me. I walked slowly to where he sat and grabbed a chair watching out of the corner of my eyes as he watched me sit.

It was disconcerting how utterly scared and in awe I was of him, he was dangerous one minute and then charming the next, I could not keep up.

<<>>

How do you eat food, aren't you supposed to drink only blood?" I asked him after minutes of staring

"Are you offering yourself?" He responded to my question.

"Of course not." I blushed and continued eating my food.

He chuckled and continued eating with me still blushing, stupid of me to have asked him that question, of course they will eat too. The books I had read about vampires clearly stated they ate but blood was what sustained and satisfied them.

I gripped the knife in my hand tight and began working the meat in my plate while my head ran different scenarios of the duke killing me.

Damn my papa for telling me he was a vampire, the members of the ton must know who he is, I thought to myself. Why then have they not driven him out from our midst, how can they allow him roam free when he was a threat to our very existence.

"Ouch" I wailed; I had cut my finger in the process of trying to dissect my meat.

The duke shifted in his chair and grabbed my injured finger, blood already oozing to his mouth and began sucking on it. My eyes opened in wonder as his tongue snaked over my finger sending intense belly signals my way.

His eyes arrested mine and stayed on his face. He was caressing my finger with his tongue, sucking on the spot I had cut myself and then slowly he sighed and let his eyes close before releasing my hand.

I was dumbfounded, hot and confused. I wanted my fingers back in his mouth and at the same time I wanted to run and never turn back, he had tasted my blood and from all indications, he liked my blood.

His eyes opened lazily and I beheld the red glowing eyes I had seen when he helped kill people in my papa's house; he was looking at me with intense longing as his tongue snaked out and licked his lips.

A sound escaped my lips at the simple and yet sexy motion

What was he doing to me? I thought within myself.

His gaze had me pinned halfway in my chair, we stayed like that for what seemed like a long time to me but what was merely seconds before he cleared his throat

"I will ask Arthur to make sure he purchases blunt cutleries for your use." He finally said.

I did not have an answer to his statement, I merely nodded while my heart did a double flip. The finger that had gone into his mouth still hot from his sucking and my toes tingling with heat.